BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN ARCHITECTURE THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC61303/ARC2224)

PROJECT 2: COMPARATIVE ESSAY

NAME: ALAN KOO KA LOK STUDENT ID: 0318757

TUTOR: MR.NICHOLAS NG

CONTENT 1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 ROPPONGI, TOKYO

1.2 JALAN TUANKU ABDUL RAHMAN, KUALA LUMPUR

2.0 ANALYSIS AND COMPARATIVE ESSAY

1.0 INTRODUCTION This paper focus on an in-depth analytical research study on similarities and dissimilarities based on the patterns of social activities, types of ‘contact points’ and the varying degrees of contact intensity between our case study from project 1, Roppongi in Tokyo and our local site research, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Kuala Lumpur.

1.1 ROPPONGI, TOKYO

Roppongi is a culturally enriched hub of entertainment, art and retails along with traditional old Japanese neighbourhood in the Minato district of Tokyo, Japan. The bloom of the vicinity started since Edo era and housed the Imperial Japanese Army Base until WWII,when the United States and Allied Government occupied the space and thus introducing foreign culture in the land of Rising Sun, such as restaurants, bars and clubs. This resulted in a blend of Western and the authentic Japanese culture, which the influences are still evidently shown today. How people interact and enjoy their daily life is deeply connected with the way the city is being sculpted and presented itself in terms of the sense of place and situation to the dwellers. In good condition, people spends more time outdoor, having a various activities, whereas in bad condition, they just hurried away from one destination to another, without much interaction.

1.2 JALAN TUANKU ABDUL RAHMAN, KUALA LUMPUR In the past, Chinese migrants move in for the tin trade and it was the first social diffusion occurs as Chinese takes over the place and Malays move to upstream of the Klang River. Later in time, due to the traffic congestions caused by people constantly move in and settle behind the shophouses and population rise, government implemented that a part of the settlements move back towards the water front (1980s). After replanning, fine urban grain becomes more distinct and more in-depth experience. Building facades are encouraged toface river and pathways were built to improve pedestrian flow. This is where the urban start to grow and develop.

Morphology of Jalan TAR.

Instead of a well organized grid form as Roppongi in Tokyo, the urban grid of Jalan TAR in Kuala Lumpur is of deformed grid. This is very much related to the history where the infrastructure development are built along the railway track near the Klang River. These days, Jalan TAR is famous as a business district, surrounded with many symbolic high rised office buildings.

2.0 ANALYSIS/ COMPARATIVE ESSAY Contact points in urban space can be simply described as an area related to multi-centric municipalities forming as a whole where most people meet, communicate and have a certain relationship with the spaces. It is where most people concentrate and forming robustness of the street. In this essay, contact points discussed are mainly the external space between buildings in a town, having a hierarchy from public, semi-public to private spaces. Street, in urban design, acts as an important elements that contributes to the vitality in an urban context. It does not only function as a space where public and social activities take place, but also acts as a medium of movement that creates interactions among all groups.

Contact points shown in Roppongi, Tokyo.

In Roppongi, Tokyo, being walkable is one of the aims in urban planning because slower pace would bring more sensory experience when one passes through a public area where social activities take place. Not to mention people in Tokyo walks faster in pace compared to people in Kuala Lumpur although walkability in Tokyo is better. Surrounded with high rised buildings in Roppongi, the linearity of the street encourage pedestrian movements as it gives clear direction and ease navigation. Neighbourhoods in Roppongi has smaller and narrower accessibility for example in Izumo Shrine. By having narrow street, it actually increase the efficiency of residents getting to the contact points in Tokyo.

In Kuala Lumpur, the deformed urban grid is very much related to the history from the past. The infrastructure development were built along the railway station. Due to the types of transportation used in the past which are horse and carriage, the street between buildings are normally very narrow. In addition to the heavy usage of automobile these days, it results in congestion every day during peak hour, causing air as well as sound pollution issue in the city. Linking back to the framework proposed by Jan Gehl in ‘Life Between Buildings: Using Public Space’, the outdoor activities can be categorized under necessary activity, optional activity, and social activity. Necessary activity are carried out on daily basis regardless of environment changes. In both cities, necessary activities happen when community attend to school or to work. Public transit station in this case act as a contact point that allow public interaction at the modest level. Passive contacts that happened among regular passengers taking public transportation for necessary activities allow low intensity contact which helps to form other more complex and high intensity contact. This will then give an explanation on the importance of low intensity contact in an urban space. Passive contact, which could merely seeing or hearing other people, is the minimal and the primary driving force of life between buildings. Here shows a similarity in Tokyo as well as in Kuala Lumpur, on how a necessary activity act as a point where interaction among community starts. In Roppongi, most of the public transport stations are located underground due to space efficiency. Necessary activities take place constantly around the underground station for local and office buildings sprouted around, thus commuters and workers hurried by daily. Public transport in this case acts as a transit node that provides chances of contact as people will gather underground station while waiting for their ride. ‘People attracts people’ can then best described when public starts to gather around the same spot, or even start sitting at some unintendedly designated seating area because they tend to follow the crowds.

Whereas in Jalan TAR, working and shopping are the necessary activities to be carried out. The main bus station which is Sogo bus station is located on the T-junction of two paths of Jalan TAR and Jalan Dang Wangi, this allows user alight and depart at the contact point of Sogo shopping mall due to its wide setbacks from the road which formed a plaza-liked front

with stringers and courses. It spontaneously become prospect point for users to linger and also slowly becomes a node which is strengthened with the legibility of Sogo shopping mall as a street land mark. Due to high dependence on public transportation, the constantly moving public add vitality to the site. Similar to the stations in Roppongi, these contact point act as an essential prerequisite to the formation of social activity. Let’s imagine a place where there’s no necessary activities that contribute to public flows, a desolated transit station without much users, wouldn’t that create a sense of deserted and insecurity and cause failure in place making? Moreover, optional activity as oppose to necessary activity are very much depends on the physical environment in order to maximize the interaction among community. Roppongi located in Tokyo,Japan has four seasons with annual high temperature of 25 degree celcius and low temperature of 5 degree celcius. It is actually way colder and has more breeze compared to Malaysia. Eventhough it is cold in Roppongi, people in Tokyo still feel the city very walkable without the needs of any shelter at side walk, but with condition of wearing thicker and more clothes.

One of the example of optional activity identified is the Tully’s Coffee located by the roadside of Metropolitan Highway Shibuya Street No.3, it attracts pedestrian who strolls along the shopping street. It offers social interactions, including meeting people and sharing experiences which offers opportunity to maintain already established contact. Primary seatings includes chairs and tables were set up under the awnings at the shop front overlooking the street, with chairs orientated towards active areas nearby which promotes prospect view of human activities while providing sense of security at the back. This actually promote optional and social activites in that area. Although this informal activity is carried out in the middle of the street, it does not cause much obstruction to the pedestrian due to the wide pavements specially designed for pedestrian movement. Thus, in a way, it also acts as a contact point when regular passer-by visits or purchases drinks daily and slowly build up a relationship with the shop owner or workers.

Jalan TAR, Kuala Lumpur located in Southeast Asia just north of the equator, unfortunately has an annual high temperature of 86’F and annual low temperature of 68’F (Malaysia World Travel Guide, 2016) which is very warm and results in a reduction of the walkability in the city. When there are lesser exploration of public in the city, the contact chance will also decreases. Thus if we were to compare the contact points constributed by optional activities, the contact points in Jalan TAR will definitely lesser than of Roppongi in Tokyo. However there’s still optional activity to be carried out in Jalan TAR. For example, in the morning, the street is calmer and breezier due to the moderate intensity of sound in morning working hour as the area primarily consists of textile shops, occasionally blarred with music and with greens fringing the path. Good thermal comfort formed due to the shades flanked by the tall shophouses and air ventilation before the sun gets too strong.

In Southeast Asia, retail business are mostly carried out in the ground floor of shophouses while accommodation space are on the upper level. Five foot walkway in front of the shophouses function as a trade area and it allows pedestrian movements to be separated from the busy traffic. In Jalan TAR, the local community often visit the shophouses to buy some traditional and unique things such as fabrics, textiles, traditional foods etc. These are the optional activities that occur when the community needs something that can only be found in that street. The five foot walkway provides a shading shelter and comfortable physical environment therefore allowing optional activities to be carried on. The frequent meetings in connection with daily activities thus increase chances of developing contact with neighbor, as suggested by Jan Gehl. This provide them an opportunity to maintain an already established relationship and have a high intensity of contact in the neighbourhoods. Social activity occurs spontaneously when people meets and interact in a public space. Gehl mentioned in the text that people like to watch each other, be with the crowd, and sitting in proximity to others, with comfortable soft boundaries that give comfort and sense of secure. Other than the necessary activity and optional activity, visiual interaction also plays an important role to enhance the life between buildings in an urban space. In Roppongi, some of the buildings with glass façade allow public to perceive the human activity beyond edge of the building. This kind of design needs to be incorporate with the physical environment of the city as warmer country will leads to very hot interior with the use of fully glass as façade. Roppongi’s building contributes to the passive contact and

interaction between indoor and outdoor area with glass façade, also constantly having seats along the street to create social interaction. The complexity and visual richness of a building façade would also capture attention of the passer-by, leading to passive contact to the people that stay or linger around the same area.

For example in Fujifilm square, the street fringed by tall highrises which forms an enclosed perimeter,open towards the street of Gain Higashi Dori, the place offers a sense of transparent protection while maintaining good connection and accessibility to the pedestrian and vehicular flow. A variety of primary and secondary seatings offers a diverse range of preferences for the users. String courses give protection at the back while allowing user to view the world from a lower standpoint, more intimacy. The activities are a blend of three, which in Necessary, white collars passby to enter the offices; Optional, pedestrians stopby occasionally in front of the shopping windows and enjoy a sip of coffee while Social, people mingles to enjoy the temporary art exhibition at the front piazza.

While in Jalan TAR, social activity occurs mostly in front of shoplots, shopping complex, junction and apartments. Privatization of public area becomes a fenomenon of how the user use the public spaces to create their activities. For example, some shop’s owner take chance to extend their business at the five foot way in front of the shoplots to increase the sociability with the passerby. Some mobile food stalls were also notable at high pedestrian density area such as shopping complex, junction and apartments. Backlane being occupied

by food trucks and stalls as there is lesser vehicular flow thus high opportunities for pedestrian to stop. Other than business community, homeless people can also be found sitting or lying on the five foot ways which are broader and less pedestrian flow where it affects the movement pattern of the users. This is also one of the social activity happening within their own group. As a conclusion, I think that social interaction, perception, and sensory experience are very important to improve the life between buildings. Contact point in Roppongi is very much based on the building elements, infrastructure and facilities prepared or designed for public uses therefore results in dense distribution of the contact points along Tokyo street. In my point of view, the concept of Jan Gehl is more clearly seen in Jalan TAR as the formation of crowd are more clearly seen and more effectively contribute in social activities in the city. Nevertheless, I think that the urban planning in Jalan TAR, Kuala Lumpur should be more thoughtful in order to enhance the walkability on site in combat to warm climate. Perhaps when people are exploring and experiencing Jalan TAR in a slower pace, they would slowly discover the value of the local culture in KL and learn to appreciate this treasure trove of site even more.