tales of three cities - petaling street

MAPPING THE TOWNSCAPE ARC 61003

TALES OF THREE CITIES � �1

MAPPING THE TOWNSCAPE

F inal Report Mapping %e Colonial Kuala Lumpur

School of Architecture , Building and Design Tales of Three Cities

ARC 61003

Module Coordinator : Dr. Suchirita Srirangam


FINAL REPORT � �2

CONTENTSMALACCA AND GEORGETOWN1.1 Theorization of Colonial Malacca1.2 Theorization of Colonial Georgetown1.3 Comparative Study of Colonial Malacca and Georgetown1.4 Summary

KUALA LUMPUR2.1 Theories of Investigation2.2 Preliminary Studies on Urban Form, Activity and Movement Pattern2.3 Investigations


TALES OF WISHES

CONCLUSION

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INTRODUCTION

STUDENTS

AIDA JUNITAALAN KOO KA LOKFRANCIS YEOWKHOR HAO XIANGLEE YIHLIM SHENLOH WEI SHUEN LOVIE TEY YIQINGLOW EN HUEYLUM SI CHUNAAJID NASEEMNG ZE ZHENGTOH KEAN HOUWILLIAM GOH

03177660318757

1101A1239503180650318340032320903178960318155031788903195020311649031896703195750320311

TANG ZE ZHENGTOH KEAN HOUCHIN VIN YEN

031896703195750320311



DESCRIPTION

Aims to explore the case study cities through the ideas and theories prevailed in historical and contemporary times. The objectives are to: a) critically think on various approaches of urban design and b) enhance prevailing ideas of urbanism to acquire prior knowledge for the site visit to the case study cities. There will be class discussions on the debates on factors that drive the urban form, where the usage of online sources would be effectively practiced.

Through online virtual studies on the case study city, students are expected to capture interesting and meaningful sketches and photographs related to social (urban life) and spatial (nodes etc.) contexts of these towns. It is imperative that the sketches should contribute to the understanding of urban patterns and spaces.

The solution is in content understanding employing critical approach to the notion of ‘content’ as a purposeful narrative to powerful questions relevant to the context (Low, 2010). To begin with, the question is:

What are the tangible and intangible colonial characteristics still prevalent in the context of the city of Kuala Lumpur at street scale?



01 Malacca and georgetown 1.1 Theorisation of Malacca

Five-foot walkways link the street with the rowhouse interiors, bridging the boudaries.

Urban Linkage

Multiple colonisation efforts by others forces existing building to adapt, creating a multi cultural heritage.

Adaptive Facade

Diagram 1.1.1 Section of building showing five foot way

The Portuguese, Dutch & British brought their architectural styles over & localised them. Each time this happens, the people tweaked their facades to suit the current authority.

Shifting architectural styles all conform to the same shophouse layout & façade.

Harmonious Streetscape

As none of the old rowhouses were demolished for redevelopment, the culmination of architectural styles created cultural diversity.Although the styles vary, they still conform the basic design of rowhouse.

Rowhouse entryways provide passerbys a clear view inwards.

Transparent Interiority / Exteriority

The width of the five foot walkway increases the level of interaction between the pedestrian & the building occupant, providing a sense of transparency & openness between the interior & exterior.

The linear street grid expands organically outwards as the town grows.

Organic Diffusal

Initially Malacca was composed of linear streets parallel to each other. As time goes by, Malacca expanded organically due to the topography of the land & river.

The perimeter block typology birthed both the striking front facades & intimate linear back spaces.

Hidden Backalley

Diagram 1.1.2 Hidden Backalley

Religious institutions act as nodes along the street. Re-occurring Node

Diagram 1.1.3 (from left to right: Tamil Methodist Church, Kwan Yin Tong, Xiang Lin Si

Temple, Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, Kampung Kling Mosque, Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple, St Francis Xavier Church)

Narrow streets impede vehicular speed, allowing young & old to interact safely with each other.

Inter-Generational Interaction

During colonial era, the narrow streets were suited for pedestrian access. After the invention of vehicles, the authorities designated them one-way streets, thus making the streets safer for pedestrians.



While linearly arranged, each rowhouse has differing architectural styles.

Disordered Linearity

People of similar status or trade congregate in the same street, creating unique street characteristics.

Surprising Hierarchy

Diagram 1.1.4 Surprising Hierarchy

Diagram 1.1.5 (from left to right: early shophouse style, Dutch style, Southern China style, Art Deco style)

As new buildings take root, they redefine the surrounding spaces.

Spatial Redefinition

The streets are infilled throughout the centuries with new buildings, changing the urban form, movement patterns & space usage.

Colonial era Malacca was divided into zones according to social status & building activity.

Social Segregation

Shophouses during the colonial era were taxed according to their street frontage plot. Trading products & services were taxed differently as well. As a result, building activities were divided into different zones.

Governmental & residential zones were connected along an axis.

Axial Dominance

Shophouses during the colonial era were taxed according to their street frontage plot. Trading products & services were taxed differently as well. As a result, building activities were divided into different zones.

Diagram 1.1.6 Axial Path

The colonial influences made Malacca unique due to its townscape & architecture.

Outstanding Universal Value

A combination of Portugese, Dutch & British influences, plus the adaptation of the various architectural styles towards South East-Asian climate gave rise to a urban response unique to Malacca globally.



01 Malacca and georgetown 1.2 Theorisation of Georgetown

Building owners circumvent the authorities' taxation laws through innovative architectural measures.

Adapting to Control

Taxation & land cost are decided by building plot width during the colonial era. Land owners built shophouses with greater length than width to save costs.

As a heritage site, Penang serves as a vibrant & living 'museum'.

Vibrant Townscape

Different ornaments & carvings from the shophouses showcase the multitude of architectural styles, cultural influences & diversified identities of Penang.

A road with point form building blocks bisect Georgetown into two distinct urban typologies

Diversified Typologies

Diagram 1.2.1 Space Typology

Various nodes along the street influence pedestrian movements, forming an engagement pattern.

Engagement Pattern

Diagram 1.2.2 Nodes Influencing Engagement Pattern

Contrasting streetviews split along the main road due to differing urban typologies.

Frames of Directional Quality

The loose typology on the west of Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling has both fine & coarse grain urban blocks, the grid typology on the east consists of merely coarse grain urban blocks; providing differing frame views.

Shophouses share the same façade design, creating a pleasant streetscape.

Welcoming Facades

The five foot walkway connects the street to the rowhouse interior, giving pedestrians a sense of welcome.

Colonial buildings lack human scale, creating a sense of disconnection between them & the people.

Dominant Rulers

Diagram 1.2.3 Overwhelming Scale Disproportionate to Human Scale

Distinctive terrains surrounding Georgetown limits the expansion of its boundaries.

Enclosing Edges

Paddy fields & higher terrain to the west of Georgetown, along with the sea on the east act as natural town boundary restrictors.

Religious buildings have spheres of influences, creating invisible boundaries on the urbanscape.

Invisible Boundary

Diagram 1.2.4 Invisible Boundary

The physical forms of ornaments reflect the characteristics of the urbanscape.

Representational Organisation

Façade ornamentations depict the influence/affluence of owners, economic disparities between social classes as well as the evolution of the built environment under a multi-ethnic community.



01 Malacca and georgetown 1.3 Comparative Study of Colonial Malacca and Georgetown

Morphological Comparison Analysis

Urban Linkage Both towns have this design feature as an architectural response to the tropical climate.

Adaptive FacadesHarmonious StreetscapeVibrant Townscape

Multiple colonisation efforts influenced the development of architectural styles,yet they never deviate from the basic building form.

Transparent Interiority / Exteriority

Both towns have the five foot walkway serving the same function, bridging the interior & exterior, providing transparency.

Organic Diffusal Malacca expanded organically along several key street lengths, while Georgetown expanded sideways from one main street - each side using different methods to achieve expansion.

Adapting to Control Both towns used massing form manipulation as an answer to restrictive rulings regarding building plot areas.

Social Comparison Analysis

Hidden Backalley Both towns have this characteristic due to their elongated rowhouses with their prominent front facades & quiet backalleys.

Re-occurring Node Both towns have religious buildings act as nodes along circulation pathways.

Inter-generational Interaction /Engagement Pattern

With prominent landmarks acting as nodes, there are plenty of congregation points to encourage social interaction among people.

Surprising Hierarchy In Malacca, streets are characterised by trade or social class;

Diversified Typologies Malacca has one defining typology - organic growth; Georgetown has two - loose & grid typology.

Table 1.3.1 Comparison of Morphological Analysis between Malacca and Georgetown

Table 1.3.2 Social Analysis Comparison between Malacca and Georgetown

Perception Comparison AnalysisDisordered Linearity Both towns have buildings aligned linearly along grids, yet each façade

has differing architectural styles, creating disorder within a pattern.

Frames of Directional Quality

Both towns have great contrast among their streetscape; Malacca along hierarchical streets, Georgetown along axial pathways.

Welcoming Facades Both towns share the same basic façade design layout throughout their building blocks, creating pleasant streetscapes.

Dominant Rulers Both towns have colonial buildings that do not relate to the human scale.

Table 1.3.2 Social Analysis Comparison between Malacca and Georgetown

Functional Comparison AnalysisSpatial Redefinition Both towns have new nodes built as time passes, redefining the urban

fabric in the process everytime. Social Segregation Both towns were divided into zones according to ethnicity, race

background, social status & activity zones.

Enclosing Edges Both towns have surrounding terrain that restricts their expansion plans; river for Malacca, sea & padi fields for Georgetown.

Invisible Boundary Both towns have religious nodes exerting spheres of influence, forming invisible boundaries.

Representational Ornamentation

Both towns have unique ornaments decorating their buildings that display the cultural aspects of their heritage.

Temporal Comparison Analysis

Axial Dominance Both towns have govermental & residental zones connected along an axis.

Outstanding Universal Value

Both towns were unique in regards to their integration of various architectural styles & urban response to local site context.

Table 1.3.4 Functional Comparison Analysis between Malacca and Georgetown

Table 1.3.5 Temporal Analysis Comparison between Malacca and Georgetown



It is clear that both towns share similar urban characteristics due to the influence of colonial architecture. Yet they were fundamentally different from each other on one aspect - their design solutions towards geographical issues. Restricted by the local topography, Malacca & Georgetown devised unique solutions to address the problems they faced - parallel streets according to zones in Malacca, multiple grid systems for Georgetown. The architectural tools & principles may be the same, yet their approach all start from the terrain - thus resulting in entirely unique urbanscapes.

01 Malacca and georgetown 1.4 Summary of Comparison Study between Malacca and Georgetown

FORM

Kuala Lumpur is an organic cityscape with Petronas Twin Towers as the landmark of the city. Kuala Lumpur consists of linear form and point form which each district are organizes itself with its distinctive cultural and functional value. Linear form usually refer to shophouses and terrace houses while point form are refer to government buildings, commercial blocks, transportation hubs and cultural building like religious building and educational hubs.

MOVEMENT PATTERN

The activeness of road in Kuala Lumpur are based on the accessibility factor. Main roads are usually active due to its connectivity to other majority place in Kuala Lumpur. Some minor roads are congested with vehicles due to the activities and functions offered by the nearby buildings.

FUNCTIONThe commercial are largely occupies in Kuala Lumpur

although partially of the the function are tourism. Beside

that, religious building can be found in between the

commercial and tourism buildings. In addition, the

administration building are more cluster from the tourism

building. Hence, the function of Kuala Lumpur are a

mixed use of tourism, administration, religious and large

number of commercial buildings.

02 KUALA LUMPUR 2.1 Theories of Investigation

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FINAL REPORT

ARC 61003

ACCESSIBILITY

Petaling Street is accessible by several public transportation as it acted as one of the major transportation hub in Kuala Lumpur. The organic city scape of Kuala Lumpur caused the emerge of different road width that have various level of vehicles congestion. Petaling Street market was accessible by vehicles until it became a popular tourist spot.

ARCHITECTURE STYLEArchitectural style of Kuala Lumpur is a blend of colonial influences, Malay Islamic Inspiration, modern and post-modern. Most of the colonial buildings are built toward 19 th and 20th century. The colonial buildings in Kuala Lumpur have been modified to cater the use of local resources and local climate.

HIGH RISE, MID RISE, LOW RISELow rise and mid-rise buildings in Petaling Street are mostly traditional colonial shophouses that still functioning with its original purpose and retaining its cultural value. The high rise buildings are rebuilt of colonial shophouses due to the increasing demands in the area.

PEDESTRIAN MOVEMENTThe setback of modern buildings creates pedestrian walkway in Petaling Street. The five-foot walkway that exists in the colonial shophouses gives a memorable street network to Kuala Lumpur. The lack of connectivity between pedestrian walkway and five-foot walkway consumed the sense of continuity of the street.

NODESIn Pasar Seni, the intersect of LRT, KTM, and bus station form a node and act as a ponder area for traveler. Therefore, the nodes in Kuala Lumpur can be identify by transportation hubs. Beside that, religious building and tourism attraction are also act as a node in Kuala Lumpur.

LAND USEThe land use in Kuala Lumpur are mainly commercial usage. Beside that, administrational and institutional are less in Kuala Lumpur. Although shophouses are shifted into commercial usage, the religious usage are still retaining since the beginning.

DISTRICTIn Kuala Lumpur, district are separate by the different function and activity of the area. Hence, there is five district can be identify in Kuala Lumpur.

02 KUALA LUMPUR 2.2 Preliminary Studies on Urban Form, Movement and Pattern

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FINAL REPORT

ARC 61003



Colonial cities QualitiesModern Kuala Lumpur

Prevailing Fragmented Faded

Georgetown

Vibrant townscape •Welcoming facades •Enclosing edges •Representational ornamentation •Dominant rulers •Frames of directional quality •Invisible boundary •Diversified typologies •

Melaka

Harmonious streetscape •Adaptive facade •Transparent interior / exterior •Adapting to control •Disordered linearity •Surprising hierarcy •Urban linkage •Organic diffusal •Axial dominance •Social segregation •Hidden backalley •Reoccuring nodes •Intergeneration interaction •Spatial redifinition •

02 KUALA LUMPUR 2.3 Summary

Table 2.3.1 The inheritance of Colonial Cities -Georgetown and Malacca’s Qualities in Modern Kuala Lumpur



02 KUALA LUMPUR Discussion on Kuala Lumpur

The spaces between forms in the random and inconsistent urban configuration make up alley paths which in turn facilitates pedestrian movement thus increasing permeability within the city area

Permeability

Enduring Transparency One of the aspect which remained with the colonial Kuala lampur was the level of interaction between private/public. By the use of fivefoot walkways, the petaling street retains the transparency between inside and outside, thereby increasing interaction between a public pedestrian and a private house owner. This gives an added transparency to the street.

Space Infill The pavement along the petaling street was wide and larger intended for people walking and meander along the street in the morning and afternoon.However,during evening and night,more stalls started to occupy in the middle of pavement causing the space to become smaller and cozier while allows user to shop and discover more selling items while meandering through the narrower pavement.

Urban Linkage Petaling street is a very saturated place where concentrated with peoples. Hence, the accessibility of people is very important toward this places. In-order to fit in this volume of people.The linkage of petaling street have to be systematic enough to prevent accessibility failure occur. Base on my observation the main access way to petaling street is vehicle road and five foot way. Due to my opinion without any urban linkage non of a place will be activate.

Souless Having a very uniquely old facade but the contain of the shop had been driven away as they leading people into the street with the stalls. The streetscape mainly uses the stall on the street as a main attraction tourist barely notice the shop and the shops barely serve a purpose.

Visual Distraction The directional sense in Petaling Street are disturbed by the activities happening in the market. The variety settings and size of vendor stalls distracted users' focus on the buildings and road in Petaling Street.

The street features mainly traditional Chinese shoplots with a narrow yet symmetrical facade as influenced by tudorbethan style. The older buildings are ornamented and intricately chiseled to resemble nature and culture. Even the colour scheme of the shophouses provide a layer of meaning to the style of the street, to bring about a plethora of moods among the pedestrians.

Entrapment Node

As the street flourishes, more shops and stalls are taken over by foreigners, the original familiarity had faded. Most of the buildings styles such as art deco, utilitarian and neo-classical style had been taken down to be replaced with new modern buildings. Buildings today are free from ornamentation and the design had become more minimal. It is obvious the the sense of place in Petaling Street had faded.

Faded

While the surrounding urbanscape may have changed due to changing movement patterns & shifting grain blocks by urbanisation, the streets retain their flow patterns. Key buildings & unchanging entry points set the directional cues guiding pedestrian movement patterns, much like in the past.

Permanent Nodes

Temporary market stalls adhered to five foot walkway formed a second thickened layer of facade on the exterior of building, detaching public pedestrian from shophouse owner. Walking along Petaling Street, this eye catching immediate surrounding created interaction with pedestrian while blocking entrance into the neglected shophouse. Perpendicular movement across Petaling Street is minimum as slits of openings between stalls, acting as threshold into shophouse are hardly noticeable. Sense of hereness to thereness (perpendicularly) is a strong contrast hence discouraging the forming of relationship between both, whereas linear motion is emphasised in Petaling Street.

Thickened Facade

Figure ground (left) Colonial Georgetown, (middle) Colonial Melaka, (right) Modern Kuala Lumpur

Colonial Georgetown

TTwo typologies are seen in the urban configuration in the area, which are organized and eccentric arrangements. First of all, government and religious buildings are seen in point form as these buildings need to show their significance and high status position. Other than that, governmental buildings are not meant for the public, which point form meant for the public, which point form configuration can achieve. On the other hand, shophouses are organized in linear configuration and identical to each other. Due to its commercial purpose, linear configuration shophouses are more open to public which will help attract people to walk along the 5 foot walk way and shop for goods.way and shop for goods.

Colonial Georgetown

Due to the west part of Jalan Masjid Kapitan Due to the west part of Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling being in an old development area, the buildings are built in unorganized arrangement, which causes diversity of road width and random arrangement of coarse and fine grain building that blurred the sense of direction on the site. The site consisted of fine grain and coarse grain which also caused many dead coarse grain which also caused many dead ends to emerge. But, the newly developed east part of Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling have a clearer sense of direction due to its constant road width and organized arrangement of fine grain buildings which allows users to frame the street view from one end to another.

Colonial Melaka

The existence of the religious buildings like The existence of the religious buildings like Cheng HoonTeng Temple, Kampung Kling Mosque and Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple along the street since colonial period becomes a very significant features for the street. They naturally defined the public and private realm along the street which makes them a node in Harmony Street. With the nodes them a node in Harmony Street. With the nodes formed by these religious buildings, the connecting alley ways to adjacent street (Jongker Street) have supplementary factors that cause it to form nodes as well since it is easily accessible from the Harmony Street and it provides other functions such as food stalls and variety of shophouses.and variety of shophouses.

Colonial Melaka

The fort had marked a significant navigator to The fort had marked a significant navigator to the locals, traders and European government. It connected the giganic fort and the intimate shophouses, brought business opportunities to the streets that derived from the fort, attracted diffrent user groups such as traders, slaves, locals, businessman in this area. The identify of the fort was so prominent that it created a the fort was so prominent that it created a contradicting relationship with the shophouses, dominance in the context.

Colonial Melaka

The use of five footways is common in most of The use of five footways is common in most of the streets of Malacca, whereby a setback of around 1.5m is found at the entrance of shophouses. By functioning as public covered walkway, this narrow five foot way increases the level of interaction between the public pedestrian and the house owner as it draws distance between two users closedistance between two users closer. Thereby, the use of five footway in the streets of Malacca provides a sense of transparency between inside and outside through visual relation and intimate distance.

Colonial Melaka

Back alleys behind shophouses along Petaling street is no longer community oriented. Instead,intimate and dark shades in the narrow alleys intimate users as the function transformed intounorganised service alleys such as trash unorganised service alleys such as trash collection, outdoor air conditioning units. The back alleys are losing its liveliness and is becoming an eyesore to the society where people intend to avoid due to its negative first impression.

Colonial Georgetown

Buildings in Georgetown, particularly the Buildings in Georgetown, particularly the shophouse typology, uses ornate facades to create a sense of welcoming to the people on the streets to converse at the continuous walkway. In this case, the shophouses utilise facade ornamentation and vibrant colours to create a welcoming facade. In contrast, the government buildings have a less welcoming government buildings have a less welcoming facade to show dominance and authority between ruler and the people.

Modern Kuala Lumpur

In contrast with Georgetown, the facades of buildings in Kuala Lumpur ranges fromgeometric and rudimentary features to ornate facades - combination of Neoclassical, ArtDeco and Utilitarian style facades. In recent Deco and Utilitarian style facades. In recent years, the development of buildings in KualaLumpur in their facades has become monotonous, even for the shophouse typology.Therefore, it can be deduced that the welcoming facades in Kuala Lumpur is fragmented.

Modern Kuala Lumpur

The existence of the religious buildings like The existence of the religious buildings like Petaling Street itself is a node due to it being a tourist attraction hotspot, therefore people tends to gather at the start or at the end of the street before entering the shopping street. With this strong node point, many other points have also become a node due to its function that compliments the street. For instance, a node is compliments the street. For instance, a node is formed when people gather around the junction of Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock for public transportation, or in the junction of Jalan Hang Lekir whereby food stalls are located have formed a nodes as supplement to Petaling Street. Therefore, it is shown that reoccurring nodes pattern are preserved in Petaling Street.nodes pattern are preserved in Petaling Street.

Modern Kuala Lumpur

The general populace area in downtown The general populace area in downtown Malacca contains the common boundaries of two bodies, spaces or phases, also known as the interconnection between two systems. From the street planning, the building connections between buildings, define the linkage for pedestrian movement. This is further achieved through the five-foot walkway which achieved through the five-foot walkway which provides human access in front every façade. The wide pedestrian street and the alley path between the shophouses also encourage access as well as urban linkage.

Modern Kuala Lumpur

The modern buildings in Kuala Lumpur today are obliged to comply with the duty to satisfythe needs of the public.the needs of the public. An effective infrastructure, particularly the public transportation system, has become the main drive to expand the urban network. Resultantly, a change in function of the buildings and activities in an area must be able to suit and adapt to the needs of the users. Within the area of city centre of Kuala Lumpur surrounding of city centre of Kuala Lumpur surrounding Jalan Petaling, major public transportation links can be identified – Pasar Seni LRT, Masjid Jamek LRT and Plaza Rakyat LRT, along with multiple bus stop points.

Colonial Melaka

Linkages between the major roads – JalanLinkages between the major roads – Jalan Tun Perak (station Masjid Jamek), Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (station Pasar Seni) and Jalan Hang Jebat (station Plaza Rakyat), where transportation hubs are located, and minor roads leading towards Petaling Street create movement pattern and axes. The nature of the grid pattern and location points of the grid pattern and location points of the transportation hubs allow for provision of urban linkage into Petaling Street. Transit usage and restraint to private vehicles in certain areas in Petaling Street, are encouraged, to give priority to pedestrian movement and help facilitate their movement at activity centres.

Colonial Georgetown

Plot widths of shophouses were controlled by the ruling government as shophouse ownerswere taxed according to the width of their shop along the street front. This motivated localshop owners to take advantage of a loophole to shop owners to take advantage of a loophole to avoid extra tax payment and land costs bymaking their shops as narrow as possible but going as long as they could lengthwise whilestill being functional. Consequently, this set the tone for local building typologies and the future of the built environment.

Modern Kuala Lumpur

Presence of five foot walkway in shophouses Presence of five foot walkway in shophouses along Petaling Street is a less prominent feature, serving as a grey zone between public visitors and private shophouse owners. Temporary market stalls flanked on both side of street block direct access to the five foot walkway wherebyonly access is through unorganised gaps only access is through unorganised gaps between the stalls. Evidently, linear permeability between interior and exterior of Petaling Street decreases into to fragmented points of permeability through the informal gaps between stalls.

Modern Kuala Lumpur

Back alleys behind shophouses along Petaling Back alleys behind shophouses along Petaling street is no longer community oriented. Instead, intimate and dark shades in the narrow alleys intimate users as the function transformed into unorganised service alleys such as trash collection, outdoor air conditioning units. The back alleys are losing its liveliness and is becoming an eyesore to the society where becoming an eyesore to the society where people intend to avoid due to its negative first impression.

Colonial Georgetown

Due to morphological changes, many building Due to morphological changes, many building developments have confined to different building setbacks based on function and land use planning permission. This have caused the framing of directional qualities to be fragmented as from the street level, a clear vision of what is at the end of the street is obstructed by buildings front, therefore losing the framing buildings front, therefore losing the framing quality of the street. Other than that, these variations of building setbacks also caused the pedestrian to lose the sense of linearity on the road walking towards the end hence losing sense of direction towards what is at the end of the street as well.

Colonial Georgetown

Higher topography bounded flat paddy field Higher topography bounded flat paddy field from Eastern part of Georgetown with hills and forests landscaped view. Therefore, the hills became edges disconnecting development in Georgetown from other parts of Penang. Colonial development tends to lean towards Western Part of Georgetown as more flat lands are at that area.are at that area. This clear boundary sets limitation to the local where the ‘end’ of Georgetown is clearly revealed since most of the government administration buildings are located there, which are confining their daily activities and depth of views towards the surrounding.

Colonial Georgetown

Shophouses in Georgetown share general Shophouses in Georgetown share general consistencies in their features and characteristics across the architectural style periods with minimal variations. The significant distinction between the architectural styles lies in the ornamentation of the façade of the shophouses.The facade ornamentation is used to depict the influence and ato depict the influence and affluence of building owners or occupants as well as levels of wealth and status of the community at the time.

Modern Kuala Lumpur

As shophouses in Georgetown uses facade As shophouses in Georgetown uses facade ornanmentation as levels of wealth, the buildings in Petaling Street have different storey height. The significant distinction between the architectural styles lies in within the building height. Most of the low-rise shophouses ( 1-2 storeys) had preserved the ornamentation, as compared to the ornamentation, as compared to the medium-high and high rise that uses minimal ornamentation.

Modern Kuala Lumpur

In the Kuala Lumpur context, the enclosing In the Kuala Lumpur context, the enclosing edges are preserved, but it is formed solely based on function of the buildings instead of topography. For instance, an invisible boundary has formed in Jalan Petaling because most of the buildings in the area are for commercial purposes, which makes it a commercial zone. On the other hand, further up north from Jalan On the other hand, further up north from Jalan Petaling gathers more of banking and financial building. These edges are formed due to governmental land use planning permissions and prohibition through the process of dividing land in a municipality into zones in parallel to morphological development of Kuala Lumpur.

Modern Kuala Lumpur

The importance of Jalan Sultan as the main The importance of Jalan Sultan as the main road is being shifted to Jalan HS Lee. The period shift of Jalan Sultan has brought a lively experience to Jalan HS Lee. The continoues linear driveway encourages the vehicular passing by, no stopping point whereas Jalan Sultan provokes a more walkable a situation. The sacrification of shophouses in Jalan Sultan The sacrification of shophouses in Jalan Sultan perhaps to build the new MRT project perhaps will bring back the vitality of the road.

Modern Kuala Lumpur

Being categorised under ‘commercial zoning’, Being categorised under ‘commercial zoning’, spaces of Petaling Street are redefined to fit profit-oriented purpose and is pre-determined by government without providing freedom to be personalised by the community themselves. Usage of spaces in Petaling Street are monotonous and formalised with similar functions where unexpected surprises are functions where unexpected surprises are hardly found on the street.

Colonial Melaka

Being categorised under ‘commercial zoning’, spaces of Petaling Street are redefined to fit profit-oriented purpose and is pre-determined by government without providing freedom to bepersonalised by the community themselves. personalised by the community themselves. Usage of spaces in Petaling Street are monotonous and formalised with similar functions where unexpected surprises are hardly found on the street. Informal spaces around the street are abandoned, turning into an eyesore rather than being used as everyday life spaces.life spaces.

Modern Kuala Lumpur

The organized and eccentric configurations are The organized and eccentric configurations are preserved in the Kuala Lumpur context which conserved the diversified typology pattern. This is clearly seen on Petaling Street which is famous for its linear shopping street as two rows of shophouses and market stalls selling various items facing each other are along the entire road. Other than that, eccentric entire road. Other than that, eccentric configuration can be seen on point form arrangement of religious buildings, industrial and some office buildings as these are also private buildings which are confined to certain setbacks rather than just to show its significance.

M a p p i n g t h e t o w n s c a p e ( C o l o n i a l G e o r g e t o w n , C o l o n i a l M e l a k a , M o d e r n K L )



04 tales of wishes

“Georgetown is a town that is full of surprises. It is also well-known for its time-worn shophouses that are recognised as the Unesco World Heritage Zone that will spark the inner desire of my heart to visit the maze of chaotic streets, narrow lanes and past shrines that are discovered. The indegenous colonial architecture that had stood up as a living museum reminds me of what had happened to the town, encouraging me to appreciate and urge me to understand the importance of preserving a historical town.”

- Lovie Tey Yiqing-

“ In my opinion, I think that Georgetown is a better city not just because of its rich cultural background and the preservation effort by multiple parties as compared to Kuala Lumpur. One of the most distinctive quality is that most of the public open spaces are well maintained and equipped with events or streetscapes that made the streets and alleys welcoming.Unlike in Kuala Lumpur, the back alleys are commonly used as service spaces or unused spaces raising secuirty issues to the city. Thus this has created a city of sharing whereby the demarcation of public and private is criss crossed, providing endless possibility to the users to use the city.”

- Low En Huey -

“ Being conquested by few European maritime nation, Melaka has leave a vibrant and rich mixture of different cultures and ethnicity. The asssimilation of different cultures creates an unique characteristic that is not parallel with others. Although the fort had been destructed due to war, but it still shows a strong sense of direction to the locals and tourists till now. The unobstructed skyline creates a harmonious balancing hence aided the strategic location of St. Paul's hill. The qualities of colonial cities should be the considered into the urban planning without sacrifising the nature elements, as it serves as a reference point, to avoid creating a monotonous, rudderless townscape. The directional qualities in modern Kuala Lumpur has been took over by vehicular route rather than natural landscape, pedestrian floating around the city aimlessly. whereby the demarcation of public and private is criss crossed, providing endless possibility to the users to use the city.”

- Loh Wei Shuen -

“ Walking at the pedestrian street of Melaka, the shadow of unevenness case by the diversity building makes me wonder the how a city can be retain after colonies by several times. In my opinion, Melaka would be my most favourable city out of the three is because the diversity of different period of colonies building can be found in a city. From example, walking along the the Street of Harmony, dutch shophouses, british shophouses and different religious temple can found in a street. Its give a sense of harmony and strength of the city that sustain and retain for living in the different period. Hence, the beauty of diversity create Melaka city their own indentity and makes the city so unique from the others.”

-Chin Vin Yan -

"George Town, Penang - a city that has its own unique urban identity, is my city of choice. This city, which embodies the character of its culture, offers a much more modest and organically driven architecture and urban configuration. George Town has a balance between cultural heritage and modern urban schemes. One of George Town's humble building typologies, the traditional shophouses, are both accessible and easy to adapt - which gives it much potential to be a model for building blocks in the future that can thrive and adapt to social needs and create cultural centres. This creates a basis for a flexible and diverse community, with consideration for national identity and effective urban development in times to come."

- Aida Junita -

“Georgetown, Penang in Colonial period remained as my favourite city among three. A strong sense of community is prevailing and is strengthened as the the British Colony took over Georgetown, enforcing act of division between local races and from the government. Oppositely, sense of unity among the community is fortified as they were given freedom in customising spaces allocated to each race. Scale of Chinese shophouses were humanised, along with public realm which is shared by the community are commonly found in between buildings, and at the entrances.”

-Lee Yih-



“ I would prefer Kuala Lumpur because this city is a blend of modern and traditional. The sense of hierarchy from traditional shophouses to modern high rise buildings are stronger than other city in Malaysia. The dynamic of variety of road width and height offer a distinctive sense hence able to frame different images while traveling in Kuala Lumpur”

- Ng Ze Zheng -

“ I believe that Melaka is a better city compared to Kuala lampur mostly because it retains its cultural identity due to well preserved cultural buildings. Therefore Melaka has a strong cultural background, whereas the cultural identity of Kuala Lampur in my opinion is fading due to less emphasis on building preservation. In addition, Melaka has well organized city planning, with the main street (Harmony street) linking residential and commercial zones enabling easier circulation within the city and emphasizing urban linkage

- Naajid Naseem

“Despite how the rows of buildings have different set backs and unorganised grid form shown in Kuala Lumpur, it is still my personal preferred city. This is because the deformed townscape contains surprises and a sense of curiousity of what's ahead while walking at the street level as many obstructions of buildings in front obscure the distant horizon. This has formed an interesting townscape whereby every corner and alley has its own unique story behind it, creating Kuala Lumpur as it is today, a city with an illustrious and vibrant history”

-Khor Hao Xiang-

“ I would prefer Petaling street. Petaling street has been a hub for businesses since the late 1800s. Its Cantonese name, “chee cheong kai”, means starch factory street, referring to a time when tapioca mills dominated the area. Today, it’s a famous tourist area brimming with makeshift stalls selling a variety of wares and tons of local food.With the advent of modernisation, Petaling Street and its decaying surroundings have not escaped from the throes of urban redevelopment. Rest assured, those of us looking for a good fill will still be able to savour a slice of the old and new coexisting in KL’s Chinatown”

- Alan Koo -

“Kuala Lumpur is a city that balances both old and new, separated by a fine line of difference between harmony and aggresion. It is a city that accomodates such a high amount of foot traffic daily yet it is temporary, and ever changing. The roads intersect with streets and the streets intersect with alleyways and the system repeats itself at such a high frequency that it feeds traffic and pedestrians into itself constantly. I believe that Kuala Lumpur is the definition of a urban city in the context of a developing country and therefore, is my prefered city”

- Francis Yeow-

“ Based on city I have studied from tales of city, the most preferred city for me is Melaka city. Due to the heavy density of culture from the previous great history of Melaka. From the place they do have heavy culture stuff such as mixing culture masjid the fusion of Portugal and Malay and created a religion where they can participate together. Furthermore, the city is completely protected the previous stuff as they remain the original face of the Melaka city. As they remain the stuff our younger generation will get more benefit and knowledgeable to our past where the most interesting history where only Melaka city have it. As conclusion, the most favourite part for me toward Melaka city is the originality of Melaka face. “

- Lum Si Chu -

“ Penang is more in tune with its local surroundings, intergrating colonial influences & regional styles together for a holistic urban design approach. As urbanisation progresses, the way the authorities handled modern day amenities & heritage conservation is sensitive & effective. Without resorting to constructing high-rises in bulk, Georgetown managed to preserve the cultural essence of the past as well as keeping up with the times. Through appropriate measures like retaining the old district zones & historic conservative efforts, colonial Georgetown continues to live on”

- Lim Shen -

“ Petaling Street will be the city that I prefer to live in because of the rich of the human culture while bringing in more tourists and making a very significant node in KUALA LUMPUR which created a New culture that has been brought in overtime. Despite of fading the historical culture there are still partially remained as a historical part of the city which also make the city seem more organised. Having to remain the cultural part and also bringing a new culture will lead into a new cultural place that had uniquely presented PETALING STREET as it is today.” -Toh Kean Hou -

- Tang Ze Zheng -



05 conclusion

STREET BUILT FORM FUNCTION MOVEMENT PATTERN

Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling (Georgetown)Mix of different scale of buildings which consists of shophouses and public buildings. Religious Street Linear to diffused

Harmony Street (Malacca)Mix of different architectural styles buildings with narrow street frontages due to different colonialization. Religious Street Disordered Linearity

Petaling Street (Kuala Lumpur) Mostly shophouses with active store fronts Commercial and tourist spot Central focus

ASPECTS GEORGETOWN MALACCA KUALA LUMPURTopography Surrounded by hills and ocean Bordered by ocean and flat land Flat Land Grid System Fish bone pattern Deformed

Axiality Axis formed by colonial government buildings Multiple axesOpen Spaces Public building's setback Wide Pedestrian StreetPermeability Multiple access pointsScale of Built Form Intimate Distant Accessibility Direct access from Road

Front access only Access from front & back

Table 5.1 Comparison




CITIES Morphological Social Perceptual Functional Temporal

KUALA LUMPUR

From the rapid urban development, skyline is decorated by many skyscrapers as vertical built forms are seen as the solution to limited land area, which also causes a deformed urban grid pattern

Commercial activities have dominated the streets with only a few religious buildings to disrupt the monotonous townscape.

Advanced urban lifestyle due to rapid development, with little cultural and historical background that are hidden and burried by modern developments.

Mixture of building types as develoments are based on public transportation accesibility. For instance, places that are easily accesible for public transportation will attract more commercial buildings as compared to places that are difficult to be accesed by public transportation

The Kuala Lumpur development is rapidly adapting to modernity as it is the main city of the country, therefore fast paced development is needed to not fall behind of time internationally in terms of country's status position globally. Therefore, preservation of historical streets are slowly fading to give way to future developments.

GEORGETOWN

The development of georgetown expanded sideways from the main street, while retaining the frames of directional quality whereby the streets are facing towards the colonial governemtnal buildings

The streets have no specific classification of social class, instead it is by zoning based on function and significancy

The streets share the same basic facade designs without any order of social class or function, therefore formed a more vibrant streetscape

Significant buildings such as governmental or trading ports are located near the sea as development of Georgetown expands from the sea which is the first contact point for the traders from outside of Georgetown

The Georgetown development are slowly adapting to modernity as many skyscrappers and large scale commercial buildings are being developed, at the mean time preserving little historical and cultural streetscape

MALACCA

The development expanded organically along several key streets from downtown Malacca, for instance the Harmony street have infuenced the adjacent street to develop in parallel to the main street

The street activities are chracterised by trade or social class

The streetscapes are based on hierarchical order, which forms a series of streets with different functional order.

For Malacca, the St Paul civic zones are seperated from the residential zones by the river as they stand in a higher terraine, which is intended to overlook the residential zone from a high ground.

The development based on hierachical order will be diminished slowly as many of the streets are well preserved. Therefore, the Malacca developments will focus more on refurbishments and improvements of existing historical streets with a change of function.




CONCLUSION :

PARALLEL CITYInvisible edges are formed on both sides of Petaling Street by temporary markets stalls flanked on sidelanes of the road, immediately blocking direct access to the shophouses. Hence, one directional axis is prominent whereas multiple layering of perpendicular axes along Petaling Street are becoming vague, as a result of market stalls forming the new unwelcoming facades into the buildings along the street. As a result, main pedestrian pathway is squeezed in between this narrow street, well shaded by acrylic roof, like a contemporary representation of a typical Malacca’s hidden back alley, replaced with commercial activities. Closely packed market stalls appear to be in immediate distance, enveloping the pedestrian experience while offsetting away from the buildings on sideways. To sum up, a parallel relationship between the shophouse owners as well as public pedestrian is formed where intersection between both are hardly visible.

tales of three cities - petaling street

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