Theories of Architecture and Urbanism Comparative Essay

THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC613303/ARC2224) Project Part 2: Comparative Analysis Essay

THE NATURE OF COMMUNITY AND HOW THEY AFFECT THE INTENSITY OF CONTACT POINTS IN CITIES CASE STUDY: MAIDEN LANE, SAN FRANCISCO AND JALAN PETALING, KUALA LUMPUR

NAME Mark Eng Shang

STUDENT ID 0324187

LECTURER Dr. Nor Hayati

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CONTENTS

PAGE

1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1

INTRODUCTION TO MAIDEN LANE, SAN FRANCISCO

1.2

3

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INTRODUCTION TO JALAN PETALING, KUALA LUMPUR

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2.0 ACTIVITIES 2.1

MAIDEN LANE, SAN FRANCISCO

2.2

JALAN PETALING, KUALA LUMPUR

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3.0 CONTACT POINTS 3.1

MAIDEN LANE, SAN FRANCISCO

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3.2

JALAN PETALING, KUALA LUMPUR

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4.0 COMPARISON BETWEEN CONTACT POINTS

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5.0 CONCLUSION

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6.0 REFERENCES

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1.0

INTRODUCTION

When we talk about architecture, we often think about the spaces within the building, or the form of the building. What we often fail to realise is the importance of the life between the buildings itself. In “Life Between Buildings�, Danish architect Jan Gehl often mentions the relationship between people and how good urban structure can establish and reinforce this relationship. A comparative analysis will be carried out between our case study, Maiden Lane, San Francisco and the local Malaysian street, Jalan Petaling, Kuala Lumpur to gain more insight into how the nature of the community affects the intensity of contact points in these two streets. In order to gain a higher understanding into the works of the street, we need to understand the origins of each street.

1.1

INTRODUCTION TO MAIDEN LANE, SAN FRANCISCO

Maiden Lane, San Francisco was ranked the second most-walkable city in USA in the annual ranking released by walk score in 2016. Its grid urban form is one that is predictable and provides for easy navigation to everyone who happens on the area.

Union Square, a public plaza located in the heart of downtown San Francisco, is one of the largest premium shopping districts in USA that features everything from upper class department stores to discount stores. It is bordered by Geary Street, Powell Street, Post Street and Stockton Street.

Directly east from Union Square off of Stockton Street is where Maiden Lane is located.

Maiden Lane is formed by two continuous short and narrow alleys which features exclusive boutiques and cafes, hence, it is also known as a pedestrian mall. In the past, Maiden Lane was known to be the red light district of the city, providing a negative impression to those in the area. It was later turned into one of the finest shopping streets in USA. Today, Maiden Lane is the home to various high-end boutiques, cafes and art galleries, creating viable and vibrant urban community.

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1.2

INTRODUCTION OF PETALING STREET, KUALA LUMPUR

Petaling Street is a 1.5 km long street running through the heart of downtown Kuala Lumpur.

It stretches from Jalan Tun Tan Cheng lock, intersecting Jalan Sultan and ending at the Jalan Kinabalu freeway. It exists as a node within the Kuala Lumpur Ciry centre which is itself a major node within Kuala Lumpur / Wilayah Persekutuan. Much like most of China Town, Petaling Street has witnessed all the major events in KL’s history since the 1880’s and bears the scars of the city’s growth and development. It used to be the residential area for workers from the tin mining industry. After the great flood the tin mining workers turned to agriculture and eventually the street was rebuilt with sidewalks to keep water out from the shopfronts. From then on, the street became known for its retail district. Petaling Street now is a contrast of old and new, scruffy and smart, high rise and shophouse and is typical of the untidy but colourful lanes you find in downtown KL. Some of the categories of retail found here is such as clothing, hardware, fertilisers, stationeries, party accessories, gifts, bags, accessories and much more.

The locals who frequent this street are those whom are looking for household supplies and accessorties. There are also a number of hotels along this street, mainly catering to the budget end of the travel market.

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2.0 2.1

ACTIVITIES MAIDEN LANE, SAN FRANCISCO

Necessary activities of daily commute and errands occur based on the functionality of district.

Human circulation occurs around the blocks on the well-designed walkways.

Optional activities - Optimal weather conditions of San Francisco motivate optional activities in the square, spilling out into spaces between blocks. Activities are organized as spaces are clearly defined as to its social functionality.

Social activities - People attract people from various directions towards Union Square as the focal point and Maiden lane, fostering spontaneous but organized social activities.

2.2

JALAN PETALING, KUALA LUMPUR

Necessary activities of daily commute and errands include the opening of shops and stalls spontaneously along the streets. Existence of markets also these activities along most of the streets and alleyways. Street culture remains very relevant to this context as the community dictates the form, activities and movement pattern.

Optional activities - lack of public realms relates to lack of optional outdoor activities such as jogging exercising walking etc. Local culture of “yum cha� may represent itself as both leisure and social activities which occur along spontaneous street stalls and coffee shops. Shopping may also occur however is limited to the urban community of tourist and stop and goers.

Social activities - Similar to the optional activities, lack of public realms limit its activities to spontaneity on the streets. Concentration of people at PFM attract people towards it, creating a social environment within the area. Sequence of contact points along the streets create some kind of sociality between the local communities. E.g presence of concentration of people at pasar karat back lack may attract people towards it. Events and gatherings also happen seasonally on PFM street (e.g: wayang, Chinese new year festives). Art community present within several shop-houses (Chinese opera, drama and theatre) with its events sometimes spilling out along the streets spontaneously. Social activities exceptionally high going towards PFM.

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3.0 CONTACT POINTS Contact points were identified within the sites as places where there is a substantial gather of people and/or activities.

3.1

MAIDEN LANE, SAN FRANCISCO

The streets around downtown San Francisco is very well organized according to its functionality. This clear organisation is the result of years of development by the local planners as a response to the needs of the local community. Vehicular roads are lined with assigned lanes for taxi, bus, tram and parking while wide pedestrian pathways line the sides fronting shops. Activities are mostly confined within the indoors where the pedestrian pathways acts as what its namesake state, solely as paths for pedestrians and transitional spaces between the urban fabric and the commercial activities within the buildings. Street activities seldom spill on to paths unless specifically intended. Such as outdoor dining and events on pedestrian only roads. While majority of the community here are of working class they serve the high end retail community of San Francisco. Thus the target of Union Square focuses on these stakeholders in the form of high end retail, art and culture.

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3.1.1

POWELL STREET

The street is fronted by a hotel with Union Square facing its opposite. The contact point on Powell Street exists as an interchange for transport within the community. A bus station, tram and taxi pickup point is present along this street. A high number of people can be seen gathering here on routine. The contact point is supported by the user groups which carry out necessary activities where people wait on interchange at the safety island. There are limited spaces for people to interact as they board on and off cable car and buses. The people that gather here do so temporarily, staying only for short periods of time. Thus, contact intensity is lower on this spot although human intensity is high.

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3.1.2 UNION SQUARE PLAZA

The Union Square Plaza as a contact point is facilitated by optional and social activities.

The large open space of the plaza is able to accommodate large amounts of people.

Creating an environment condusive for the involvement of the people and activities in and around the square. Activities of sitting, sunbathing, jogging, outdoor dining and ice skating are involved in the square. The square also houses annual and special events. Due to the vast open nature of the square, visual and audio permeability is at optimal level, thus passive and chance contacts can be identified within this point. As Union Square is a major node within downtown of San Francisco, it attracts concentration of people towards it, creating a movement pattern which centres on the plaza. Activities spill out and into the plaza. Surrounding activities in and around the vicinity also compliment and correlate the activities of Union Square Plaza, creating a co-dependent relationship of activities and movement patterns. In addition to the pull of local community into its concentration, the plaza also attracts non-locals due to its nature as a tourist, retail and commercial spot.

Thus chance contacts between locals and non-locals within this area is high. Contact intensity at this point is of intermediate level due to the vast amount of people going in and around the plaza. As there are little permanent activities such as shops and markets the familiarity between passers-by is less likely as the people who come and go differ on a daily basis and the chance to meet the same person again is on the moderate level as 8

compared to other permanent coffee shops.

3.1.3 MAIDEN LANE BETWEEN STOCKTON STREET AND GRANT AVENUE

Maiden Lane, as its name suggests, was once a locally well-known red light district within downtown San Francisco. It has been since turned into a significant community street within the urban fabric of the famous union square retail district. The contact point is situated at the mouth of maiden lane from Stockton Street opposite the Union Square Plaza. The outdoor dining spaces along the lane provide for a conducive environment for people to stay for extended periods of time, promoting higher contact intensity. The vision change in transition space from the open nature of Union Square Plaza to a narrow alleyway nature of Maiden Lane slows down pedestrian walking speed. This facilitates pedestrians to look for and notice surrounding street activities, causing involvement to interact. Contact intensity enhanced by the optional and social activities present is higher as the chance to make closer friendship ties becomes higher. The lane is presently set as a pedestrian only area as to increase pedestrian friendliness. This also encourages pedestrians to feel safe, a breather from the usual busy traffic of downtown San Francisco.

Existing side-walks also facilitate movement pattern without disrupting street activities and vice versa. Any present or intended street activity along the lane would not interrupt daily routines of fronting shops on the lane. Thus activities would possess a smooth interrelation from inside and outside.

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3.1.4 MAIDEN LANE AT THE INTERSECTION OF GRANT AVENUE

Similar to the mouth of Maiden Lane at Stockton Street, The Contact points at the intersection of Maiden Lane at Grant Ave. is supported by optional and social activities.

People gather to observe ongoing performances such as Opera, theatre and outdoor exhibitions, creating two significant contact points along the street facing each other on opposite sides of the intersection. Enhanced passive contact happens as visual connectivity of the street enhances the street continuity. The moderate contact intensity present encourages sociability among the people thus also creasing the contact intensity in the process.

3.1.5 MAIDEN LANE BETWEEN GRANT AVENUE AND KEARNEY STREET Part of the continuity of Maiden Lane, this area of the lane exists a final contact point heading towards Kearney Street where Maiden Lane officially ends. Outdoor dining activities facilitate the social and optional activities that support this contact point. While similar to the social functionality of contact point 4, the contact intensity here is less due to it reaching the of its movement pattern. As the area gets further from the Major Node of Union Square Plaza, human intensity decreases thus less spill out is received from the Plaza. Ability to create relationship of activities with the Plaza is also weakened, hence less activity happened here. However, there still exists a substantial local community which gather here, most of which are of direct or close residency within the vicinity, creating a local contact point within the area.

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3.2

JALAN PETALING, KUALA LUMPUR

Jalan Petaling exists as a remnant of colonial chinese rowhouses as linear blocks along the street. Five foot ways act as transitional spaces between the rowhouses and the urban street.

These fronts provide character to the site contextual to a typical Malaysian China Town. The 5 foot way was an architectural feature specific to the south East Asian colonial context. It was to provide a continuous sheltered passage on each side of the street efficient to the tropical context. Though originally commissioned as a private owned and public use walkway, the local context has evolved it into a space where daily social interaction between community members occur. It also acts as a public front for interaction between the local and visiting communities. The culture of the community expresses privatisation of public spaces where activities extend into the public 5-foot ways as means to connect to the urban fabric. This also improves the spaces in terms of commercial functionality. However while improving the shops and business fronting the streets, it also affects pedestrian walkability in terms of obstructed sidewalks and pedestrian friendliness. Majority of the community exists as the local trading community whose generations span back to before the formation of Malaysia, thus culture, history and tradition dictates much of what makes the essence of Petaling Street.

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Figures above show the circulation on site and points of privatization of areas

3.2.1

PETALING STREET FLEA MARKET

The urban node/contact point of Petaling Flea market pulls concentration of human activity towards it. Due to tourist driven state and the stop and go culture of the area, local contact intensity may vary within the area depending on the activities present. Local trader community –high, Tourist community – low, stop and go – low. Linearity of the street enhances street community.

Petaling Street Flea Market exists as a major Urban Node within Chinatown of Kuala Lumpur city centre. Its activities attract people both locally and non-locally as a tourist spot. It houses temporal markets which operate from day to night, catering to the commercial and tourist industry of Kuala Lumpur city centre. Due to its existence as a major node, concentration of human intensity is pulled from all around towards it. Causing dormancy in certain areas, further driven by gentrification of surrounding plots. Reliance on foreign labour has increased recently due to rise of costs, causing most locals to endure hardship in order to sustain themselves. Many of whom have halted family businesses due to the rising costs and age of the local community. This is further fueled by the non-investment of the younger generations of the community. Street activities here are the backbone of the contact point.

The street is originally of a two-lane road, with parking lining parallel to it. The street has been turned into a pedestrian only area, where vehicular access is prohibited unless for service purposes. Rows of shop houses front the street while Stalls and hawkers define the 13

form and function of the street. Activities here are purely commercial, while integrating Social activities of “yum cha” and necessary activities of daily meals and market runs at certain areas.

However, during seasonal periods, social community activities are also held at this area such as Chinese New Year festivities lion dance, parades and performances. Local Malaysian organisations also hold events, at this area due to its high human intensity.

3.2.2

LORONG PETALING

Lorong Petaling is the back lane of the Chinese row-houses fronting southern Jalan Petaling.

A 6m wide single direction road with carparks lined parallel to the road, it exists as a communal service lane as opposed to the urban road of Jalan Petaling. Difffering from most back lanes within the area, community run umbrella stalls spontaneously line the streets, as spillout from Pasar Karat and the Petaling Street Flea Market runs down towards Lorong Petaling. A communal contact point for the community of Jalan Petaling, contact intensity at this area is fairly moderate given its low human intensity due to its intimate scale and slow paced routines.

Locals would meet familiar faces along the street, fostering close inter communal friendships.

People passing along this street will also feel the pace in their travel along the road slowed down due to the visual change in the transition of space constrasting from the busy Jalan Sultan. Its linearity and greener presence of borrowed landscape of the Methodist Church adds to its contact intensity. Increasing awareness of social and optional activities present along the linearity of the street. However, present negative activities of prostitution and gambling produces a negative effect on its image. The back lane is currently well known for its prostitution industry, attracting many foreign workers and tourist during after dark hours. This decreases activity and movement pattern intensity along the roads, reflecting the dormancy found in most of the back lanes in the vicinity. This also attracts homeless residency around the area.

Like most of the lanes south of the Jalan Petaling, Lorong Petaling owes much of its dormancy cycle to the concentration in the Major Urban node of Petaling Street Flea Market.

While Lorong Petaling’s main source of people coming in is that of the spill out from Jalan Petaling and direct local residences, many people however do not come in intentionally for a stroll. While the lane exists to serve the local community, its negative activities detract more of the surrounding community than it is attracting non locals. During the night, the community abstains from the lane completely, voiding it of its communal purpose. This phenomena is both the affect and the effect of the lane’s dormancy.

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3.2.3 LORONG PANGGUNG

Located at the entrance of Lorong Panggung at Jalan Balai Polis is a contact point consisting of a local food community. The food community here is temporal, or time-driven. Reflecting the status of Jalan Petaling as “Starch Street” as it is known to the locals, two shop lots cornering the service lane of Lorong Panggung houses a locally well-known local bread industry within the back lanes during the day. This industry spills out onto the streets as locals come by to purchase their daily bread. The presence of some temporal stalls and a lone coffee shop also strengthens the food community facilitating this contact point. Contact intensity is fairly moderate given the lower human intensity of the area. Similar to the rest of the areas south of Petaling Street, there exists a certain level of dormancy at this point. In the evening, more hawker and street foods begin lining the front of the lane. Tables are opened up to allow for costumers to sit and linger while enjoying their produce. Thus, contact intensity increases as it goes from morning to night. Human intensity also increases a significant amount, however, still dwarfed by the Petaling Street Flea Market as it caters majority to a small number of local community. A reason for its lower human intensity is the level of safety further north into the alleyway. According to on-site locals, although a police station is housed at the end of – as its name states – Jalan Balai Polis, which fronts the back lane of Jalan Panggung, this point is still quite known for its danger of pickpockets and robberies. The occurrences of these activities can be counted to the low lighting levels of the lane. Its darkness and low human intensity places it as a perfect target for street crimes. As it exists solely as a service lane to the residential and commercial business on the front (including several illegal businesses such as prostitution and gambling dens), the human intensity here is only of those who reside directly on this lane. Thus, locals from other streets do not traverse here. This is further enhanced by the status of Jalan Panggung as a crime prone area.

4.0 COMPARISON OF CONTACT POINTS AND INTENSITY AND RELATION TO ITS COMMUNITY AND SOCIALITY 4.1

JALAN PETALING FLEE MARKET & UNION SQUARE – MAJOR URBAN NODES 15

Both the Petaling Street Flea Market and Union square share similarities in a way that they are both major urban nodes within its local context, both sitting within a major commercial district. Petaling Street Flea Market and Union square are also both a popular tourist and commercial destination of their respective cities and country. However, the difference of the two is that Union Square is itself a pure public realm, possessing parks and trails for the community to have optional activities such as leisure, jogging, sunbathing etc. The Petaling Street Flea Market however exists as more of a commercial street, with no clear intention of a constant Public Realm. While both are spaces where community events and gatherings are held, The Petaling Street Flea Market’s social functionality in this region exists as a temporal aspect. Union Square however, being a square, possess activities that are of temporal and seasonal qualities, while still maintaining the functionality of being a social space. Because of this, optional activities within Petaling Street are more limited as compared to Union Square, which possess a solid set of activities of a fully functional urbanity.

(Above) Effect of the major node of the Petaling Street Flea Market on areas within the vicinity of Jalan Petaling 4.2

LORONG PETALING & MAIDEN LANE –STATUS A RED LIGHT DISTRICT AND COMMUNITY LANE

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Lorong Petaling does not live up to its full potential to its contact intensity in the same way Maiden Lane has due to its temporal, or time-driven dormancy. As opposed to Maiden Lane, Lorong Petaling has yet to receive intervention to its negative activities. While Maiden Lane has made the changed from a locally known red light district to a vibrant commercial community lane, Lorong Petaling still houses a locally well-known prostitution industry along it during afterhours, when dormancy is at its fullest.

The situation at Lorong Petaling contrasts the situation at San Francisco of Union Square and Maiden Lane whereby the community node of Maiden Lane receives spill out from communal activities of Union Square but still possessing target communal street activities to attract the community directly towards it. The effect of a nearby Major Node is different in Lorong Petaling. Where the Petaling Street Flea Market pulls concentration away from Lorong Petaling.

While still receiving spill out from the major node, pedestrians however detract from traversing along Lorong Petaling due to its negative activities and lack of target activities to attract people on a constant level. This then creates a dormancy cycle. Whereby in Maiden Lane, it is the opposite where activities between Union Square and Maiden Lane are expressive of each other.

Similar to Lorong Petaling, Maiden lane exists with the social functionally of serving the community by the community, rather than focusing on the commercial industry of the adjacent streets which attracts non-locals. However, Maiden Lane as express this effect to a more successful level as compared to Lorong Petaling, where negative activities continue to haunt the locals and detract potential pedestrians.

Thus, Lorong Petaling possess great potential in terms of taking advantage of its contact intensity point and existence as a service lane for urban intervention to become a communitydriven lane for the local community of Jalan Petaling while complimenting the commercial driven Urban node of Petaling Street Flea Market.

4.3

LORONG PANGGUNG & MAIDEN LANE – FOOD AND SOCIALITY

Contrasting similarities can be identified between Jalan Panggung and Maiden Lane from its stance as a local food community. While both Maiden Lane and Jalan Panggung possess a food service industry of communal relevance on its streets, Maiden Lane has proven to be of the more successful or “family friendly” of the two. Maiden Lane’s food service industry is thriving on the popularity and success of Union Square, receiving spill out from the adjacent public realm and commercial industry. Where the local community would come to grab a bite in the midst of their daily routine. At the same time, they may also indulge themselves in social street activities further down the street such as art and opera. There is a clear connectivity between Union square, Maiden Lane and adjacent streets in terms of activity and social functionality.

5.0 CONCLUSION 17

While the functions of both sites can be identified as similar in a sense that an existing working class community serves the commercial and tourist industry of their respective cities. However, the social, cultural, historical and communal context of the site has resulted in different paths of development.

The high end sector of San Francisco has resulted in the development of an organized structure of urban planning and functionality within the site. While many are facing financial hardships within the district, it is well masked by the well-rounded organisation of the city structure.

In Jalan Petaling however, where its history is still in its early years as compared to San Francisco, its culture and history is still very much rooted in the form of its built environments, socio-physicality and community. Resulting in spontaneous unplanned developments around the site. Though caution has to be taken if the community wishes to develop itself into a successful urban commercial district. As currently, development seems to come hand in hand with the dissipation of its culture and traditions. As can be seen in the aging of the community, non-investment of younger generations and its reliance of foreign labour. Gentrification has also been a major problem within the site.

Examples can be taken from the development of Union Square district in San Francisco as a way to develop Jalan Petaling. While the well-organised structure of planning may not well suit the charming spontaneity of Jalan Petaling, other aspects can be taken as case studies to improve the area. Especially so in the aspect of turning it’s once famous redlight district into a premier community spot, in turn enhancing the quality of the surrounding urban district. Nonetheless, the history of Jalan Petaling is still young, there is much potential present to improve its urban fabric in the livelihoods of the community, while still progressing the history and culture which provides the essence and charm in which is rarely found in other places.

6.0 REFERENCES 1. Bristow, S. & Lee, E. (1994). Chinatown. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Tropical Press.

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4. Gehl, J. (2011). Life between buildings (1st ed.). Washington, DC: Island Press.

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