The document summarizes a study about how local markets in the SS2 neighborhood of Kuala Lumpur contribute to community and sense of place. It describes the vibrant morning wet market and evening Monday night market in SS2. The markets source a variety of fresh food ingredients and create a clustering of stalls and activities that stimulate the senses and bring people together. Both markets foster interactive engagement between local vendors and community members and act as hubs for the neighborhood.

1. SS2
Ho Yen Liang // 0326660 // Mr. Nicholas Ng
Local Markets & Community

3. Preface
In the study of the relationship between the local
markets and the sense of community of SS2, the
observation explores the intimate engagement
between the local vendors of the morning wet
market and the Monday night market with the
people through food gathering. These engaging
experiences are the collective memories of the
community and the markets act as a placemaking
element on site, giving life to SS2 through the means
of food ingredients.
The content elaborates on the attributes of the
morning and night markets and how these attributes
reflect the local identities of SS2 community. The
three main attributes are the vibrance of food
ingredients sourced; the clustering layout and
activities; and the interactive participation of the
locals and the food vendors in the local markets.
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5. A COMMUNITY MAGNET
Vibrance Clustering of Activities Interactive
About the Study
The study will compare the intangible aspects of both
markets in SS2. Through the understandings of the three
main attributes, the sight, smell, touch and taste senses
are useful tool to find out about the sense of place in SS2
through personal experiences and visit to the local
markets. The study intends to look into how the markets
could create a community hub and interactive
atmosphere to connect people together in the local
community.
Community Hub
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7. THE FOOD INGREDIENTS
VIBRANT SOURCE OF FOOD GATHERING
Identifying the type of food ingredients sold from local vendors and their
daily routines of how the morning and night market operates.
THE MARKET
THE ROUTINE
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8. Morning Wet Market
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9. Morning Wet Market
THE MARKETS
The morning market, also known as the “SS2 Pasar Pagi” is set
up as early as 3am in the morning by local vendors. Vans,
lorries and any huge vehicles will be seen lining up on the
open space, stall owners loading fresh food ingredients from
their vehicles and set up on their own positions. The morning
market is set up in front of the restaurant Wai Sek Kai and on
the side of the commercial shoplots.
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10. Monday Night Market
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11. Monday Night Market
The night market, also known as the “Pasar Malam SS2” is set
up at 5pm in the evening after working hours, on every
Monday. Swarm of vehicles and pedestrians from around SS2
and will visit the night market for its delicious local street
food. On Monday night, SS2 became a busy town due to the
similar interest of taste in food. From 4pm onwards, the roads
surrounding a massive food court of the same names are lined
with colourful stalls.
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12. Fish
Fish
THE FOOD INGREDIENTS
The morning market
consists of various food
ingredients sourced from
the local suppliers. Local
community visits the
market to purchase
ingredients for their daily
meals preparation and
enjoy a nice and cozy
local breakfast in the early
morning.
Vegetable
MORNING WET MARKET
Poultry
Fruits Daily Necessities Morning Breakfast
W
aiSekKai
K.T.ZDessert
Vegetable
Poultry
Fruits
Daily Necessities
Morning Breakfast
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Central Park

13. The Monday Night Market is a
famous local street food
attraction for both locals and
tourists. There are less food
ingredients found at night
compared to early in the
morning, as they would not be
as fresh as the morning’s one.
Locals are more familiar with
what to purchase in SS2 markets
as they interact more with the
local street vendors. There are a
few popular authentic local
street food found in the night
market, who are recommended
by the local community.
MONDAY NIGHT MARKET
Vegetable
Daily Necessities
Morning Breakfast
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Central Park
W
aiSekKai
Famous Local Food Node
Pan Mee Noodle Fried Carrot Cake

14. THE ROUTINE
Local vendors began
setting up their tables
and stalls early in the
morning at 3AM.
MORNING WET MARKET
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Food ingredient suppliers
arrived to deliver the
goods to the local vendors
at 4AM.
Local community visits
the morning market as
early as 6AM, and the
market began to be crowd
at 8AM.
After grocery shopping, the
old people and adults were
seen to spend their quality
time at the local breakfast
stalls at the five-foot
walkways of the shoplots.
Local vendors prepared to
pack and keep their stalls
at 11AM and the crowd
became lesser.

15. Local community & tourists
visit the night market after
working hours.
MONDAY NIGHT MARKET
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Local vendors began
setting up their tables
and stalls at 5PM.
People who consist of
different age-groups
came to enjoy local street
cuisines for dinner.
People began to go home
and street vendors will
clean up their stations.

17. 2. FOOD AS NODE
Study about the spatial arrangement, layout and design of market stalls in
SS2, to find out how the arrangement of spaces in Wet & Night Markets of
SS2 affect the people’s intriguing senses towards food?
1. PATH IN MARKET
3. STIMULATING SENSES
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Clustering Context and Activities

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1. Visitors are permeable to the
clustering arrangement of the stalls,
the sequence of the stalls are arranged
could initiate the users’ five senses as
they circulate along the market.
2. The same category of food
ingredients’ stalls are positioned
adjacent to each other, therefore
visitors could focus on one type of food
ingredient at a time, for example, the
fish section, to vegetable, to poultry
and to fruits, etc. It has initiated a
sequence where the sense of sight and
hearing becomes more significant as
people walk along the market.
3. Morning breakfast stalls which sell local
breakfast like Hainan Toast, eggs and Kopi,
act as a daily gathering and meeting points
for the elderlies and middle-aged adults.
These eatery places could instigate the
sense of smell and taste for the people who
are purchasing food ingredients nearby.
MORNING WET MARKET

19. 19
MONDAY NIGHT MARKET
1. The night market took up more
space on the road compared to the
morning market, where users
circulates the market in a U-shaped
path, surrounding the central park
of SS2 neighborhood.
2. Local street food is the main attraction
for people by sense of visual, smell and
taste, therefore the street food vendors
normally set up their stalls on the front
street of Wai Sek Kai Restaurant, while
the other side of the street is set up with
clothings and necessity stalls which
attracts people by sense of touch, on the
texture of the fabric.
3. Comparing with the morning
market, the night market lacks the
sense of wayfinding as the central
park’s greeneries have blocked the
views of the market from the
opposite road, thus creating a
segregation of activities.

20. AN Interactive Community
Interaction Between
Local Community & Local Vendors
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MORNING WET MARKET
Choosing the perfect
quality of food ingredients
to be purchased
Engaging in conversation
while queuing up to
purchase poultry
Negotiating with the local
vendors for cheaper prices
of purchase
Promoting their food
ingredients and
capturing attention of
the visitors by sound.
Exchanging of food
ingredients between locals
for a better quality product

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Interaction Between
Local Community & Close Friends
Purchasing the usual
breakfast from the local
breakfast stalls whom the
owner of the stall is
familiarise with the
purchase order.
Meeting up with friends
from the neighbourhood
and spend the quality
morning, chit-chatting
and enjoying a cup of
coffee at the local
breakfast stalls
Meeting up with friends
from the neighbourhood
and spend the quality
morning, chit-chatting
and enjoying a cup of
coffee at the local
breakfast stalls

22. 22
Interaction Between
Local Community & Local Vendors
Interaction Between
Local Community & Close Friends

23. MONDAY NIGHT MARKET
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Interaction Between
Local Community, Tourists
& Local Vendors
Family and close friends
gathered at the eatery places
to have dinner.
Street vendors are friendly
and interactive towards the
customers.
Various age-groups enjoying
the famous authentic local
street food.

24. CONCLUSION
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MORNING WET MARKET
Local Taste of Authenticity & Togetherness
I’ve come to realize the morning markets has pondered my
attention and the first sight of the environment rebuilt my
memories towards how the current existing local community
remains the dynamism in communication and engagement in
conversations through food ingredients shopping early in the
morning.
I have identified local vendors neighbourly greeting customers once
they stepped foot into the market, as if they have known each other
since the early days. Most of the locals who visit early in the
morning, are elderlies or middle-aged adults, who refer the morning
market as their meeting place in the SS2 neighbourhood. Stall
hawkers will begin shouting and promoting their cheap discounted
food ingredients to capture the attention of customers. Some of the
fruit sellers will offer the customers free tasting of their produce,
this interaction normally leads to an interesting negotiation and
bargain of price between the seller and the buyer.
This is the essence of a morning local market which could not be
replaced, these are the cultural senses of community which are lost
in contemporary supermarkets nowadays.

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MONDAY NIGHT MARKET
Inviting Food Realm for Locals & Tourists
The night market is visited by a range of different age-groups users,
including the youngsters who are more active during the night hours.
Night market refocused the community around authentic local street
food culture, promoting a potential tourism attraction. What better
way to blend into the locals’ lifestyle than by sampling the wide array
of street food in the night market, as well as browsing through the
goods that reflect the country’s multi-ethnic population.
The night market act as a learning platform for locals and tourists to
adopt cultural differences from each other through the means of food.
Consequently, the local markets are responsible in weaving the
communities together, food is the central reason for why people
gather, and that gathering creates a hub for community life

26. Food & Culture // Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus