Project Part 2: Comparative Analysis Essay
- 1. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE BUILDING AND DESIGN BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONS) IN ARCHITECTURE THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC61303) “LIFE BETWEEN BUILDINGS: USING PUBLIC SPACE” PROJECT PART 2: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ESSAY NAME: KIMBERLEY EE SZE ANN ID: 0315319 TUTOR: MR NICHOLAS NG
- 2. Life Between Buildings: A comparative analysis of Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia and Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur. “First Life, then Spaces, then Buildings the other way around never works”-Jan Gehl. Life Between Buildings focuses on the urban design phenomenon which the author, Danish Architect and Urban Design consultant, Jan Gehl, has identified through his research and commitment to enhance Life Between Buildings in cities. The book explores the kinds of activities that take place in the urban context, how they contribute to the quality of life in cities, the factors that hinder or enhance this life and the measures which can be taken to improve life between buildings and the city life experience. In this essay I will be comparing the pattern of social activities, types of contact points and varying degree of contact intensities for the selected areas of Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia (Figure 1) and Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur (Figure 2). In the first chapter of the book, Gehl identifies a pattern of outdoor activities that take place in cities, i.e. necessary activities, optional activities and social activities. He establishes that necessary activities are independent of the physical environment and merely enhance them. However, optional activities depend greatly on the physical environment and the atmosphere in cities, and acts as catalysts for social or resultant activities to take place. Figure 1: Selected area of Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia Source: Google maps Figure 2: Selected area of Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur Source: Google maps
- 3. Whether in an American city like Philadelphia or in a Malaysian city such as Kuala Lumpur, necessary activities are inevitable as citizens go about each day carrying out everyday tasks and pastimes. These task and pastimes are compulsory to the individual and could include going to work, school and shopping. Necessary activities are set apart from optional and social activities because no matter in whichever place in the world despite whatever conditions these activities are compulsory to be carried out in order to fulfill a person’s living requirements. On the other hand, optional activities are not based on necessity but on the wants and wishes of a person. Optional activities only occur when a person has the desire to carry them out and could include activities such as taking a walk, simply standing around or sunbathing to enjoy the weather. The types of optional activities that occur in Rittenhouse Square and Petaling Street greatly differ from one another as the weather and outdoor environments are conducive for different types of activities and the availability of public spaces in America is much greater than that of Malaysia. For example, American citizens can easily be found lying down on the grassy areas in Rittenhouse Park (Figure 3) simply enjoying the weather or picnicking under the sun whereas in Malaysia, the weather is far too hot for such activities and most people would prefer to be under the shade (Figure 4). Furthermore, there are no public outdoor spaces in Petaling Street that have been purposely designed for the people and as of such people have no reason to linger outdoors after having completed their activities. Figure 3: People enjoying the weather in Rittenhouse Park Source: (Rigney, 2016) Figure 4: Man walking in the shade of the five foot way at Petaling Street Source: (Google maps)
- 4. Subsequently, social or resultant activities are reliant on both necessary and optional activities as they depend on the presence of others in public spaces. Some social activities would include children at play, greetings and conversations, communal activities, or passive contacts. When comparing Rittenhouse Square and Petaling Street it also becomes apparent that social activities rely heavily on the context in which they occur. Consequently, social activities are more likely to occur in Rittenhouse Square than Petailng Street due not only to the fact that there are more public spaces for these interactions to occur (as mentioned in the previous paragraph) but more so due to the locality. While Rittenhouse Square is considered a high end commercial and residential area in Philadelphia, Petaling Street is considered a rather shady neighbourhood in Kuala Lumpur and plays host to many illegal activities such as the selling of imitation goods in the Petaling Street Flea Market (Figure 5) and prostitution that occurs at the back alleys. Also, in Rittenhouse Square the people that inhabit the area consist of only locals while in Petaling street there are many immigrants that run the businesses there and affect the sense of security felt by people in the streets which could cause them not to stay any longer than necessary in that area. Gehl also draws attention to the need for contact and places importance on low intensity contacts, i.e. seeing and hearing people and other mild interactions, as the driving force of Life Between Buildings. He identifies this form of contact as an essential prerequisite for other more complex interactions; a tool for maintaining already established contacts, sources of information and a stimulant of urban life. It is shown how its presence adds to more lively cities as “people come where people are” and how its absence degrades urban life and contributes to lifeless cities and worse conditions of public space and public life. Thus, in the following paragraphs the types of contact points in both Rittenhouse Square and Petaling Street will be identified and analysed based on varying degrees of contact intensity. Figure 5: Imitation goods sold openly in the Petaling Street Flea Market Source: ("Petaling Street Market | Chinatown | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia Travel, Vacation and Tourism", 2016)
- 5. The largest contact point in Rittenhouse Square is Rittenhouse Park (Figure 6). Rittenhouse Square is one of five original squares planned by city founder William Penn in the late 17th century and is today home to the most desirable addresses in Philadelphia with high-rise residences, luxury apartments, an office tower, popular restaurants and retail stores and at the heart of all this lies Rittenhouse Park which offers an oasis of respite and relaxation amidst the bustling city. The park hosts many high contact intensity activities such as pop up farmer’s markets (Figure 7) and random festivals during the warmer seasons. Meanwhile, during cooler seasons, there is an annual Christmas light event (Figure 8) where many people gather in the park to appreciate the beautiful lights and decorations. However, high contact intensity activities do not happen only during these seasons but all year round every day, there is a mixture of high and low contact intensity activities that go on in Rittenhouse Park. These activities range from family and friends having gatherings in the park to the lonesome person taking a stroll while observing the ongoing park activities. Figure 6: Location of Rittenhouse Park Source: Google maps Figure 7: Rittenhouse farmer’s market Source: (Philly, 2016) Figure 8: Rittenhouse Christmas light event Source: ("10 Places To See Holiday Lights In Center City", 2016)
- 6. On the other hand, in Petaling Street, the largest contact point that can be identified is the Petaling Street Flea Market (Figure 9 and 10). The Petaling Street Flea Market is a long stretch of road market that occupies a large span of Petaling Street and the charm behind the market place that would otherwise be like any other Asian flea market with the uncomfortable heat and loud bustling environment, is its long standing history as an old Chinese tin mining settlement. Unlike Rittenhouse Park which came about due to the planning of the government, the market sprung up due to the history of the Chinese immigrants who came to Kuala Lumpur and settled in Petaling Street. Today, the market place is filled with high contact intensity activities such as family and friends whether foodies, tourist or school children from the nearby schools meeting up for the popular local cuisine offered there. Also, the low contact intensity activities include the passive contact between the dense crowds in which people bush against each other as they move through the market. Figure 9: Location of Petaling Street Flea Market Source: Google maps Figure 10: Entrance of Petaling Street Flea Market Source: Google maps
- 7. Furthermore, along the east side of Rittenhouse Park on 18th Street, there are a string of restaurants including Rouge, Devon, Parc and Barclay Prime (Figure 11 and 12). These restaurants are on the ground floor of the high rise residential buildings facing toward the park and have outdoor tables that allow people to take in the serenity of the natural landscape. Thus, while high contact intensity activities are happening within the restaurant space such as people talking together while dining, there are also low contact intensity activities that occur through activities such as people watching by people from the restaurant observing the park or even by people from the park observing the restaurant. Meanwhile, there are also several more restaurants in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood such as The Happy Rooster and Marathon Grill (Figure 13 and 14) which face opposite each other and provide outdoor seating for customers where similar high intensity contact activities occur within the restaurant while low intensity contact activities occur in people observing pedestrians walking along the street and diners at the opposite restaurant. Figure 12: Rogue Restaurant Source: Google maps Figure 11 : Location of Rouge, Devon, Parc and Barclay Prime Source: Google maps Figure 14: Marathon Grill and The Happy Rooster Source: Google maps Figure 13: Location of The Happy Rooster and Marathon Grill Source: Google maps
- 8. In Petaling Street, restaurants with outdoor seating are not as common as that in Rittenhouse Square and this is due mostly to the hot weather of Malaysia which gives Malaysians a preference for indoor dining. However, beneath the awning covering the Petaling Street Flea Market there are a few of these restaurants, such as Kim Lian Kee (Figure 15 and 16) near the street in intersection of Hang Lekir Street and Petaling Street, that offer many outdoor seats that encourage high contact intensity activities between diners and low contact intensity between people observing each other from the restaurant and the street. At night, once the sun has gone down and the weather is cool, food vendors along Petaling Street (Figure 17 and 18) lay out tables on the busy streets creating a lively public environment. Furthermore, Madras Lane (Figure 19 and 20) is both a food paradise and wet market filled with the sight and sounds of food both raw and cooked being prepared for a day of selling. Figure 15: Location of Kim Lian Kee restaurant Source: Google maps Figure 16: Kim Lian Kee restaurant Source: ("Kim Lian Kee Original, 2016) Figure 17: Location of night time food vendor Source: Google maps Figure 18: Night time food vendor Source: Author Figure 19: Location of Madras Lane Source: Google maps Figure 20: Madras Lane Source: ("Madras Lane/Penjaja Gallery, 2016)
- 9. Moreover, there are a variety of low contact intensity activities occurring at the intersection of Walnut Street and 18th Street (Figure 21 and 22). On the side walk, we can observe the low intensity contact of people carrying out necessary activities as they move along the street in a business like fashion. Similarly, low contact intensity activities also include people using the zebra crossing where people merely pass by one another other as they hurry to their respective destinations. Also, at the bus stops, there is low contact intensity in the mild interactions between people waiting for the bus while at the food carts the same thing is repeated for those people queuing to buy food. On the other hand, when comparing the street intersections at Petaling Street (Figure 23 and 24) to that of Rittenhouse Square it can be seen that street intersections in Philadelphia cater much more to the walkability of the city as the intersections are not only a place for people to cross the road but are also provided with bus stops, bicycle parking and zebra crossings at almost every intersection. Conversely, in Petaling Street, zebra crossings are only provided at the most active road intersections for the safety of pedestrians and the same can be said in the case of bus stops as well. Also, bicycle parking is not provided as the roads are not designed for cyclist and it would clearly be dangerous for anyone to travel through Kuala Lumpur on bicycle. Furthermore, there is an absence of food carts on the Petaling Street intersections as unlike in Philadelphia people do not linger on the streets especially as the most favoured mode of transport is by car. Figure 18: Location of Petaling Street intersection Source: Google maps Figure 19: Petaling Street Intersection Source: Google maps Figure 21: Location Walnut and 18th Street intersection Source: Google maps Figure 22: Walnut and 18th Street intersection Source: Google maps
- 10. To conclude, in the final paragraph of the first chapter in Life Between Buildings, Gehl mentions that “people and human activity are the greatest object of attention and interest” and to Gehl life between buildings is much more essential and more relevant than the spaces and buildings themselves. Gehl believes in the design of cities for people and in this sense Philadelphia could be viewed as a much more people friendly city when compared to Kuala Lumpur as it was designed in such a way that importance was not only placed on how people would move from one place to another but also on the quality of spaces that people would be able to experience as they moved through the city. Green spaces such as Rittenhouse Park are cleverly incorporated into Philadelphia’s city grid plan while roads are designed not only for vehicles but also bicycles and cyclist thus promoting walkability and more sustainable modes of transport. Subsequently, when Petaling Street is analysed under the same light it comes out sorely lacking as roads are designed for vehicles first and people second. In fact, vehicular traffic has become such a big issue in Malaysia that the government is now seeking for a solution to this problem by introducing more public transport in Malaysia through the implementation of the Mass Rapid Transit railway system. However, as a Malaysian myself, I feel the need to defend the appeal of Kuala Lumpur as a city and Petaling Street is a very good example of the character that many areas in Malaysia still uphold despite the ever rapid development and urbanisation. It is amazing that such a historically and culturally rich site such as Petaling Street is able to exist at the heart of Kuala Lumpur and although it may be easily taken for granted, it is in fact a point of attraction for locals and tourists alike.
- 11. References 1. 10 Places To See Holiday Lights In Center City. (2016). Uwishunu - Philadelphia Blog About Things to Do, Events, Restaurants, Food, Nightlife and More. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from http://www.uwishunu.com/2015/12/10-places-to-see-holiday-lights-in-center- city/#sm.0001o6uh07k08crnvyp2nafj30h4t 2. Gehl, J. (2011). Life between buildings (1st ed.). Washington, DC: Island Press.Kim Lian Kee Original KL Hokkien Mee Noodles Petaling Street 金莲记福建面 JK1470. (2016). Johorkaki.blogspot.com. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from http://johorkaki.blogspot.com/2016/04/kim-lian-kee-original-kl- hokkien-mee.html 3. Madras Lane/Penjaja Gallery (中华巷/李霖泰菜市场) @ Jalan Tun H.S.Lee. (2016). Sumptuous®. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from https://sumptuousblog.wordpress.com/2012/01/15/madras- lanepenjaja-gallery- %E4%B8%AD%E5%8D%8E%E5%B7%B7%E6%9D%8E%E9%9C%96%E6%B3%B0%E8%8F%9 C%E5%B8%82%E5%9C%BA-jalan-tun-h-s-lee/ 4. Petaling Street Market | Chinatown | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia Travel, Vacation and Tourism. (2016). Holidaysinmalaysia.org. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from http://holidaysinmalaysia.org/kuala- lumpur/petaling-street-market/ 5. Philly, T. (2016). Focus on Philadelphia Famers’ Markets : TBT Philly. Timbeverlinteam.com. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from http://www.timbeverlinteam.com/2011/08/17/focus-on-philadelphia- famers-markets/ 6. Rigney , S. Philadelphia: Neighborhood Travel Guide by 10Best (n.d.). Things to do in Rittenhouse Square. Retrieved from http://www.10best.com/destinations/pennsylvania/philadelphia/rittenhouse- square/