School of Architecture, Building and Design

Bachelor of Science (Honors) (Architecture)

THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM [ARC 3413]

PROJECT 1 PART 2

TUTOR:
STUDENT NAME:

MR.NICHOLAS
TAN FOO WONG 0310004

Site Introduction
My research area of this project is the junction point of Jalan Tun Perak, Jalan
Pudu and Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock. This junction point the start point of Jalan Pudu
and will connect till Jalan Tun Razak. This Junction is surrounded by historical building,
tourist attraction places and it has the junction station for bus transportation which link
to south and north Malaysia, and it called as Pudu Sentral. It is very lively area and
usually full of people from other places. As for the local people mainly will be the
student, office worker and taxi driver. It used to be a roundabout and has converted
into forked road, and became one of the golden triangle area in Kuala Lumpur.
As for Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock have a very famous tourist spot - Petaling
Street as known as Chinatown, The Street was popular as it has dozens of restaurant
and food stalls, serving local favourites. The Trader mainly is Chinese but there are
also Indian, Malay and Bangladeshi traders. On the opposite of Jalan Tun Tan Cheng
Lock is Jalan Tun Perak, which Maybank tower located. Maybank tower was
completed in 1987 and used to be the tallest building in Kuala Lumpur as well as
Malaysia before completion of Petronas Twin Towers.

Definition of Cognitive Mapping

Cognitive Mapping, also can describe as mental map or mental model. It is a

construct that has been proposed to explain how individuals know their environment.
It assumes that people store information about their environment in simplified form
and in relation to other information they already have. People use them to find their
way and to help recall important features of the environment. The term was introduced
by psychologist E.C. Tolman. Irrelevant or unimportant information was excluded from
the mental map. Thus, cognitive maps can be very different from an actual place. The
differences between mental representation and the physical characteristics of a
location may reveal what people consider important. The cognitive map is likely to
show what and where people remember.

In this project, I have chosen three cognitive mapping for my research area and all of
these maps were drawn by different type and age of people. Firstly the maps was
sketched by the secondary school student from the school beside the Pudu sentral.
He took the bus to go school every day and sometimes will wander around in Jalan
Pudu. The maps his sketched was very simple and everything is start from his school.
He drawn his often visited places and famous landmark into his cognitive maps.

The second maps which drawn by a Maybank office worker. He worked at Maybank
tower since 2004, and normally will take LRT to his office. He will hang out nearby
during his lunch time and very familiar with the surrounding site. Last, the third map
was drawn by the local taxi driver, he worked as taxi driver since 2000 and his
customers mainly came from Pudu Sentral. Due to his work requirement, he need to
be very familiar with road name within klang valley area and the famous landmark. But
his main services area is along Jalan Pudu rather than entire Klang Valley.

There are several way to compare the cognitive maps from different people. In this
research paper Im going to compare the similarities and dissimilarities point of these
three chosen cognitive maps for Jalan Pudu Junction point. As we known that the
building surrounded in our site wasnt built in the same period. Follow along the city
development and re-planning of the traffic flow, the landmark and the human activities
also have changed nowadays. As my research target are three different type and age
of people, it is very easy to find out the different within their cognitive mapping because
different age of people will have different view point and concept of their living
environment. However, there will be also a certain element is similar between their
cognitive maps.

After studying The image of the city by Kevin Lynchs, we can understand that in
lynchs view, image can be explained as a picture especially in the mind, a
sentimental combination between objective city image and subjective human thoughts.
The productions of environment images are influenced by a two-way process the
observer and the observed. The observer, with great adaptability and in the light of his
own purposes, selects, organizes and endows with meaning what he or she sees.
Therefore, the specific image can be totally different from the different perspective of
observers. As for the these three chosen maps came from teenager, adult and elderly,
is very obvious we can found the differences such as their central location, landmark
and even the direction identification.

Firstly, the student mainly focus from his school and spread out to other places such
as bus station, 7-11, and pedestrian walkway. He normally went for this few places
and it has become his cognitive landmarks, he use these to set up as a meeting point
for his friend or family. The reason why this become his landmark is because it was
easy to see from the roadway and convenient for his family to pick him up after school.
The pedestrian walkway become his references edge to separate the safety area and
unsafety area. In other hand, the map by the office worker and taxi driver are totally
different from the students map. As the definition of landmark to them, is the tallest or
branded building such as Mydin, Maybank and Pudu Sentral. They more focus on the
specific building name, road name rather just the object. Those landmarks and main

road name help them to remember the location and it is the basic living skill to
recognize the direction. But for the taxi driver, he will recognize more road name and
location rather than the main road name. The reason why taxi driver will be more focus
on the road name and location is because his daily working was required him to
understand the overall traffic direction.

In additional, the human activities in that site also have certain influence of their
cognitive mapping. There are few small to medium stall surrounded in the site, mostly
they are selling food, groceries and newspaper. These few stall normally will gathered
certain amount of people and created small node in the site. It also become a daily
habit for people to pass through and purchase some daily needs such as snack,
newspaper before working or studying. All of these maps we can find the record for
stall and type of business although in different location. This can prove that the human
activities have great influenced on the local people. Secondly, the human activities
also can categories the area into few districts such as Chinese area, Indian area and
tourist area. We can found in their maps that state which location have more Chinese,
Indian or tourist activities. Normally this few districts are not form in a day, it is
developed from past till nowadays and has become more significant places.

As conclusion, a well-designed environment image will improve the sense of security

for people and set up a harmonious relationship between the outer world and
themselves. Environmental images may be analyzed into three components: identity,
structure and meaning. First of all, identity defines the identification of an object which
implies its distinction from other things. Second, the image must include the spatial or
pattern relationship of the object to the observer and to other objects. Finally, this
object must have some meaning for the observer, example like the Maybank tower is
the working place for the office worker and his daily activities normally will happen
within this area. The Maybank tower and surrounding site content has provide him a
comfortable and convenient working environment, this will improve his work efficiency
and effectiveness. A highly image able city should be well formed, distinct and
remarkable, even daily lives of people can also be redefined and given brand new
meanings. (Total Words: 1365)