This document compares Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Kuala Lumpur and Ying Tao District in Beijing in terms of climate and its impact on human behavior and activities. Both areas have a mix of residential and commercial spaces due to their climates, but differ in contact points and activities. In Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, contact points are limited and dense as they occur in shaded areas. Optional activities also follow shade patterns. Meanwhile, in Ying Tao District, contact points are more numerous but less dense as shade is not as important, and optional activities like walking occur in sunlit areas due to the temperate climate.

1. SILK AND TEXTILE:
A COMPARISON OF JALAN TUANKU ABDUL RAHMAN AND YING TAO DISTRICT IN THE
CONTEXT OF CLIMATE
By AMOS TAN CHI YI 0318330 // Tutor MR NICHOLAS
1. Introduction to Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Ying Tao District in
Darshilanr
Typical streetscapein Jalan Tuanku AbdulRahman during theday.Notepointsof contactarealmost
exclusively in the shaded areas.
In the daysbefore the adventof shoppingcentresinKualaLumpur,JalanTuankuAbdul Rahmanwas
the premiershoppingdestinationinthe city.Sportingbothpre-warandmodernbuildings,Jalan
TuankuAbdul Rahmanwas andstill isprimarilyatextile shoppingarea,withnearlyahundredtextile
shopsthat offerextremelycompetitive pricestobothforeignandlocal customers. Despite this
businessfocus,JalanTuankuAbdul Rahmanisstill home toasizeable populationof Malaysiansand
foreigners,wholive inthe shophousesormasspublichousinginthe verynearvicinity.

2. Typical hutong found throughoutYing Tao district.Notetight narrow roadscoupled with business
frontagesthatarenearly indecipherablefromresidential frontages.
Meanwhile 4000 kilometresaway liesthe quaintresidential districtof YingTao.The quintessential
Hutong,Ying Tao districtfeaturesverynarrow roads,courtyardhouses,andwindingcirculation.
SimilartoJalanTuankuAbdul Rahman,businessesare conductedinveryclose proximityto
residentialunits.The compactnessandproximityof theseactivitiestoeachotheralsoraise parallels
to the similarsituationinJalanTuankuAbdul Rahman.
As such,even though bothJalan Tuanku AbdulRahman and Ying Tao district aretopologically and
programmatically similar,thereare large differencesin the contactpointsaswell as the formsof
activities thatoccur therein.
By examining theclimates of these two places,we can demonstratethesesuch vastdifferences.
1.1 Climatic differences and its effect on human behaviour
The most importantandlargestdifference betweenJalanTuankuAbdul RahmanandYingTao
Districtisthe climate.Withone locatednearthe equatorandthe otherin a temperate latitudeand
thusenjoyingall the benefitsandsufferingassociatedwithit,itcannotbe understatedthatpeople
will reactcompletely differently.
Climatic dataforKuala Lumpur.Notehigh humidity coupled with high averagetemperaturesmake
optionaland social activities less conducive.Source:Wikipedia.org

3. Thisbeginsfirstasat an individual scale.The individuallivinginJalan TuankuAbdul Rahmanwill
detestthe outdoors,andthushe is mobile onlyif there isaneedto. These individualsthenband
togetherandbuildbuildingsandreflectthisattitude,andwithinthiscollectionof buildingsrise
whole cities,all bearingsimilarclimaticattitudes.
Climatic dataforBeijing. Notelower averagehigh temperaturescoupled with significantly lower
humiditywhich contributeto morecomfortableenvironment,and thusencouragingmoreoptional
and social activities. Source:Wikipedia.org
The individual livinginYingTao districtmeanwhile,if conditionsare met,embracesthe sun,andis
more likelytomove about while still needingwarmthandperhaps,emphasizingonproximityand
intimacy.Likewise,these individualsbuildneighbourhoodsof narrow streetsfromwhichsocieties
are created,once again,all bearingthe same climaticattitude.
Andwithinthisframeworkwill arise the vastlydifferentformsof contactpoints,fromwhich
differentactivitiesof varyingintensitieswill occur.
1.2 Typology of buildingsand streets
Perhapsthe mainstayof JalanTuankuAbdul Rahmanisthe StraitsEclecticstyle shophouse.Mostof
these were builtinthe veryearlydaysof JalanTuankuAbdul Rahman(thencalledBatu Road),while
other,more modernvariantsof the shophouse were erectedinthe manyyearsthatfollowed.
Climate wasa massive influence inthe designof suchbuildings,andthe buildingprogramme was
not spared.The 5-footwayrequiredalarge overhangoverthe publicrealmtoprovide shade.As
such,the shophouseshadaresidence space inthe floorabove the businessspace.

4. Jalan Tuanku AbdulRahman building typology (diagrammaticsection):Theintimaterelationship
between a shopowner’s life,businessand thepublic is caused in partby climatic needs and resultsin
the creation of contactpoints.
Homogenousmassesof shophousesto maximisesunshading capability of the5-ft way in the public
realm.
Furthermore,the shophousesare builtadjacenttoeachothertomaximise the use of this5-footway
to forma large homogenousmass.Thisadda new dimensiontothe alreadyintimate relationship
betweenthe owner’slifeandhisbusiness,andnow he alsohasto contendwitha fairlyintimate
relationshipwithhisneighbours.

5. Ying Tao district’s typical Hutong (programmaticsection):Randomdistribution of residencesand
businessonceagain createsan intimaterelationship between businessowners,theresidentsand the
public.This greatly intensifiesthe contactpointpresent.
Typical streetscapeof Ying Tao district’smany hutongs.
In the YingTao district,we still see the relationshipbetween programmesandclimate.Withthe
temperate Beijingclimate,itbecame advantageoustobuild compactlyalongspecificaxes.Itis
withinthese specificaxesthatthenmake YingTao District a Hutong, andthe narrow roads and close
proximityof courtyardhousestoeachothermeans,justlike JalanTuankuAbdul Raman,that the
businessandprivate sidesof aperson’slifeintersectingwiththose of hisneighboursdue to (atleast
inpart) the climate.While there are large avenueswithplazaswheremostshopscanbe found,
there still existscornershopswithinresidential neighbourhoods,oftencateringtothe needsof its
immediate residents.
In bothplaces,thisveryclose proximityof businessandresidence will greatlyinfluence the activities
that happenwithin.

6. 1.3 Streetscapeand contact points
People gotowhere people are.Within JalanTuankuAbdul Rahman,we seethatsuchcontact points
are heavilyinfluencedbyclimate,andthus are almostexclusivelyinthe shade.These contactpoints
vary inscale,fromthe small individual toindividualpointsfoundinthe 5-footwaysof shophousesto
the large collectivisticinteractionsinshadedmarkets.
Intrusion of businessesinto thealready intimate and personalpublicrealm of the 5-footway.With
shopownersregularly standing rightoutside,itis nearly impossibleto notinitiate at least a passive
contactand interact withthem.
In JalanTuankuAbdul Rahman,itis notuncommonto see shopsintrudingintothe publicrealmby
pushingtheirwaresintothe 5-footwayswhere the publictraverses,shadedfromthe heat.As5-foot
waysare inherentlyintimate andsometimesalreadyrathernarrow,thisencouragesthe formation
of verypersonal contactpoints,oftenwithpeoplemeetingdeliberatelyface toface withthe
businessowner.
A contact pointof a slightlylargerscale isfoundwithinthe shophouse itself.Itisacommon practice
withinJalanTuankuAbdul Rahmantoopenbothendsof a shophouse inordertomaximise potential
customers,andthisbehaviourleadstothe creationof a well shaded,comfortable andair
conditionedcirculatoryspace betweentwostreets.Here, people take advantageof sucha service,
and withtwo-waytrafficwithinthe space acontact pointemerges,althoughone of averylow
intensity.

7. Jalan Masjid India Market,withits high human density dueto it being 1. Shaded 2. High levels of
businessactivitycreating visual magnets3. Intrusivebusinesspracticeslend to it becoming a low-
intensitycontactpointof passivecontactswith low potentialforintensity growth.
Larger still are contact pointsfoundinlarge coveredmarkets,principallyinthe MasjidIndiaMarket.
It ishere that we can findlarge amountsof stalls,andtheircollective colourcreatesavisual magnet
whichthendrawspeople in.Thisisfurtherenhancedbythe provisionof shade,anditisvery
commonto see people justvisitingthismarketforthe sake of protectionfromthe sun.
Thus,we see inJalan TuankuAbdul Rahmanthat the needforshade hasthus created veryfew but
extremelydensecontactpoints.
Back in YingTao district,we see a uniquelydifferentfromof contactpointformation.People still go
to where people are,butthistime,theydonotneedtooccur where there isshade.Furthermore,
contact pointsare restrictedtothose small inscale,andthere ispronouncedabsence of large scaled
contact pointslike those inJalanTuankuAbdul Rahman.
Once again,climate isthe principle decidingfactor.Withoutthe needforshade,the contactpoints
are more likelytobe farlessdense,butmore numerousasthe climate allowsforanywhere to
potentiallybecome acontactpoint.

8. Cornershopsfound throughoutintersectionsin Ying Tao district’s hutongs.Thereis very little shade,
butbusinessesareconduct outside which allowsforthe creation of contactpointsof high intensity.
An example of thisisthe humble cornershopfoundatthe intersectionsof hutongs.These shopsare
greatlyvaried,andcan range from restaurantstogrocerystoresto bicycle repair.Regardless,itis
verycommonto see businessesbeingconducted outsideof the shopandnotwithinit.Coupledwith
the verytightand narrow roads,it makesitnearlyimpossible forpedestrianstoignore,slowing
themdownand eventuallycreatingaveryintimate contactpoint.
Typical plaza in Ying Tao district. Found atlarge intersectionsbetween hutongs,the largevariety of
visualmagnetsfrombusinessand even thetrafficmake thisan intensecontactpointwith high
potentialforthe growthof contactintensity.Noteplaza is in the open,withoutshade,necessitating
good climatic and meteorologicalconditionsforthis optionalactivity to occur.
Furthermore,presentinYingTao Districtare large streetsthat have plazas.While JalanTuanku
Abdul Rahmanalsofeaturesitsownfairshare of plaza-ladenlarge streets,itisoftentimesnotused
at all,simplydue tothe uncomfortable climate.WhereasinYingTaoDistrict,itiswithinthese very

9. plazasthat see the mostlife,andthusare the strongestcontactpointsthat are very suitable for
potential activitieswhichleadtohigherintensitiesof contact.Thisisbecause these plazasare
surroundedbybusinessesthatperformtheirworkoutsideasaforementioned.Italsohelpsthatthe
plazasare well equippedwithseatingthatface these verybusinesses,andare locatedat
intersectionsof hutongs.People gotowhere peopleare,andcoupledwithconducivepropertiesand
suitable climate,amostintense contactpointiscreated.
2. Activities
2.1 Activitiesasput forth by Jan Gehl
Jan Gehl definesthreedistinctformsof outdooractivities:
1. Necessaryactivities- conductedaspartof a person’sobligations,occupation,etc.
2. Optional activities –conductedwhenappropriate conditionsare metoftenatthe
participant’sleisure
3. Social activities –conductedwheneverhumaninteractionsoccur,regardlessof conditions
and time.
These formsare activitiesare expressedall throughoutJalanTuankuAbdul Rahman.The cultural
and communitycompositionof JalanTuankuAbdul Rahmanisextremelydiverse,withmany
religious,income andoccupational groupsexistingwithinthe same area.Assuch,this“hotspots”
where all activitiesoccurreflect thisdiversity.
2.2 Necessary activities
The LRT Stationsat MasjidJamekand Bandarayaare bestexamplesof thisphenomenon.Necessary
activitiesoccurtypicallynearpointsof masstransit – busstops,LRT stations,sidewalks,butat
MasjidJamek,we see a typicallymore religiousformof activities,whereasatBandaraya,corporate
and business-themedactivitiesare more prevalent.
LRT Station Bandaraya –very lowintensity encounters,with peoplebarely acknowledging each
other.With climate, peopletend to “hop”fromoneshaded area to another,and thusdramatically
minimizing their interactions.In Jalan Tuanku AbdulRahman,circulation ispurposefuland necessary.

10. As such,these activitiesare typicallyof alow intensity,atmostacquaintance levelencounters,and
have verylittle potential togrowintoa more intense level.
Otherformsof necessaryactivitiespresentatJalan TuankuAbdul Rahman include business
conductedinthe 5-footways,beyondthe approvedbuildingsetbackandwithinthe publicrealm,
oftenat the cost of the qualityof publicrealm.However,asJanGehl hastheorized,thiswilloften
give rise tothe occurrence of social activities,aswell asthe creationof contactpoints. Here,the
intensityof activitieshereare somewhatmore intense andintimate,aspeoplewoulddeliberately
stopand interact,and,if theyare local,have a potential togrow intohigherintensitiesof contact.
Pedestrianswalking to and fromworkenjoy a certain air of freedomassuitableclimatic conditions
allow forbusinessand leisure to frontinto the streets,elevating the intensities of contact.
At Yingtaodistrict,necessaryactivitiestypicallytake the formof pedestrianswalkingtoandfrom
work.Giventhe sporadicdistributionsof commercial andindustrial areas(where residentswork)
coupledwiththe extremelytightstreets withinthe district,pedestrianswouldoftenwalklong
distancestoreach nodeswhere publictransportexists.
Like JalanTuankuAbdul Rahman,the privatizationof publicrealmalsooccurs,withbusinesses
peddlingtheirwaresbeyondtheirshopsandintrudingintothe publicspace.However,itisnotas
prevalentoras intrusive asin JalanTuankuAbdul Rahman,andlikewise,doesnotnecessarilyalways
give rise tothe creationof contact pointsnorincrease the occurrencesof social activities.
2.2 Optional activities
JalanTuankuAbdul Rahman is touristhotspot,andas suchheavilyreliesonthe frequencyof
optional activitiesconductedherebythe tourist,bothforeignandlocal.AsJanGehl has prescribed,
thisishighlydependentonthe conditionsof the site,bothmeteorological andphysical.Thiseffect
manifestsitself withhowthesetouriststraversethe site,andalsothe placementof necessary
activities(inthe formof businesses) andwhentheyappear.

11. Locationsof optionalactivityhotspotsat 9AM plotted againstshade.In the morning,activitiesare
morelikely to occur on the Western side of Jalan Tuanku AbdulRahman.Thereis a strong correlation
between the presenceof shadeand the formationsof contactpointswheretheseoptionalactivities
can occur.
For example,inthe firsthalf of the day,touristsare lesslikelytomove throughthe Easternside of
JalanTuankuAbdul Rahman due to the hot sun.In response,businessesare setuponthe Western
side of JalanTuankuAbdul Rahman,where touristsare more likelytoappear.Thus,itisof no
surprise thatthe most packedplaceswhere optionalactivities occur,(andlikewise,necessary
activities) are perpetuallyshadedareas.
Locationsof optionalactivityhotspotsat 3PM plotted againstshade.Likewise,in the evenings
activities are more likely to occur on the Eastern side of Jalan Tuanku AbdulRahman.Thereis a
strong correlation between thepresence of shadeand the formationsof contactpointswherethese
optionalactivities can occur.
Due to the limitationsof the researchmethodology,itisdifficulttoascertainpreciselyhow optional
activitiesare conductedinYingtaodistrict.BasedonJanGehl’stheories,andpresumingthatthese
activitiesare highlydependentonexistingconditions,we cansee thatthe mostprevalentof such
optional activitiesare of people takingscenicwalks.WithBeijing’stemperate climate,itisof no
surprise thatsunlitareasare more preferabletotake walksinthancoldershadedzones.
9AM
3PM

12. 2.3 Social activities
Social activitiesoccurathotspotsthroughout JalanTuankuAbdul Rahman,andare the consequence
of necessary andoptional activities.Asaforementioned,these activitiesmostoftentake place in
areas of shade.People canbe seenmakingsmall talkwhile purchasingitems,ingroupsorinpairs.
Thisform of social activities isinformalinnature.
While social activitiesare mostoftendone inspecificshadedareas,itcanoccur anywhere.People
are willingtostop,sometimesinahot,sunlitarea,totalk,chat or discuss,ingroupsorin pairs.
Social activitiesinYingtaodistrictalsooccurincertainhotspots.These areasare alsotypicallywhere
necessaryandoptional activitiesappear,butmostinterestinglythese areasappeartobe mostly
composedof intersections. Coupledwiththe axesalongwithfrequentlycommondestinations,it
allowsforthe creationandsustenance of interactions.
Diagramshowing thelong axespresentin Ying Tao district. Many intersectionscreatecontacts,and
this contactis sustained through thelong journeys,giving hugepotentialforthegrowth and very
high contactintensities.
In the verydense areasof a hutong,the intersectionservesasthe catalystof social interactions.
People canbe seentalkingatinteractions,presumablyfriendsfromdifferentareasof the district.
3. Conclusion
Climate isthe single biggestfactorinthe creationof contact pointsandtheiractivitiestherein.Its
effectsare seenthroughoutall aspectsof bothJalanTuankuAbdul RahmanandYing Tao District;
fromthe individual tothe architecture toitsurbandesign.
People respondtodifferentclimatesdifferently,andfromthese verysimple fundamental
parameterscome emergentbehavioursthatpaintcompletelydifferentworlds.

13. References
- Gehl, J. (2011). Life between buildings: using public space. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.
- Jauregui, E. (1991). The human climate of tropical cities: an overview. International Journal of
Biometeorology,35(3), 151-160. doi:10.1007/bf01049061
- Obradovich, N., & Fowler, J. H. (2017). Climate change may alter human physical activity
patterns. Nature Human Behaviour,1(5), 0097. doi:10.1038/s41562-017-0097
- Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman & Masjid India. (n.d.). Retrieved July 1, 2017, from
http://www.visitkl.gov.my/visitklv2/index.php?r=column%2Fcthree&id=112&place_id=971
- Cohen, A. H. (n.d.). Climate, weather, and political behavior.
- Pettis, M., & Feola, J. (2016, June 22). Hutong History and the Brooklynization of Beijing.
Retrieved July 04, 2017, from http://observer.com/2016/06/hutong-history-and-the-
brooklynization-of-beijing/
- 岁月流金大栅栏. (05, July 23). Retrieved July 1, 2017, from
http://finance.sina.com.cn/roll/20050723/16491828403.shtml