Theories in Architecture & Urbanism - Cognitive Mapping & Critical Analysis Paper

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & DESIGN Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Architecture)

NAME

:

VICKY LEE WEI KEE

STUDENT 1D

:

0313317

TUTOR

:

MR. NICHOLAS NG

SUBMISSION DATE

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6TH JUNE 2016

1.0

Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………....................2-3 1.1

Site Intro ………….……………………………………………………………………………………....2-3

1.2

Cognitive Mapping ……………………………………………………………………………………….3

2.0

Analysis ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….………..3-6

3.0

Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….......7

4.0

References………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..7

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1.1 Site Intro

The selected macro site for this project is Bricksfield region. Situated in just 2 kilometres away from the city centre of Kuala Lumpur, Brickfields is a small-to medium size city which undergoes rapid development over the years from being residential area evolving to a highly potential commercial area and extending towards the downtown of Kuala Lumpur. The cultural values of south Indian presence spanning from Jalan Travers to Jalan Tun Sambathan is retained throughout the years. The three main paths which shaped the site are Jalan Bangsar and its elevated monorail expressway, Jalan Damansara, Jalan Syed Putra and Klang river. With Jalan Tun Sambathan as the central and linkage to all routes and respective zones, it clearly segregates the sites into areas with their unique in identifying characters. Eventually KL Sentral is the most prominent node or main core of the site surrounded by different zones like residential zone, office zone, entertainment zone, transportation zone and etc. It is interesting to see how the existing community lifestyle and architecture with cultural attributes interact with the new development going-on.

Meanwhile, the selected micro site is Zone B as shown in the figure above. This site, known as “Little India�, is connected to the rapid development zone (where KL Sentral is situated at) via the major road, Jalan Tun Sambathan. Used be a simple residential neighbourhood situated just right next to KL, this boundary of this region was recently

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transformed into a wide street with Indian shophouses run by the local Indian community which becomes the intensive focus of the region. Another edge of this region facing Bangsar is also undergoing some high-rise residential development whereas the core of this district are mostly left untouched comprising of a mixture of pre-war old shophouses.

1.2 Cognitive Mapping Cognitive mapping are mental representations of physical locations; a way to acquire and recall the salient features and attributes of the spatial environment using one’s mind to visualize images, learning of information through a self-generated deduction of the surrounding cues without the aid of the real mapping instrument. In this case, I had generated cognitive maps from a number of inputs from senses like visions, proprioception, touch and hearing to deduce my location within the environment as I move through Zone B of the Bricksfield.

Kevin Lynch’s classic text on The Image of the City (1960) described the influences of imagebility such as social meaning of an area, its function, its history or even its name.

The cognitive map generated in above truly reflect that the city imagebility of mine is that human culture is very strongly linked to places itself. And this has a close proximity to sense of place in which a place is defined as an overarching impression encompassing the general ways in which people feel about places, senses it, and assign concepts and values to it.

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In zone B, the scenario of Indian shophouses being run by the local Indian community which becomes the intensive focus of the region can be observed here along Jalan Tun Sambathan and it clearly shows the strengthening connection between people and the places they share in that region. Highly recognizable Indian arches along the street eventually forms an innumerable sign in which one would never miss it and apparently fills in the image of city for most visitors who first came to this city. These decorative arches found along the whole stretch of the street inspires people to collectively reimagine the place and this can help to reinforce their users experience and path image very effectively. People are paying close attention to the physical, cultural, and social identities of the street that define a place and support its ongoing evolution. When visitors pass through Jalan Tun Sambathan in order to reach KL Sentral, one can easily recognise the arches as external references in that particular region because of the sense of place and faรงade characteristics of shop lots that lines them. Rich in cultural attributes, Jalan Tun Sambathan create a sense where people intimately caught up in and immersed in the spirit of time and that place.

Le Corbusier once mentioned that architecture is a matter of harmonies, it is a pure creation of the spirit. Indeed, Jalan Tun Sambathan is a good example of concentration nodes which it gains its importance from being a street hang-out and on-going daily activities in relation to Lynch theories which explains that concentration nodes are the focus and epitome of a district, over which their influence radiates and of which they stand as a symbol. (Lynch, 1960, pg. 48.)

According to Kevin Lynch, the contents of city images are referred to physical forms and is defined by five elements: paths, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks. By observing the map that I have drawn, the very first big image that comes into my mind is the junction at Jalan Rakyat and Jalan Tun Sambathan which has compelling importance for city people, especially for pedestrian. This is because business and daily activities are more concentrated here with more pedestrian and vehicles movements, thus it is the major nodes found at the edge of Zone B. According to Lynch, nodes are strategic foci into which the observer can enter, typically either junctions of path or concentration of some characteristics. The image of this zone are structured with this node, penetrated by paths (Jalan Rakyat and Jalan Tun Sambathan) and sprinkled with small landmarks (details of decorative lamppost along the street). In this case, at this junction node with busy traffic going on, decision has to be made and users tend to heighten their attention at such places. Pedestrian can easily notice the fountain ornament located at the centre of roundabout with more than normal clarity. Similarly, the junction nodes act as a switch points between old and new development and that the street - Jalan Raykat act as a sharp divider between this two physically distinctive zones by contrasting their immediate background and neighbouring context. The dominance in height of high rise in the left side of the street which forms an external reference as one enters Brickfields region from Bangsar region via Jalan Rakyat is distinctively partly from the mixed-use shophouses on

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the right hand side of the street. Jalan Rakyat seems to highlight the differences and uniqueness of boundary character of both districts.

The term edges defined by Lynch are the linear elements not used to considered as paths by the observer; they are boundaries between phases where linear breaks in continuity. (Lynch, 1960, pg. 47.) This theory applies to what is interpreted on site in which Jalan Bangsar with heavy traffic flow most of the time clearly defined the boundary between Bricksfield and Bangsar region. Jalan Bangsar highway is a path for drivers but an edge for pedestrian. The effect is reinforced by the elevated Bangsar LRT railway of what might be called overhead edges and thus visually prominent from afar and that it clearly cut off these two regions. No doubt that the impenetrable characteristics of both Jalan Bangsar and Bangsar LRT railway is considered a strong edge, setting limits to the both respective districts, hindering transitions or movement of both pedestrian and cars from one district to another. And this is a magnificent example of a visible edge, gigantic in scale at the same time that exposes an entire metropolis to view, as mention in Lynch’s book “The image of the city” (Lynch, 1960, pg. 66.) In contrast, the differentiation of event along this line has a close interrelation to Jalan Ang Seng, a residential path which is less known to the public, parallel to Jalan Bangsar and set into Zone B to connect residential areas. Standing at any point of Jalan Ang Seng, one is informed of being very near or right next to Bangsar as Menara TM from afar which stands as an iconic symbol of Bangsar, is visible to the users.

Right underneath the expressway of Bangsar LRT railway, a few food stalls are observed to serve the community of that area where construction of a high rise building is going-on and some are utilising that small space for motorcycle parking. However, these spots only become nodes during certain time of the day. It creates small intimacy of place shows the qualities and values of conventional places and this kind of spaces makes them feel the way they do, in which concerns are deeply embedded in a sense of place.

The clearly defined path and edge by Jalan Bangsar and its elevated LRT railway as well as Jalan Rakyat has created a cause-and-effect towards Zone B of Bricksfield. Most of the old buildings in Zone B are left untouched becoming a residential district in Brickfields in order to accommodate the local communities. According to Lynch, the physical characteristics that define the districts are the thematic continuities which may consist of an endless variety of components: texture, space, form, detail, symbol, building type, use, activity, inhabitants, degree of maintenance, topography. It can be observed that the homogeneities of façade, similar materiality and architectural style of these mix-used shophouses and old residential buildings are the basic clues in identifying this region as contrast to the surrounding new modern development which shapes it. However, it is observed that some new emerging high-rise residential development project is going on near the old residential houses at Jalan Thamby Abdullah which is a bit out of place due

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to its aloud presence and height variation which degraded the sense of place and authenticity of the existing site. Jakle’s argues that the experience and perception as a facet of long-term familiarity with place.

The pattern of path at the edges of Zone B (Jalan Tun Sambathan and Jalan Rakyat) are generally clear due to its facades of buildings and characteristics that line them however towards the end and of Zone B starting from its core seems to have a few dead end paths. For instance, Jalan Thamby Abdullah and Jalan Thamby Abdullah 1 comprised of quite a number of dead ends due to boundary set by vacant green land (temporary cemetery) which are to be develop in the future or usage of several paths as back lanes in which vehicles double parked along the roadside as these paths are hindered or blocked by the the LRT railway forcing a dead end. These dead ends may add to the impression of disorganisation of urban planning and creates confusion to drivers who are not familiar with the site. Meanwhile, junctions at Jalan Thamby Abdullah and junctions along Jalan Ang Seng 4 tends to create inner path confusion in which new user may feel unfamiliar and indecisive of which route to take. This can be caused by the similar building typologies and characteristics at these junction nodes. Or it can be due to wrong sequence of entering Zone B. Therefore, it may be necessary to look for sequences which are interruptible as well as reversible, that is, sequences which still have sufficient imagebility even when broken in upon at various points as mentioned by Lynch. (Lynch, 1960, pg.

115.)

According to Lynch, the landmark is the point reference considered to be external to the observer, simply external physical elements which may vary widely in scale. (Lynch, 1960, pg. 78.) In this case, landmarks along the edges of Zone B such as Pejabat DBKL, St Mary’s church, Menara Kembar Bank Rakyat (MKBR) are identifiable due to its clear form and massive scale. However, the landmarks of Site B failed to stand out more than the landmark of Zone A which makes it hardly identifiable as one drives through Jalan Tun Sambathan. Likewise, the image of perception of these landmarks just faded away when the authenticity and essence of the Little India is too just way too strong that it eventually replaces these memories. Thus, landmarks at Zone B vaguely or hardly develops the imagebility of the city.

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Based on the theories of five elements of Kevin Lynch, the paths are clear and easily identifiable at the starting point on site due to its proximity to special features and special façade characteristics that lines them which helps to define the edges of Zone B. Shophouses along Jalan Tun Sambathan and Jalan Rakyat derived much importance from its relation to KL Sentral) region (modern development) right opposite to it and Jalan Bangsar (another district) right next to it from its location. Other qualities that gave importance to this path were the visual elements (decorative lamp post and Indian arches) along the street. The clear edges of Zone B being shaped by paths surrounding it, mianly

by Jalan Tun Sambathan, Jalan Rakyat and Jalan Ang Seng (LRT railway) has caused this zone to be less developed compare the zones next to it B because of the edges which act as a border line. Thus, Zone B is one of the few areas in Brickfields that has its own original identity comprising a mixture of cultural Indian shophouses and shop lots and residential areas of both new and old ones and that it should be retained in the future.

Assi, E. (2000) Searching for the concept of authenticity: implementation guidelines, Journal of Architectural Conservation, 6(2), (pp. 60–69).

Cross, J. E. (2001). What is Sense of Place? (Department of Sociology, Colorado State University) Jakle, J. A. (1987) The Visual Elements of Landscape (Amherst, MA, University of Massachusetts Press).

Shariff., Kamal, M. B. M. (2011). The Concept of Place and Sense of Place In Architectural Studies (pp. 10, Working Paper). World Academy of Science, Engineering & Technology. Doi: 66426138.

Tuan, Yi-Fu. 1974. Topophilia: A Study of Environmental Perception, Attitudes, and Values.

New York: Columbia University Press.

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