This document provides a comparative analysis of Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Newbury Street in Boston, USA based on Jan Gehl's theories of public space from his book "Life Between Buildings". Both streets are shopping destinations but offer different social experiences. Petaling Street features food stalls and merchandise displays that encourage interaction, while Newbury Street has indoor stores and sidewalk cafes that enable chance encounters. Though similar in diversity of users, the streets differ in occurrence and intensity of contact points like visual connections, conversations, and planned versus spontaneous gatherings.

1. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN (SABD)
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONS) IN ARCHITECTURE
THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE & URBANISM
(ARC61303/ARC2224)
“Life Between Buildings Using Public Space”
PROJECT PART 2:
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ESSAY
NAME: EUNICE CHAN YU MING
STUDENT ID: 0315729
TUTOR: MR NAZMI

2. Assignment Introduction
In this project, students are required to conduct and present an in depth and
analytical research study on designated topic. The main task is to explore the
“Life Between Buildings Using Public Space” by Jan Gehl. This project consisted
of 2 parts; first was to produce A2 boards with the analysis that have produced
by examine the relationship between patterns of space use, especially outdoors
activities.
Part two is to produce comparative analysis essay, examine similarities and
dissimilarities based on findings from case study of part 1 and the local site
research of studio that consisting the spatial properties of the physical world in a
city that have provided by instructor to identify ‘contact points’ as well as
classify the varying degrees of contact intensity.

3. Site Introduction
Petaling Street, often to be call as the Chinatown of Kuala Lumpur and cite it by
the locals and tourists as a shopping heaven. This famous street lies through
Jalan Sultan and Jalan Pudu. It was originally centered on Market Square and it
has gone through several historical events such as civil wars that were erupted
by the Chinese community as well as changes mainly due to the floods in the past.
The famous Chinese Kapitan was Yap Ah Loy, he is the one that brings in the
culture of shophouses from China. Until today, Petaling Street still remains as
one of the vibrant and rich cultural city of the capital.
Figure1: Map of thePetaling Street
With the slight similarities of having linearity in map planning, Newbury Street is
a mile long stretch that was once a part of Boston Harbour. After filling of the
ground due to floods, it became a residential neighborhood with a prestigious
and exclusive background. The structures from that time onward lasted till this
day. The origins of the street as a retail and tourist destination are unknown
although it has been a hotspot for many decades. It is also known as the “Rodeo
Drive of the East’ and is Boston’s representative of fashion and style. Most users
that visit this street have specific destination rather than aimless shopping.
Figure2: Stretch Map of Newbury Street

4. Comparative Analysis Essay
Necessary Activities
Jan Gehl’s research and theories on public spaces can be applied in many other
cities, starting with public life and the areas in which it takes place, building
design becomes a means to an end, rather than an end in itself. Gehl emphasizes
that life between buildings is a dimension of architecture that deserves more
careful treatment. It is where social interaction and perception, urban recreation,
and the sensory experience of city life take place. Life between buildings
comprises the entire spectrum of human activities in public space; the necessary,
the optional and the social types of behaviors which Gehl has studied
meticulously. Gehl also draws attention to the need for contact, and places
importance on low intensity contacts, for example, seeing and hearing people
and other mild interactions, as the driving force of Life Between Buildings. He
identifies this form of contact as an essential prerequisite for other more
complex interactions; a tool for maintaining already established contacts,
sources of information and a stimulant of urban life. It is shown how its presence
adds to more lively cities, and makes it more livelier because “people come
where people are” and how its absence degrades urban life and contributes to
lifeless cities and worse conditions of public space and public life.
By applying the studies social patterns of three types outdoor activities, both
Petaling Street and Newbury are given the name of shopping heaven and yet
they offer vastly different social experiences to their residents and visitors. First
of all, the necessary activities, the daily commute and errands occur based on the
functionality of district. Human circulation occurs around the well-designated
walkways therefore, landmarks of Newbury Street were mostly created by
exclusive stores along the street; stores are mostly indoor except for a few
restaurants or side walk cafe that have extended their seats towards the outdoor.
They are usually one of a kind and are visited by regular costumers that are
mostly came from the residents nearby. It is apparent that shopping is dominant
in Newbury Street; the narrow sidewalk is by mean one of the strategies that
force pedestrian to pay attention towards the stores and eventually generates
traffic to the stores. Furthermore, the narrow sidewalk gives a perception of
having more people as compared to the broader sidewalk that are having the
same amount of people and thus visual contact is developed in a low scale of
intensity, because people are attracted to people. They gather with and move
about with others and seek to place themselves near others.
Figure3: Walkway of Newbury Street

5. Figure4: Narrow walkway enhancingvisual contact
Next are the crossing junctions, often to be seen as a transportation and
pedestrian node which giving a passive contact ranging from low to high
intensity, junction is where people from all other places intertwine in a very fast
pace. It could also be a tool to attract people or residents from the other streets,
as it is more prominent to be seen and found. Junctions at Newbury Street are
spacious and suitable for establishing conversations. The straightforward nature
of the stretch allow frequent bump at the junctions. The frequent meeting in
connection with daily activities increases chances of developing and maintaining
contact. Nevertheless in the event of zebra crossing, visual contact might be
developed, however contact intensity is lower as compared with the junction.
Merely because this event occurs only for a fleeting moment and usually will not
lead to other forms of contact. The zebra crossings are not safe to initiate any
conversations. However if the duration of crossing or waiting is longer, in to see
and hear each other, to meet, is in itself a form of contact, a social activity.
Figure5: Diagram of crossingjunction and zebracrossing
Besides, the necessary activities of Newbury Street also include the weekly
worship often in a high intensity with friends, acquaintances or close friends.
The conversations tend to take place at the foot of the stairs outside the church.
This is due to the lack of space at the upper landing of the stairs. From here,
social events evolve spontaneously and it can maintain already established
contacts in a relaxed manner mostly after the Sunday prayer. This high contact
intensity encourages sociability among people because people tend to stay in
places that have most activities happening around them or where there is a high
chance of something happening.

6. Figure6: High intensity of contact forms in front of church
Figure7: Sidewalk full of vehicles duringSunday
Conversely, Petaling Street has a huge contrast of vibrancy between the front
shoplots and the street of Chinatown itself, as if there is an invisible edge lying
between the two. Mainly due to the diversity of activities, as more necessary
activities and temporal activities such as food stalls are involved in it. Whereas
the shoplots are mainly for trading and wholesale which only few certain people
need it, some are even abandoned, leaving the shell without meat hence the
intensity of contact is eventually lower. The entrance of the Chinatown with the
visual and cultural richness decoration façade capture the attention of the
pedestrian, slowing down the walking speed and giving an optimal visual
permeability and audio permeability thus passive and chance contact can be
identified in this area. On the contrary, it is irony that the design and façade of
the shoplots that full of the culture richness should also be a node to the
pedestrian, it could have been a place with high intensity instead of being
abandoned and to go through the process of gentrification.

7. Figure8 and 9: Showingthecontrast of crowds, evidenceof Chinatown beingafocal point
Nonetheless, the shophouses have a broader sidewalk as their five-foot walkway
has been conserved ever since the eightieth century. The walkway that is meant
to provide a shield for the pedestrian has created a bigger space for human
interaction. The broader walkway also provides an opportunity for
acquaintances network while meeting with neighbor or co-workers. Living cities
are ones on which people can interact with one another, and is always
stimulating as that are rich in experiences. It is a strategy to increase contact
points by providing the space suitable for a passive contact or a chance contact
to occur.
Figure10: Five-foot Walkway of PetalingStreet

8. Optional Activities and Social Activities
According to “Life between Building” by Gehl, it has stated that the relationship
of optional activities is notably important in connection with physical planning.
Particulary, these activities are especially dependent on exterior physical
conditions. An optimal weather conditions of both Newbury Street and Petaling
Street have motivate the optional activities in the street, and the reason of why
people spilling out into spaces between blocks. Besides, Gehl also stated that
social activities are activities that vary on the presence of others in pubic spaces.
In other word, social activities can only take place with the association of
optional activities or necessary activity. People attract people, For instance,
Chinatown acts as a focal point, drawing people from various directions forming
a radial movement pattern and fastering a spontaneous social activities.
The stores in Newbury are indoors and enclose however there are restaurants
that provides seats outdoor, causes pedestrians to linger and forming a vibrant
contact point therefore relationship ranging levels are high in this point. The
seats in the restaurants are mostly orientated to face the street creating a visual
permeability for the users thus offers one a chance to observe and being
emotionally or mentally participates the human activities outside of the
restaurant boundary. At sidewalk cafes, the life on the sidewalk in the front of
the café is the prime attraction, as being able to see other people in action
constitutes to the area’s main attraction. With this social pattern and situation,
relationships can be easily established; from an optional activity that only to be
participated in if there is a wish to do so, in this case, coming to the restaurant,
and developed into social activity where conversation started.
Figure11: Sidewalk café of Newbury Street
Figure12: High chanceof havingsocial contacts in theform of havingsidewalk cafe

9. In contrast with the Newbury Street, Petaling Street has adopted an open plan
with temporal activities like food stalls or merchandise stalls displaying along
the street, the visual change in the transition of spaces slows down the
pedestrian’s walking speed to look into details. Therefore, the passive contact is
quite high since most of the view is focused on people circulating through the
street. People tend to stop and look at the merchandize that displayed from stalls
of Petaling Street and this may lead from passive contact to chance contact. The
optional and social activity in the area enhances contact intensity. It creates a
situation that results in a direct relationship to other people and to the
surrounding social environment. Spontaneous contact is incited when forms of
human activity appear, as it is a contributing factor that leads to contact. For
instance, the scene of buyer asking price from the seller has creates the
possibility of the continuation of topic, therefore indirectly causing the chance
contact to increase.
Figure13: Temporal activities, stalls of PetalingStreet
Figure14: Open air food stalls in Chinatown
Social contact is at the modest level such as visual contact point and chance
contact. The advertising boards along Petaling Street, which fitted with shading
devices, trees that serves as a privacy tool of some stores in Newbury Street
allowing the private conversations of acquaintances or friends to occur beneath
it. In addition to imparting information about the social world outside, the
opportunity to see and hear other people can provide ideas and inspiration for
action. Furthermore, the spontaneous of informal sitting of both streets have also
created the chance contact with scale of low intensity. Planter boxes, staircases
and shop front grills are informally used as seating areas. For example, men that
are waiting for their girlfriends in front of the shop might initiate a topic while
waiting. This can be concluded by the lack of proper seating areas along the
street. Simultaneously, observation of the surrounding occurs. Jan Gehl’s theory
is that, low intensity contact is a situation from which other form of contact can
grow. It is a medium for the unpredictable, the spontaneous, and the unplanned.

10. Conclusion
In a nutshell, the theoretical framework formed in Life Between Buildings is well
analyzed, well presented and given great solidarity through references to actual
projects and situations. This principles are widely accepted in the world of urban
design, planning and architecture. However, both Newbury Street and Petaling
Street are retail and tourist destination. Both of the streets are lacking of seating
area and also buffering tools such as trees and stopping tools due to the fact that
they wanted to keep the pedestrian from seating and indirectly forces people to
walk and having the visual permeability towards the merchandize that they are
selling. Nevertheless, both streets may be similar in terms of diversity of users,
but differ in terms of the occurrence and intensity of contact points. It is essential
to understand the theories are not hermetically designed into precise and final
detail but perform an open-ended order. We as a designer should be able to
actively identify the elements stated in “Life Between Building” and thus
engaging the elements into the design with the most suitable and appropriate
way.

11. References:
1. "Boston Discovery Guide: Plan Your Boston Vacation". Boston-
discovery-guide.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 26 Nov. 2016.
2. Bramley, Ellie. "Is Jan Gehl Winning His Battle To Make Our Cities
Liveable?". the Guardian. N.p., 2016. Web. 26 Nov. 2016.
3. "Chinatown | Petaling Street In Kuala Lumpur - Location Maps".
Kuala-lumpur.attractionsinmalaysia.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 26 Nov.
2016.
4. Gehl, Jan. Life Between Buildings. 1st ed. Washington, DC: Island
Press, 2011. Print.
5. Jayatilake, Kalpanee. Chapter Review Of Life Between Building. 1st
ed. Web. 26 Nov. 2016.
6. Lynch, Kevin. The Image Of The City. 1st ed. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT
Press, 1960. Print.
7. Spaces, Project. "Jan Gehl - Project For Public Spaces". Project for
Public Spaces. N.p., 2016. Web. 24 Nov. 2016.