tales of three cities – mapping the townscape (petaling street and central market)

Tales of Three Cities (ARC61003 / ARC3113)

Tales of Three Cities (ARC61003 / ARC3113) Mapping The Townscape Introduction

Malaysia

MalaysiaMalaysia is located in the South-East Asiawhich consists of 13 states and threefederal territories. It is separated by theSouth China Sea into two similarly sizedregions, Peninsular Malaysia and EastMalaysia (Malaysian Borneo). The capitalcity is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya isthe seat of the federal government.Malaysia is a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural country which includes the threebig races: Malay, Chinese and Indian.

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Tales of Three Cities (ARC61003 / ARC3113) Mapping The Townscape

Kuala LumpurKuala Lumpur is the national capital ofMalaysia as well as its largest city, and itssurrounding urban areas form the mostindustrialised and economically region. Itis the fastest growing region in Malaysia.Kuala Lumpur attracts a lot of touristswith its tourist spots such as the DataranMerdeka, Petronas Twin Towers and KLTower.

Kuala Lumpur

IntroductionKuala Lumpur

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Central MarketCentral Market is a tourist hotspot whichis located a distance away from thePetaling Street. It is a heritage buildingwhich was built in 1988 with art decodesign. The Central Market is full of stallswhich sell locally made handicrafts thatshowcase the cultural items of Malaysia.The Kasturi Walk is a remarkableattraction with a Wau sculpture locatedjust beside the Central Market. It has alot of stalls selling food and souvenirs justlike in Petaling Street.

IntroductionPetaling Street and Central Market

Petaling StreetPetaling Street is known as theChinatown with a lot of foodstalls such as asam laksa,hokkien mee and other localfoods and stalls withsouvenirs. There are a lot ofbudget hotels located atPetaling Street to provideaccommodation to tourists.

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Urban Grid System• Deformed grid system.• Not predictable and irregular lot shapes and

sizes.• It is hard to build and rebuilt.• Not easy for navigation because of the roads

that are not well-organized.• If one street is blocked, traffic cannot easily re-

route to the next street over.

Urban Fabric• Fine grain focuses at Jalan Petaling and Jalan

Hang Lekir.• This increases the permeability, making it easier

particularly for pedestrians to move around the streets.

Tales of Three Cities (ARC61003 / ARC3113) Mapping The Townscape Figure Ground Study (Built Form)

Location plan showing Petaling Street and Central Market

Central Market

Petaling Street

Jalan Hang Lekir

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Building Scales• The subdivision of the block is mostly irregular.• The block has a mixture of large and small lots

and different building sizes.• Contemporary buildings have bigger scale and

bigger forms with more that four storeys.• Historical buildings have smaller scale with

mostly two-storey shophouses.• This shows the contrast between large and

small lots.



Central Market

Petaling Street

Jalan Pudu

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Building Typology

Open Space Typology• There is a continuous overhanging roof

structure located at Jalan Petaling and KasturiWalk, and both of the spaces are known as shopping districts.


Central Market

Petaling Street

Jalan Hang Lekir

Closed Space Typology• Point form and linear form.• Rows of shophouses show linear form in plan as

they are located side by side with each other.• Point typology buildings are shown by the

hotels nearby the shophouses.

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Tales of Three Cities (ARC61003 / ARC3113) Mapping The Townscape Cultural Mapping (Activity)

Land Use

Hotels / Accommodation

Temples (Religious)

Businesses / Shops

Shopping Malls

Central Market (Landmark)

Restaurants / Bars

Location plan showing the activities around Petaling Street and Central Market

Petaling Street

Jalan Pudu

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Location plan showing Petaling Street and Central Market Tourist hotspots Local hotspots

Cultural Mapping (Activity)Hotspots

Entrance of Petaling StreetTaxi waiting area

Kasturi WalkTourist shopping hotspot

Petaling StreetTourist shopping hotspot

Tun H.S. Lee MarketMorning market, and breakfast and lunch

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Location plan showing Petaling Street and Central Market Primary nodes Secondary nodes

Cultural Mapping (Activity)Nodes

The primary nodes concentrated at the tourist zones making the area more lively.

The program proposed has to attract tourists to the tourist zones and thus forming secondary nodes at the entrance of the PetalingStreet.

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Tales of Three Cities (ARC61003 / ARC3113) Mapping The Townscape Sustainable Street Networks (Movement Pattern)

Pedestrian Circulation

Pedestrian Pathways• The main pathway that connects Central Market

and Petaling Street is Jalan Pudu (in red).• Smaller pathways are in linear and

interconnected.

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Pedestrian Density (Function)• Highest density at Central Market and Petaling

Street, which attract tourists.• Moderate density at restaurants for people to

enjoy meals.• Least density along the walkways.

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Pedestrian Density (Non-peak hours)• The stalls are opening at 11.00am.• Low pedestrian density before 11.00am.

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Pedestrian Density (Peak hours)• Moderate pedestrian density at Central Market

and Petaling Street.• Red: Tourists• Blue: Locals

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Pedestrian Density (Night time)• Highest density during night time.• Activities around Central Market and Petaling

Street increase at night.

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Vehicular Circulation

Vehicular Routes• The high density of vehicular along Jalan Pudu

indicates that it is the main road.• The main roads are in a two-way direction;

while the secondary pathways are normally in a one-way direction.

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Vehicular Circulation

Vehicular Density• Public transportations such as LRTs, buses and

taxis are provided along the main road to increase the connectivity within Petaling Street and Central Market.

• Main roads are congested.• One-way routes are slightly smoother in terms

of traffic.

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Tales of Three Cities (ARC61003 / ARC3113) Mapping The Townscape “Complexity”

Complexity will be defined through building form, activity and movement pattern

Complexity will be discussed objectively through building form, activity and movement pattern.

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Tales of Three Cities (ARC61003 / ARC3113) Mapping The Townscape Serial Vision ①

Defined to Diffused


A

B

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Defined to Diffused

Visual Magnet (Point A)• The gateway of double volume height and large

overhanging roof structure contribute to attracting visitors into the Petaling Street.

• The vibrant colours of the gateway serve as a focal point for an important vista viewing from afar.

• The street was initially built for vehicles but now it has turned to a pedestrian-oriented street.

Diversity• Different people from all walks of life gather in this

particular linear street to engage with the local community and culture that are of grave importance to the Petaling Street lifestyle.

• The area turns lively with concentrated node that creates a favourable place especially for the tourist.

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A

B

Juxtaposition of Unpredictable Scale• The shophouses along the stretch of Petaling Street are

covered by the overhang roof structure, creating a defined volume throughout the street.

• This results in the unpredictable scale of shophousesunder the uniformed roof although they consist of various scale and sizes.

• The lanterns and billboards hanging over PetalingStreet further obscure the shophouse façade from view, distorting the scale.

Transitional Slice• At the junction where Jalan Hang Lekir intersects

Petaling Street perpendicularly, it creates a buffer space from the sheltered Petaling Street to an open street.

• Crowd disperses in three different directions further down from Point A.

• The openness of Jalan Hang Lekir due to the absence of the overhanging roof provides visual clarity ahead as natural sunlight floods the street.


Defined to Diffused

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A

B


Defined to Diffused

Connectivity from Spine• The spine is used to metaphorically describe Petaling

Street. The connectivity of Petaling Street to Jalan Hang Lekir is visible through the continuation of lanterns hung over the street.

• The function of the street is similar to Petaling Street –vendors selling merchandise from stalls.

Blandness of Facade• The façade along Jalan Hang Lekir blends well with the

colour palette of red, beige and grey from its surroundings.

• Its repetitive visual making elements creates a plain façade which does not rob the attention of the street below.

• Lanterns hanging over the street further contain the activity and movement within itself.

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A

B

Wide Outlook• Upon reaching the junction of Jalan Hang Lekir where

it intersects Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, the defined area of Petaling Street and Jalan Hang Lekir with its lanterns stops abruptly.

• The two-way street of Jalan Tun H.S. Lee creates a sense of spaciousness in contrast with the narrow Jalan Hang Lekir that is affected by the stalls’ layout.

• Facing left, Jalan Tun H.S. Lee overlooks a vista of skyscrapers such as the Wisma Tun Sambanthan and the Public Bank building.

Visual Depth• Facing right down the Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, it overlooks

towards the major Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock with its layering of city buildings of various heights behind it.

• The human density within this area also begins to lessen, where the pedestrians only consists of locals navigating through the shoplots lining down the street.

• The area begins to have mixed functions of business, food and religion. This shows the diffusion of functions as opposed to the defined function of the PetalingStreet that solely serves as a tourist hotspot/cultural district.


Defined to Diffused

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A

B

Dense Layers• At the end of Jalan Hang Lekir where it intersects Jalan

Hang Kasturi stands the Hotel Geo KL. • Looking left, the Pasar Seni (Central Market), Jalan

Hang Kasturi bus station and the Pasar Seni LRT Station are located. The node for public transportation causes an influx of human density within the area.

• The road which leads to the major Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock further causes vehicular density in addition to the public transport within the area. Taxis are also parked along the road to get customers who have disembarked at the bus/LRT station.

Visual Hiding• Turning right, one arrives at Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock

which is the major thoroughfare of the area. • Visitors are immediately drawn to the massive Wau

structure which introduces the Kasturi Walk behind it. • It robs the focus of Central Market which sits behind

the structure and adjacent to the Kasturi Walk although the building is significantly lower than its surrounding buildings.


Defined to Diffused

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A

B


Defined to Diffused

Deceptive Walkway• The food bazaar and hawker stalls set up along the

Kasturi Walk are shaded by overhanging roof in the shape of a Wau. The intention of the structure built is to shade the walkway while tying the Central Market to its adjacent shophouses sitting perpendicular to it.

• However, the structure itself creates a loud emphasis which snatches the attention of its neighbouring building which is the Central Market and its entrance.

Visual Contrast (Point B)• Upon arriving at the Central Market entrance, one will

notice its lower height and longer width of the building in comparison with neighbouring skyscraper such as the Dayabumi Complex and Agrobank KL.

• The massing of Central Market juxtaposes the ones of its neighbouring building, drawing attention to itself due to the void it creates above.

• With the addition of the big carpark area and the mass of the building itself, there is spacious 360 degree view outwards, granting users visual access across the area.

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A

B



A

Serial Vision ②Node to Landmark

B

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Complex Exit (Point A)• As the focus of the gateway is to draw in user from the

outside into Petaling Street, one would consider the gateway will serve as a grand exit also.

• However upon exiting, the gateway is hidden behind rows of hanging lanterns and billboard sign over the street.

• Hence, the gateway actually does not point out the exit of Petaling Street but rather the shophouses and stalls are the ones that define the end of Petaling Street. The perpendicular Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock also informs users that Petaling Street ends at the junction.

Bottleneck Traffic• Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock is a major road that links

across the city centre, connecting Jalan TunSambanthan in the West, and Jalan Pudu in the East, ultimately reaching the junction at Jalan Tun Perak.

• The vehicular pattern is heaviest here compared to other areas within the region. Hence, it strengthens the node here.

• The two-way road spanning three lanes constantly shows vehicular movement from one end to the other. During peak hours, Petaling Street will come to a standstill as traffic is congested in this area.

Tales of Three Cities (ARC61003 / ARC3113) Mapping The Townscape Serial Vision ②

Node to Landmark

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A

B


Node to Landmark

Assorted Scale• Along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, rows of shophouses

are seen lining inwards at each junctions. Occasionally, there are tall buildings within the area.

• In this picture, the scale of Hotel Malaya is enormous compared to the scale of the shophouses, emphasizing on the different experience user undergo as they go through different serial visions.

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Contrasting Typology• The row of shophouses change the continuity with

point typologies of buildings such as large offices and hotels along the streets.

• These such buildings aligned along the main street are to cater the main vehicular circulation.

A

B


Node to Landmark

Iconic• Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock ends at this junction where

it connects to Jalan Tun Sambanthan and Jalan Hang Kasturi.

• The node here is further strengthen by its landmark such as the Hotel Geo KL as seen here.

• The building footprint which is triangular in shape eventually affects the massing of the structure, which reminds people of the Flatiron Building in New York City.

Visual Contrast (Point B)• After the spacious junction where three streets meet,

one has arrived at Central Market. • The low height of the building creates a sense of

warmth as the building scale is more intimate compared to its surrounding building.

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A

B

Tales of Three Cities (ARC61003 / ARC3113) Mapping The Townscape Collage City

Connectivity

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Displacement

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Figure Ground

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Nodes

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Thoroughfare

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Scale

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Tales of Three Cities (ARC61003 / ARC3113) Mapping The Townscape Comparison of Three Cities

George Town, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching

George Town, Penang Kuala Lumpur Kuching, Sarawak

Morphological Dimension • Deformed grid pattern• Low-rise built forms• Shophouses typology

define the entrances

• Deformed grid pattern• High-rise and vertical

built forms• Skyline is decorated by

skyscrapers

• Deformed grid pattern• Low-rise and spaces are

more vast

Social Dimension • Shophouses are forvarious activities such as commercial while pocket spaces for relaxation (cafes)

• Heritage area has various cultural heritage buildings

• Live, work and playcombination showcases the city’s characteristics

• Limited use of activities to express the city’s lifestyles

Perception Dimension • Heritage value of Penang is maintained as conservation of buildings is prioritized although function of shophouses undergo adaptive re-use

• Urban lifestyle with cultural background

• Cultural and traditionalthat portray life of Sarawak

• Peaceful and nature-orientated

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Tales of Three Cities (ARC61003 / ARC3113) Mapping The Townscape Comparison of Three Cities

George Town, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching

George Town, Penang Kuala Lumpur Kuching, Sarawak

Visual Dimension • Development within the area to cater tourists and gradually the building forms

• Iconic skyline and traditional shophousesare layered at different points of junctions

• Fusion between heritage and culture

Functional Dimension • Adaptive re-use of buildings allow different functions to take place such as museum and cafes to add more activities to the previously mundane residential function for people to relax

• Mixture of building types and access of public transportations

• Tourist-orientated due to culture and discovery for locals

Temporal Dimension • Contains deep cultural and historical merits

• Modernity brings down the traditional essence of the existing spaces through large tower blocks

• Presence of the past is reflected into thearchitecture and activity use

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Tales of Three Cities (ARC61003 / ARC3113) Mapping The Townscape Tales of Wishes

“George Town, Penang is the best city to live in with a wealth of cultural attraction. All the cultural buildings arepreserved by the Penang government so that the cultural value can be kept for the next generation. However, inKuala Lumpur such as Petaling Street, the cultural buildings like those of traditional Chinese shophouses are notwell-preserved and they are losing their cultural identity and some are developed into newer buildings. KualaLumpur has too many high-rise buildings that do not have a humanizing scale to create a sense of welcoming tothe public.”

– Beh Nianzi

“I would prefer George Town, Penang because it preserves most of its heritage buildings and gives them anidentity to the city. It also has a very strong cultural background and allows us to be exposed to different practicesfrom different cultures. The planning of the city is efficient, for example, the pedestrian across the streets keeps theusers safe and comfortable. The street arts create hotspots in the city to define the spaces and allow us to spotthese spaces easily. The soft side and the hard side of George Town coexist in many parts which provide a goodpsychological treatment in a hectic lifestyle.”

– Chia Cheng Wei

“Kuala Lumpur remains as my favourite city to date because it has a very well-organized city planning. The cityplanners are still maintaining the greenery within the high-rise buildings which makes the city more lively. The openpublic spaces are humanizing in scale are mostly found in streets where people would flock to the morning andnight markets that would pop up at different times of the day. The network of public transports have providedgreat convenience for the visitors of the city. It is also home to many high-rise architecture marvels which beautifyKuala Lumpur as an artistic city.”

– Fong Tze Ying

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Tales of Three Cities (ARC61003 / ARC3113) Mapping The Townscape Tales of Wishes

“Kuala Lumpur would be my choice of city due to its different promising landmarks for tourist attraction andprovides interests to locals alike. Modern designs of buildings can co-exist with older traditional architecture thatbring out sensibility to the urbanscape. Nowadays, vandalism to the building walls turns into respectable streetmural masterpieces that can be thoroughly enjoyed by both tourists and locals, which help to create a boomingurban art scene in Kuala Lumpur. The availability of streetscapes despite the existence of tall modern buildingshelps to deliver a tranquil and calm experience to that of a hustling and bustling city of Kuala Lumpur.”

– Lee Xiang Loon

“I would prefer Kuala Lumpur over Kuching and George Town because this city has different lifestyle and givingvarious experiences. It is a combination of culture, religion and ethnicity, as well as the overlapping of old and newbuildings. The public transport system is well-planned to prioritize the pedestrian users and it creates aenvironment-friendly city. The skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur also injecting liveliness to the city and shaping a cityskyline to show it unique identity to Kuala Lumpur.”

– Benjamin Cheng Jia Yeow

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Tales of Three Cities (ARC61003 / ARC3113) Mapping The Townscape Conclusion

Central Market and Petaling Street showcase a city with complexity through its built form,activity and movement pattern. Through the serial visions of “Defined to Diffused” and“Node to Landmark”, the complexity shown at Petaling Street in the form of the differenttypes of architecture, building form and also different cultural activities happening therethat give the chance to experience various things at once. Petaling Street has differentactivities in the area that create different hotspots for the tourist and local people alike,thus the user experience varies. There are different routes and small alleys around PetalingStreet and Central Market which lead to the random movement patterns. These routes andthe density of both vehicular and pedestrian show the complexity.

City of Complexity

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tales of three cities – mapping the townscape (petaling street and central market)

Education