Urban Comparative Analysis Essay

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN ARCHITECTURE
ARC61303: THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ESSAY
MEDAN PASAR, KUALA LUMPUR
&
RAOHE STREET, TAIPEI
NIK AHMAD MUNAWWAR NIK DIN
0325167
TUTORED BY NICHOLAS NG

Contents
Introduction 1
About Medan Pasar 2
About Raohe Street 3
Contact Points at Medan Pasar 4
Contact Points at Raohe Street 8
Comparative Activity Analysis 12
Necessary Activities 13
Optional Activities 17
Resultant Activities 19
Conclusion 20
References 21

Theories of Architecture and Urbanism
1
Comparative Analysis Essay
Introduction
This essay attempts to make a comparative analysis between Medan Pasar in Kuala
Lumpur and Raohe Street in Taipei. Both areas hold significant historical value to their
respective cities, and have been the subject of revitalization projects throughout the
decades. The analysis will focus on the success and failure factors of these
revitalization projects under the lens of urban theories, specifically adhering to Jan
Gehl’s methodology of contact points and types of activities that occur on site.
Jan Gehl believes that the community is the most important factor in determining the
success of a public space in planning cities. His methodology breaks down public
activities into three main categories, namely necessary activities, optional activities
and resultant, or social activities. Gehl also believes that humans are in constant
search for new experiences and naturally prefer areas with more social interactions.
This aspect will also be given focus in this essay.
At the end of the analysis, we should have a clear understanding on the similarities
and differences between the two areas in the capital cities in terms of contact points
and activities and possibly provide a general framework on designing useful public
spaces in an Asian city.

2
Medan Pasar
Medan Pasar is perhaps
one of the oldest quarters
in Kuala Lumpur, as it
was established as an
early trading district when
the city was a bustling
mining town. The site is
situated next to the area
where Kuala Lumpur was
established, the muddy
confluence of Gombak
and Klang rivers, which
gave Kuala Lumpur its
unique name.
Medan Pasar today, albeit not as bustling as before is known to be a melting pot of
cultures and social classes. The site’s socioeconomic diversity presents a perfect
opportunity for the establishment of a “binder”, to create common interest amongst
different communities, from white collar workers, to students as well as foreign
workers.
The social activity on site today is mostly transient whereby people use the open public
plaza as a transitional space between destinations rather than it being the destination
itself. This can be explained as Medan Pasar was, for the longest time, a small stretch
of street that functions as a transportation hub for the “old KL” vicinity before being
transformed into a public plaza a few years ago. Its previous configuration as a bus
hub with vehicular access created a contact point which has since been erased with
the creation of the plaza.
This comparative analysis will look at the contact points on site which is defined as the
area beginning from Leboh Ampang to the start of Kasturi Walk, as highlighted in the
accompanying diagram.
Open Plaza with Historic Clock Tower at Medan Pasar

3
Raohe Street
Raohe Street in Taipei is known
for its night market, which is one
of the oldest in Taiwan. The
market began in 1987 and is now
considered a popular tourist
destination. Its total length
bounded by two decorative
gates is approximately 600
meters. The night market was
set up in 1987 as an urban
revival project and has been
gaining popularity ever since.
Raohe street is located near the Keelung Riverside. Prior to being renamed, it was
known as Xikou street which was a popular docking point for vessels in the mid-18th
century. Unlike most modern day urban streets, Raohe, or Xikou street back then,
evolved organically following the growth of the Keelung River. Surrounding villages
soon developed and were all centred around the Matzu Temple, today known as the
Ci You Temple on Raohe Street.
To complement the rise in popularity of Xikou street, a railway line was built in 1888 to
serve the community. With the penetration of railway into the area, Xikou street and
its vicinity gradually transformed from a suburban area into an urban parcel of a larger
metropolis, especially as trains and automobile gained popularity over the next
century.
Following the end of the Japanese occupation of Taiwan, Xikou Street was renamed
Raohe Street and is today the home of Taiwan’s most well-known night market, a
social contact point and a hive for social activities at night time.
Signature Gateway at the Entrance of Raohe St. Night Market

4
Contact Points of Medan Pasar

5
Contact Point 1: LRT Station
The Masjid Jamek LRT Station
is served by two LRT lines, the
Ampang Line, and the Kelana
Jaya Line. As a result, the
station becomes a high
intensity contact point
especially during rush hours,
whereby commuters living
outside the city arrive from, or
leave for home daily. The
interaction is mostly passive as most commuters are strangers to each other.
However, the LRT station is also a frequent meeting point or landmark for
acquaintances planning to commute to other parts of the city. As a result, there is
occasionally some close relationship interaction at the contact point.
Contact Point 2: Masjid Jamek
Masjid Jamek in Kuala Lumpur is the
oldest mosque in Kuala Lumpur city
centre and serves mainly the
immediate community which includes
white collar workers and foreign
workers in the Medan Pasar vicinity.
The larger community in old KL would
often go to the more spacious Masjid
Negara, only a kilometre away from
Masjid Jamek. This contact point experiences high intensity contacts especially on
Friday during the prayer service from around 1pm – 2pm. The interaction is a mix of
passive and close relationship as office colleagues would normally attend the Friday
prayers in groups. The prayer service also produces resultant activity at the contact
point. It is also worth noting Masjid Jamek’s status as a tourist attraction, which attracts
a moderate number of tourists daily that creates a chance interaction between the
tourists and the mosque tour guides and locals.

6
Contact Point 3: Riverside Walk
The new River of Life riverside walk is an initiative
by the KL City Council to revitalize the two major
rivers that run within the city that merges at the
centre of old Kuala Lumpur. The River of Life
project has been underway since 2014 and is now
in its final phases of completion. The project has
transformed the riverbank as a tourist-worthy river
walk and has generated a moderate intensity
contact point that harbours mostly passive
interaction as people would just take a stroll along
the riverbank, including commuters from the LRT
station taking a shortcut to their destination.
However, during special events, there would be light shows on the river which can
generate resultant activities.
Contact Point 4: Clock Tower Open Plaza
Medan Pasar’s open plaza with the historic
clock tower has always been a transient space
as it was originally a street that connects Leboh
Ampang and Leboh Pasar Besar. The street
was a bus hub for the vicinity and was a high
intensity contact point. However, with its
transformation into an open plaza, its intensity
has declined to between low to moderate
intensity, depending on events taking place on
site. The plaza occasionally hosts events by the
city council which allows for resultant activities
on site. However, on most days, most of the
interactions are passive, as people only use the
plaza as a transitional space.

7
Contact Point 5: Bus Hub & Ruang
Ever since the pedestrianization of Medan
Pasar, the intersection between Medan
Pasar and Leboh Pasar Besar now serves
as a bus hub for Medan Pasar. Across the
street from the bus stopping area is Ruang
by ThinkCity that regularly hosts art
exhibitions. The combination of both the bus
hub and Ruang has created a contact point
that has generated moderate to high
intensity contacts at different times of the
day and highly dependent on events taking
place on site. Most of the interactions are
passive between the bus riders. However,
there is opportunity for chance interaction in
Ruang between visitors and curators of the exhibitions.
Contact Point 6: Central Market & Kasturi Walk
Central Market and Kasturi Walk next
to it is a major tourist spot in Medan
Pasar area that enjoys moderate to
high intensity contacts. It generally
receives more tourists than local
visitors all year round. Therefore, most
of the interaction between locals are
passive, as workers in the Medan
Pasar area would use Central Market
and Kasturi Walk only as a transitionary path to different parts of the city. There is also
very minimal close relationship interaction on site as Central Market contains some
restaurants which are common lunch spots for local workers in the vicinity.

8
Contact Points of Raohe Street

9
Contact Point 1: Eastern Gateway
The Eastern Gateway is the main
entrance to the Raohe Street Night
Market and exhibits a high
intensity contact point especially
at night when the market is often
packed. A well-known attraction
nearby is the first stall in the market
that sells Pepper Pork Buns, a
staple at the night market with
customers lining up daily to buy.
The characteristic of the gateway
as the main entrance, coupled with
the stall’s high volume of
customers provide the contact point with a mix of passive and chance interaction.
Most people who pass by the gateway would only have passive interaction with the
crowd whereas the buyers of the buns would be in chance interaction with the stall
owner.
Contact Point 2: Raohe Street Intersection
The street intersection between the
main street and street lanes
connecting the market to the MRT
station is a natural assembly point due
to its strategic location before the
midpoint of the night market as well as
its connectivity to public transportation
and the only pathway leading to the
Rainbow Bridge, a tourist attraction.
The intersection is considered a high intensity contact point at night with mostly
passive interaction. However, its strategic location also helps to promote close
interactions as groups of friends would usually treat it as a rendezvous point due to
familiarity and convenience factors.

10
Contact Point 3: Night Market Open Seating Area
With the abundance of food stalls along the night market, the open seating area at the
midpoint of Raohe street is constantly packed with either passive contacts who are
just passing by to continue down the night market or close relationship contact
between friends enjoying their food. The narrow street, with stalls on both sides
contributes to the possibility of chance interaction occurring between shoppers and
sellers.
Contact Point 4: Fu De Temple
Towards the end of Raohe Street is Fu De Temple which
is the only contact point that does not occur at night during
the night market. The temple serves mainly locals who
would attend prayers every morning. Over time, the temple
has garnered several regulars, which creates close
relationship interaction between the temple’s inner
community. The prayer congregations produce a resultant
activity on site as different families all come together with
the same intention. The temple is also considered as a tourist attraction, therefore
creating somewhat of a chance interaction between the temple community and the
visitors.

11
Contact Point 5: Western Gateway
The Western Gateway
exhibits high intensity at
night as it is the entrance and
exit for the night market that
is directly open to the main
road outside the Raohe
Street district, in contrast to
the Eastern gateway that is
more enclosed by inner
roads. This makes the Western gateway a strategic location as a pickup and drop-off
area for visitors of the night market. The provided public seating area allows for
passive and chance interaction whereby shoppers would be able to sit, rest and
socialize with others.
Contact Point 6: Ci You Temple & Songshan Primary School
The major intersection
before the Eastern
Gateway of the night
market is an important
contact point for Raohe
street as it not only
leads to the entrance of
the market, but also
has an open square
next to the Songshan
Primary School which acts as a buffer between low and high intensity areas of the
vicinity. The open square transforms the transient nature of the street into a meeting
point for close relationship interactions as it also offers shaded seating areas. When
festivals are conducted at the square, resultant activity is produced as strangers
congregate to attend the festivals.

12
Comparative Activity Analysis
Types of Activities
Jan Gehl characterises cities in terms of its “personality”, which can be categorised as
either an “impersonal” city or “personal” city. Impersonal cities exhibit characteristics
such as having multi-storey buildings, underground parking, catered mostly for
automobiles and poor conditions for pedestrian circulation. Personal cities on the other
hand have low, closely-spaced buildings at human scale, encourages foot traffic by
blocking vehicular access and a generous amount of pleasing outdoor spaces that
encourage more social activities.
The three types of activities that occur in cities according to Gehl can be divided into
Necessary Activities, Optional Activities and Social or Resultant Activities.
Necessary activities include everyday tasks and pastimes including mostly walking-
related activities such as commuting to and from work, shopping, sending children to
school and other activities that are essential for daily life. These activities are just
slightly dependent on the physical framework of the city.
On the other hand, optional activities can be defined as activities that make full use of
the quality of outdoor spaces when it becomes available. Examples of optional
activities include sitting in the park, sunbathing, reading outdoors and having picnic.
These activities are highly dependent on the physical conditions of the city itself for
them to be effectively carried out.
Finally, resultant or social activities include passive interactions such as seeing and
hearing people, which occurs mostly in cities, as well as active interactions such as
engaging in conversations, which normally happens in smaller areas such as
residential streets or near places of work.
Both Medan Pasar and Raohe street contain a mix of these activities to a certain
degree. These activities depend highly on the scale and configuration of buildings and
open spaces as well as weather conditions.

13
Necessary Activities
Necessary activities in Medan Pasar mostly revolve around the white collar and foreign
worker communities going in and out of the area. Public transportation plays a heavy
role in their day to day commute. The Masjid Jamek LRT station is a common contact
point for most workers in the area, similar to the function of the Songshan MRT station
near Raohe Street. They are also similar in terms of proximity to the sites, both
approximately 200m away from the respective streets.
Medan Pasar is primarily a business district with a number of commercial outlets such
as restaurant and shops, mainly to serve the working community in the area, whereas
Raohe street is a booming commercial area with its night market as a major node in
Taipei. Although functionally different, both areas can be considered similar in the
transient nature of pedestrian flow on site. Medan Pasar’s open plaza is mainly used
as a crossing from Leboh Ampang to Leboh Pasar Besar for city dwellers going to
nodes such as Central Market, Kasturi Walk or even Petaling Street, which is a major
shopping destination in Kuala Lumpur. Raohe Street is also a transient space during
the day for pedestrians going from the Eastern side of the street to the Western side
and vice versa. Locals in the area would use Raohe street to attend prayers at Fu De
Temple early in the morning without stopping at any point along the route, as the
market only runs at night.
Another similarity between the two is the presence of a religious building on site.
Masjid Jamek plays host to necessary activities for the surrounding community,
Raohe Street to the nearest MRT Station Medan Pasar to the nearest LRT Station

14
especially during Friday prayers. The congregation is often a mix of close and passive
interactions which results in a social activity occurring. This is similar in nature with Fu
De Temple on Raohe street that hosts daily congregations.
The point of divergence
between the two sites
mainly revolves around
the time of the day the
necessary activities take
place. The difference
between them is literally
night and day. Where most activities take place during the day for Medan Pasar,
Raohe Street is most activated during the night when the night market starts.
Another observable difference between the two is the pedestrian circulation around
the site. It is worth noting that although both sites can be considered as transient
spaces, the pedestrian circulation on Raohe street takes place on the open street
itself, whereas most pedestrians would opt to walk under the five-foot walkway rather
than the open plaza in Medan Pasar. This is mainly due to a number of factors which
include weather differences, time of activity, as well as the scale and proportion of the
elements on site. The heat and humidity during the day in Kuala Lumpur compels
pedestrians to maximise the use of the covered walkway of the surrounding buildings
to get from point A to point B through Medan Pasar. Furthermore, most of the activity
on Raohe Street takes place during the evening which makes it more comfortable for
pedestrians walking in the open.
Raohe Street pedestrian circulation Medan Pasar pedestrian circulation
Raohe Street Medan Pasar

15
The most significant differentiating factor however is the scale and proportion of the
two sites. Medan Pasar’s wide open plaza, a characteristically European urban
element may be uncomfortable for local pedestrians. Asians in general have the
tendency to avoid being out in the open and prefer narrow pathways, which is exactly
how Raohe Street was designed. This explains, to a certain degree, the
underutilisation of Medan Pasar as a public realm even for necessary activities.
Raohe Street Scale and Proportion
Medan Pasar Scale and Proportion

16
The final difference between the two
sites is the location of the activities.
Medan Pasar does not harbour
necessary activities that are
significant in the daily lives of the
community. It is merely surrounded
by contact points that promote
necessary activities on site. It can
even be hypothesised that should
Medan Pasar be removed from the
scene, there would be minimal
impact on the necessary activities
that occur in the surrounding areas.
This is in stark contrast to Raohe
Street, which is the heart of all the
occurring activities itself, and would
cause severe disruptions to daily
activities should it be altered in a
significant way. As compared to
Raohe Street, Medan Pasar is not
the destination, but more of a
pathway to the end points
surrounding it.
Medan Pasar Activity Spots
Raohe Street Activity Spots (night time)

17
Optional Activities
The most common optional activities that happen on both sites are sightseeing, casual
observations and window shopping. Medan Pasar, with its newly pedestrianised plaza
was designed with pedestrians in mind. This is similar with the nature of Raohe Street
especially during the evening when it plays host to the 600m long night market. The
pedestrian-friendly nature of both sites encourages optional activities such as
sightseeing and casual meetings.
With the development of KL’s River of Life project, the riverbank is getting activated
into a contact point that will be a tourist attraction for the vicinity. Optional activities,
although quite minimal is already being observed along the Keelung riverbank in
Taipei. This is especially obvious following the completion of the Rainbow Bridge, a
scenic pedestrian-only bridge that connects the Raohe vicinity to the other side of the
city. This is similar to the new pedestrian bridge constructed at the confluence of Klang
and Gombak rivers in Kuala Lumpur, albeit at a much smaller scale, that connects
Medan Pasar to Dataran Merdeka, a traditional tourist hot spot.
Another similarity between the two sites is the presence of an events and exhibition
space. Within proximity to Medan Pasar, Ruang by ThinkCity provides a space for
exhibitions and events which would generate optional activities for the site. It is located
at a strategic corner of the adjacent block which increases its visibility to the public
and provides an easy access. Raohe street on the other hand is located near a small
open square between Ci You Temple & Songshan Primary School which is also a
frequent spot for events and celebrations
Rainbow Bridge in Taipei River of Life Bridge in Kuala Lumpur

18
In terms of optional activities, the two sites differ from each other in terms of the
intensity of the contact points. As a public realm, Raohe street is observably more
successful as compared to Medan Pasar for optional activities such as casual sitting
and as a hangout spot. This may be again due to the difference in scale between the
two and the lack of a compelling sitting area in Medan Pasar, all with weather
conditions considered.
Additionally, another noticeable difference is in the level of activity along the riverbank
and pedestrian bridges of the two contact points. The public realm along the Klang
river is significantly gaining more activities as compared to the Keelung river and the
Rainbow Bridge. This difference can be attributed to the scale of the bridges and the
rivers themselves. The river in Kuala Lumpur is much smaller as compared to Keelung
river near Raohe Street, and crossing the river via the pedestrian bridge would seem
to be less daunting than its counterpart in Taipei. Another factor in the success of the
foot bridge in Kuala Lumpur is the contact points available on the other side of the
river. The bridge crossing Klang River connects Medan Pasar to another tourist area
in the city such as Dataran Merdeka and the Sultan Abdul Samad building.
Keelung River in Taipei Klang and Gombak River Confluence in
Kuala Lumpur

19
Resultant Activities
Resultant activities can be defined as social activities that happen between two or
more individuals in the city and is the result of the combination between necessary
and optional activities.
By comparing Central Market and the Raohe Street Night Market as contact points for
their respective streets, we can observe a high level of social activity on site, mainly
due to the nature of the contact points being shopping destinations. The activities on
both sites can only take place with the presence of other people in the society to
produce connections between members of the community. The type of connections
can be broken down into two distinct categories, namely passive contact and active
contact. In a shopping environment, both categories of connection exist
simultaneously.
The difference between the two contact points in comparison lies in the type of
community that produces the social activity. It can be observed that most of the social
activity at Central Market is generated by tourists rather than locals. This is in contrast
to the Raohe Street Night Market whereby there is a balance in the composition of
locals and tourists on site.
There is generally only a small group of locals that frequent Central Market, usually
white-collar workers in the vicinity during lunch break. This lack of local participation
can be explained by the nature of the contact point itself. Central Market was designed
to cater to tourists, with shops selling mostly merchandises and souvenirs rather than
daily necessities. The result of this is a contact point with resultant activities that seem
out of place for locals, thus rendering it as an ineffective node for the community.
Social Activity at Medan Pasar Social Activity at Raohe Street

20
Conclusion
It can be observed from the comparative analysis conducted between Medan Pasar
and Raohe Street that social activities play a significant role in the success of a public
space in an urban context. Although both sites exhibit somewhat similar
characteristics, the minor differences in terms of the nature of the contact points, as
well as the configuration of the scale and spaces in the urban fabric is enough to
produce significantly different results.
Another key take-away from the analysis is the importance of considering local
customs and context in the design of an urban space. An obvious example of this is in
the implementation of a wide, open public plaza in Medan Pasar, which is an idea
based on the design of European cities that may not be effective in the context of an
Asian city.
Jan Gehl’s urban theory of “personal” and “impersonal” cities is apparent in this
analysis. Raohe Street exhibits more of a personal city characteristic as compared to
Medan Pasar, which explains why it has become a major destination in Taipei. In order
to remain relevant, Medan Pasar needs to act as a harness to the contact points
surrounding it and transform itself into a more public friendly destination that adheres
to the needs of the community in terms of generating more resultant activities around
the area.

21
References
Gehl, Jan, and Jo Koch. Life Between Buildings. Washington, D.C., Island Press, 2011,.
Aiman Sarah Noorizan. Historical Development of Old Market Square.
Bishop, Ryan et al. Postcolonial Urbanism. Hoboken, Taylor And Francis, 2013,.
Hamnett, Stephen, and Dean Forbes. Planning Asian Cities. Oxon, Routledge, 2013,.
"From Life Between Buildings: Using Public Space (1987)." Prezi.Com, 2017,
https://prezi.com/lfirls8ziggz/from-life-between-buildings-using-public-space-1987/.
"Urban Design (1971) Jan Gehl - Three Types Of O...- Mind Map." Mindomo.Com, 2017,
https://www.mindomo.com/mindmap/urban-design-1971-jan-gehl-three-types-of-outdoor-activities-
77c506dbfad646e49c9ee6523ffb866d.
"Raohe Night Market 饒河夜市." Englishintaiwan.Com, 2017,
https://www.englishintaiwan.com/shopping-in-taiwan/taipei-night-markets/rao-he-night-market.

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