THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM

[ARC61303]

PROJECT 2 : COMPARITIVE ANALYSIS ESSAY

NAME : RHIANNA MAE STOREY
ID : 0325369
TUTOR : MR.PRINCE
Contents

Introduction

- Project Introduction
3
- Street Case Study Introduction :
University Belt, Manila, Philippines 4
- Local Site Introduction : 5
Medan Pasar, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Comparative Analysis

- Architectural and Urban Forms within Social 6-8

and Cultural Context
9-12
- Nodes and Contact Points
- Node Types and Patterns of Social Activities
13-17

Conclusion 18

References 19
Project Introduction

Urban streets in Asia can vary drastically from activities, to people, and to
architecture of surrounding buildings. However, there are apparent similarities that
can be seen through patterns of social activities and in factors that affect the
degree of intensities of social contact points.

In this essay, comparison and analysis will be conducted based on two well-known
street areas in urban settings, located in two different Asian countries.

1. University Belt, Manila, Philippines

2. Medan Pasar, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Using urban context as a frame of reference, this essay aims to pinpoint resembling
and contrasting features of both sites through elements that make up todays
bustling streets and cities. Social interaction, foot traffic density, activities, typologies
and human culture all play a part in the formation of the unique urban form of a
street yet also define and differentiate types of streets from one another.

Sketch of shophouses along Jalan Hang Kasturi

Case Study Site Introduction

University Belt, Manila Philippines

University Belt is in fact a theoretical sub-district area located in Manila, Philippines. It
is well-known for its high concentration of colleges and universities situated along it.
The U-Belt is also regarded as a historical block, with schools and houses dating back
to the Spanish occupation still standing up till today.

Up north of the Pasig River, the belt comprises of 36 educational institutions. These
colleges and universities are actually at a walking distance from one another and
form an irregular crescent shape from plan view, hence giving more sense to the
term ‘U-Belt’. The oldest library in the country known as Santo Tomas started here as
well, signifying long due history of urbanisation in Manila up until today.

In the previous case study, we focused on a particular stretch along the belt,
Quezon Boulevard, and conducted our analysis on contact points and social
patterns around the street.

Source : University Belt. (2017, November 13). Retrieved November 27,

2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Belt
Local Site Introduction

Medan Pasar, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Previously known as Old Market Square, Medan Pasar is placed in the heart of the
inner city of Kuala Lumpur. The square was the place to be for traders as there were
facilities like banks, textile shops, grocers, and traditional medicinal halls. In 1882,
British Resident Frank Swettenham demolished the market due to the poor conditions
it was kept in and till today it has been relocated nearby into an indoor market
space known as Central Market. Medan Pasar was then transformed into a trade
square and in the 1920s, three-storey ornate neo-classical shophouses were built
lining the square on either side.

Although the road no longer plays host to the city’s busiest market, Today, Medan
Pasar is still buzzing with activities as it is now one of the main hubs for public
transports with bus hubs on either sides of the square. The area is dominated by
foreign workers which make up a high ratio of the working class around the KL. New
buildings have been erected around Medan Pasar and even on the square itself,
creating the integration of colonial and modern designs that make the streets of old
KL so unique.
Architectural and Urban Forms within Social and Cultural Context

‘A city district in its simplest sense is an area of homogeneous character, recognized

by clues which are continuous throughout the district and discontinuous elsewhere’
(Lynch, pg 103, The Image of The City)

Sketches of shophouses around Medan Pasarr

Urban forms and the built up typologies around Medan Pasar vary drastically in
terms of design, height and functionality. The merging of colonial style shophouses
and modern high rise banks and hotels located on the square itself and along Jalan
Hang Kasturi to the south of the square is a unique combination that is not usually
seen in other parts of Kuala Lumpur. Central market with its distinctive art deco
design, and the two famous street markets of the area, Kasturi Walk and Petaling
Street, accent the fact that the area is dominated by commercial activities and is a
hub for tourists. Religious landmarks such as Masjid Jamek and the Sin Sze Si Ya
Temple are located in close proximity of Medan Pasar and are allocated for the
working class during and after working hours.
As for urban forms along Quezon Boulevard, running north-south through the district
of Quiapo in Manila. There is a complete mixture of design from spanish colonial style
buildings and shophouses to the baroque-style Quaipo Church to also the more
recent modern built up forms such as the art deco design of Far Eastern University up
north of the stretch of road. Similarly to Petaling Street in KL, Streets like Gonzolo
Puyat and the Junction of Isetann Cinerama Complex,Recto Ave contain a high
density of vendor activity orienting focus around business activities. Quaipo Church
would be the prominent religious landmark in the area, situated behind Plaza
Miranda that is also used as an open market space for vendors.

Jan Gehl stated ‘First life, then space, then buildings – the other way around never
works.’

Life and culture are what makes a place, a place. The biggest difference between
culture in both the studied city areas would have to be the presence of educational
institutions. The younger generation of students make up a large constituent of
University Belt’s population and commercial activities are also dictated by the
aforementioned crowd.

Image ref: http://senorenrique.blogspot.my/2007/08/food-alley-in-manilas-university-

belt.html

Students buying food from Food Stalls between Claro M. Recto Avenue and Bilibid Viejo Street
University Belt has is a hotspot for bookstores, school supply stores, and computer
stores. Most of these outlets also offer student services such as photocopying,
binding, and lamination and not only provide to students but have become well
known amongst the general public.

Foreign workers passing by to head to work and also just resting in Medan Pasar Square

Due to the recent expanding business trade across Kuala Lumpur, Medan Pasar is
dominated by foreign workers that have altered the culture and identity of the
place itself. An increasing number of foreign restaurants and shops have popped
up and due to the fact that the site is one of the main transportation hubs, it has
become a significant place for foreign workers mostly from Myanmar, Nepal or Sri
Lanka. There are no schools located in this dense part of Kuala Lumpur and it is quite
possible to say that it does lack a presence of the younger generation compared to
more modern or younger districts of KL.

People waiting for the bus at the corner of the square

Nodes and Contact Points

‘Cultures and climates differ all over the world, but people are the same. They’ll
gather in public if you give them a good place to do it.’(Jan Gehl, 2005)

Nodes and contact points in Medan Pasar are formed based strongly on landmarks,
vendor streets and transportation hubs. A high level of interaction and movement of
people occurs as this place acts to bond hierarchical nodes in Kuala Lumpur
city,(Medan Pasar Square,Petaling street,,Masjid Jamek and Central Market) via
easy accessibility through busy vehicular and pedestrian road access. This brings
challenges like high density traffic which is further heightened by pedestrian
crossings, and quite a number of bus stops.
Vehichle Paths and Density around Medan Pasar
From our previous case study on University Belt, contact points that we had chosen
were mostly based on vendor activity as well as main landmarks and streets of the
area. In terms of transportation, Recto Terminal serves as the major transportation
hub for the area compared to Medan Pasar which has a few main hubs being, Kota
Raya Bus Hub, Masjid jamek LRT Station and the Pasar Seni LRT Station.

Contact Points around Quezon Boulevard

Landmarks up north of Quezon Boulevard

Bus terminals around Quezon Boulevard

Node Types and Patterns of Social Activities
‘Architecture has been defined in terms of one activity, and that activity is adding to
the world.’ (Koolhas, July 1996, Interviewed in Wire)

1. Plaza Miranda – Medan Pasar

Plaza Miranda is a public square bounded by main streets of Manila, the

plaza is considered the center of Quiapo which situates several shopping
buildings and one of the main churches of Manila, the Quiapo Church. It
currently serves as a freedom park, where various events, festivities, as well as
assemblies are held, providing space for optional and social activities. FR
Hidalgo Street is on the corner of the plaza and vendors spread out onto the
plaza from the street that is known for its outdoor market. This creates a lively
atmosphere and as Jan Gehl quoted in Life Between Buildings using Public
Spaces, ‘The quality of experiencing a large space is greatly enriched when
the approach occurs through a small space: when sequences and contrasts
between small and large exist.’

Image Ref: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WTMP_Pangkat_B-4-1.JPG

The large open space in front of the church has created opportunity for
necessary activities and acts as a platform to connect spaces together. People
use this space to head to their own destination. The market space is the main
factor for optional and social activities, attracting different generations of
people. The open space under the bridge induces optional activity and acts as
a place to pause and look around and social interaction is at high intensity in
this lively market.
Medan Pasar, is also an open square in the heart of KL and yet in terms of
function it differs quite drastically. Two rows of shophouses and high rise banks
line the square and most of the shops are tailored for workers that come there for
lunch or breakfast.

It is mainly used for necessary activities as people cross it to get from one place
to another or to get to the transportation terminals on either side of the square.

It is quite unfortunate that with a high density of people, passive social

interactions seem to exist more than active social interactions. In Urbanism as a
Way of Life, the author, Louis Wirth talks about how secondary contacts are
prominent in the city life. He stated that ‘Our acquaintances tend to stand
in a relationship of utility to us...’(pg 192). It is pretty much true for activity in
Medan Pasar as well. Having said that there are a number of workers that like
to hang around the open square and talk to one another meaning optional and
social activities do occur but more likely for the workers who use it compared to
locals. Passive social activity intensities are high during the day as there is a
constant flow of people passing through the square especially during peak
hours. At night there seems to be more optional activity as the the cool
temperature, lights and water feature attract a wider variety of people.

Both these open spaces are high intensity contact points but it seems that
activity bends more towards the necessary category and are focused more to
the sides in Medan Pasar whereas there seems to be more active social activity
and optional activity in Plaza Miranda due to the activities that occur there.
2. Quaipo Church – Masjid Jamek

Quaipo Church is located just in front of Plaza Miranda and is one the main
churches of the area. The Basilica of The Black Church is the landmark of this
selected site which is easily seen from the far and it serves the community here,
which encourages people to interact and form passive social interaction. The
church becomes a place of high intensity during mass hours and special events
but the open space in front of the church is usually of low intensity social
interaction area due to the fact that most of the crowd is attracted to the
market space at the other end of the plaza.

In contrast, Masjid Jamek in Kuala Lumpur is located next to one of the main LRT
Stations named after it. Although the actual mosque is situated in its own private
zone, the area around it is of high intensity necessary and social activities
throughout the day. High intensity necessary activities occur during the mosque
during praying hours as workers around the area use it on a daily basis. Masjid
Jamek is opened to visitors and medium density optional activities occur here as
tourists and curious locals visit the mosque to observe its beauty and
architecture.
3. Gonzalo Puyat Street – Kasturi Walk

Situated between Rizal Ave and Quezon Boulevard, Gonzalo Puyat Street is
known to be a commercial street with many open shops and vendors that
connects the population. High intensity due to frequency of use local trading
and commercializing interactions. Surrounding the area are 2 to 4 stories
shophouses, with vendors fanning out their merchandise along the street.
Vendors sit at a proximity to each other, establishing an intimate comradeship
and acquaintanceship with daily customers.

Shop frontage allow the pedestrian to choose whether to walk on the streets or
along the shops. As Jan Gehl stated “When large spaces are to be crossed, it is
usually most comfortable to move along the edge instead of having to traverse
a broad surface or walk down the middle of the space. Movement at the edge
of a space makes it possible to experience simultaneously both the large space
as well as the small details of the street facade or the spatial boundary along
which one walks.”(Life Between Buildings Using Public Spaces)

It is a high-intensity interaction street where necessary activities take place

consistently as people passed by the street to go to their destined locations or to
shop at the variety of shops while optional activities include people who might
stop by occasionally to watch the world goes by. Social activities happen when
people gather around the street or vendors that formed passive and chance
contact.

Gonzalo Puyat St. (L) Kasturi Walk (R)

Kasturi walk, located on Jalan Hang Kasturi down south of Medan Pasar is a covered
street that is lined with vendors everyday till 10pm at night. Central Market which is a
large indoor market is located on the side of Kasturi Walk and is a destination for
tourists that come pouring in everyday. Similarly to Gonzalo Puyat St, necessary
activity occurs as workers use this path as a route to get to their destinations. The
beautiful ornamented metal Wau structures act as an attraction that induces
optional activity and sparks curiosity amongst passerbys. High intensity passive and
active social interactions occur due to vendor activity throughout the day and are
toned down during the evening. Both these streets are extremely similar in terms of
social patterns. A factor that strongly differentiate the two would be the fact that
Kasturi Walk is covered. The shade creates a more comfortable atmosphere and
activities are not affected by the weather. So it is possible that users of the space
may be encouraged to stay longer when compared to Gonzalo Puyat St.
Conclusion

Based on the nodes and landmarks of both the sites, it is apparent that they both
portray similar urban characteristics. The three areas that were analysed in both
cities all have the same purpose but there is a significant difference in each of them
based on who they are designed to cater to and how the residents of the city use
the spaces. The majority inhabitants of both sites differ from one another quite
drastically. Sites around medan pasar are mainly used by a mix of foreign and local
workers and also tourists, whereas along Quezon Boulevard in University Belt the
dominating inhabitants would be locals and the younger generation of students.
After comparing both of the social patterns of these places, I have learnt that
people are the main factor that control the dynamics of a site and give life to the
site. Both Manila and Kuala Lumpur have similar climates hence architecturally
buildings would be designed in similar ways but the difference in culture proves to
be an element of place making that will always be extremely evident. As future
architects, it is undeniable that an acquired understanding of the local community
must be present in order to design efficient and exciting urban spaces that will be
use to its full potential. As quoted by the great Jan Gehl, ‘Cultures and climates differ
all over the world, but people are the same. They’ll gather in public if you give them
a good place to do it’
References

1. Chan, D. (2007, March 02). Medan Pasar the hub of KL in the 19th century.
Retrieved November 26, 2017, from
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2007/03/03/medan-pasar-
the-hub-of-kl-in-the-19th-century/
2. Gehl, J. (1987). Life between buildings: Using public space. New York: Van
Nostrand Reinhold
3. Gibbons, A. (2016, November 01). Kevin Lynch: The Image of the City.
Retrieved November 27, 2017, from http://writingcities.com/2016/11/01/kevin-
lynch-image-city/
4. 25 things you didn't know about Manila's University Belt | Coconuts Manila
Manila. (2016, October 10). Retrieved November 27, 2017, from
https://coconuts.co/manila/features/25-pieces-trivia-about-university-belt/

*Images on our local site were taken by my group and I during prior site
visits