This document provides a comparative analysis of Jalan TAR in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Petchaburi Road in Bangkok, Thailand. It analyzes the history, activities, spatial experiences, and contact points of both roads. For both roads, necessary activities include walking for transportation and shopping. Optional activities include leisure walking and eating. Social activities are focused around public spaces near malls. While both roads provide shaded walking and social gathering, Jalan TAR has more public seating and alleys connecting to it.

1. BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONS) IN ARCHITECTURE
THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM
(ARC 61303)
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ESSAY
TAR ROAD,KL - PETCHABURI ROAD,BANGKOK
NAME : YEOW JINN SHENG
STUDENT ID : 0318797
TUTOR : MR PRINCE

2. CONTENT
1.0 Introduction
1.1 TAR Road, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
1.2 Petchaburi Road, Bangkok, Thailand
1.3 Similarities between 2 roads
2.0 Analytic Comparison
2.1 Types of Outdoor Activities
2.2 Spatial Experience
2.3 Contact Points
2.4 Summary
3.0 Reference

3. 1.0 Introduction
1.1 Jalan TAR, Kuala Lumpur
Figure 1.0 Busy Jalan TAR in 1960s.
Historical background
Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (also known as Jalan TAR) was named after the first Yang
di-Pertuan Agong. Formerly known as Batu Road, because it was being used as the main route
to Kampung Batu for mining activities. Then it drew more population and became “grande
dame” of KL, where people like to shop. It was lively and vibrant back then, with the presence
of cinema like Coliseum theatre and Odeon theatre. Coliseum Grill Room was a high class
restaurant back then, received great response from officers and riches.
Figure 1.10 Mixture of old and new buildings at Jalan Tar nowadays.

4. Today, we can barely observe the remains of pre-war shophouses standing along the road,
due to the urbanization and demands of attraction by the shop owners. Most of the buildings
were torn down and built into modern building with glass curtain wall, and air-conditioned
interior - which we witness the evidence of universalization that addressed in Frampton’s fifth
point in Six Points Toward Critical Regionalism, where owners tend to create cooling
atmosphere to attract customers in relation to Malaysia hot climate - the solution that can be
manipulated over the globe, which leads to placelessness.
Figure 1.11 Development of Jalan TAR. (left to right) 1890s : Batu Road Development ;
1920s : Growth of Masjid India ; 1960s : Urban Renewal Initiative
Figure 1.12 Parallel roads to Jalan TAR (red). Yellow : Jalan Raja Laut ; Green : Jalan Masjid
India.

5. The Neighbours
By observing the morphology and history of Jalan TAR, we can observe that neighbour road on
western side, Jalan Masjid India (named after the local mosque) was created due to arrival of
Punjabi and Indians. Therefore, the products that can be found abundantly in Jalan TAR are
closely related to Indian culture, especially textile, fabric, scents, jewelleries until nowadays. On
eastern side, Jalan Raja Laut is well perceived as institutional (coarse urban grain) because of
its formal or larger scale buildings such as KL City Hall and private bank office towers.
Eventually Jalan TAR became a transitional road between these 2 modern and traditional
districts.
Figure 1.13 1. TAR Park ; 2. Coliseum Theatre & Coliseum Grill Room ; 3. SOGO shopping
complex ; 4. Junction to Lorong TAR ; 5. Junction of Jalan TAR and Jalan Dang Wangi.
Significant path : Jalan TAR avenue (blue line) ; Lorong TAR (green line)

6. 1.2 Petchaburi Road, Bangkok
Figure 1.20 Petchaburi Road (red), with adjacent road, Ratchadamri Road (yellow).
Background
When one thinks of vibrant shopping or night life in Bangkok, it will definitely be Petchaburi
Road in Bangkok. Similar to Jalan TAR, it is a long stretched linear road with some adjacent
lanes, linking Phitsanulok Road to Phatthanakan Road. This makes it one of the longest road in
Bangkok, which became tourists’ favourite to shop along the way. They can find traditional
shopping culture happening here.
Due to its proximity to Pratunam, Chidlom - Ploenchit and Siam areas of downtowns, and busy
atmosphere resulted by heavy vehicular and pedestrian usage, it became an active activity
spine where attracts people to walk and stop at different Soi (side street ) to experience various
kind of spatial quality.

7. Figure 1.21 1. Pantip Plaza ; 2. Circular Shopping Mall ; 3. Platinum Shopping Mall ; 4.
Junction of Petchaburi Road & Ratchadamri Road ; 5. Palladium Shopping Mall ; 6. Talad
Neon.
In the middle region of Petchaburi Road is an active shopping neighbourhood intersecting with
Ratchadamri Road on the South and Ratchaprarop Road on the North. The latter eastern
region of Petchaburi Road is more coarse with larger office buildings along the highways,
separated by Wat Sri Bunruang Water Gate and Thanon Kamphaeng Phet 7 rail line which acts
as prominent edges.

8. 1.3 Similarities between two roads
Figure 1.30 (above) Jalan TAR (red) ; (bottom) Petchaburi Road (red).
From the physical urban context, we can observe that both roads are in linear, resulted its
strong sense of continuity. Jalan TAR has a little turn that located near Coliseum Theatre,
which gives sense of surprise ; whereas Petchaburi Road has two slight turns.
Both roads are well known for its shopping culture so the users can experience more while
walking.. Therefore the negative spaces in both places are receiving well responds. In relation
to it, lack of seatings resulted some people tend to choose informal seating like a platform or
stair. Much of the walkway at both places are being shaded, due to its tropical climate.
Human activities that carried out at both places are different throughout a day. There is a
contrast between daytime and nightime.

9. 2.0 Analytic Comparison
2.1 Types of Outdoor Activities
Jan Gehl categorized three types of outdoor or public activities - necessary, optional and social
activities. In this case, I conduct this comparison in relation with time (daytime and nightime),
because Jalan TAR and Petchaburi have different “behavior” and movement pattern throughout
a day.
Necessary activity
Figure 2.10 Necessary activities in Jalan TAR : (clockwise) Pedestrian who taking Jalan TAR
as bridge to Jalan Raja Laut ; Prayer session at Masjid India ; Alley as connector to Jalan TAR ;
Shoppers purchase their items at Jalan TAR avenue.
During the daytime, Jalan Raja Laut corporate staff who taking Masjid Jamek LRT are taking
Jalan TAR as “bridge” to their destination. Users are actively using the open public space,
under the warm morning sun. Meanwhile, some residents or workers in Jalan TAR started to
setting up their products, which extended to the premises’ 5 feet veranda walkway, which
created a narrow and intimate walkway for user who using it. Every Friday, it connects the user
to the nearest mosque - Masjid India.
As it falls into dusk, corporate workers can be spotted walking to Jalan Masjid India via alleys.
More local tourists were having casual shopping along avenue (stretched from Coliseum Grill
Room to SOGO), especially weekend or holidays.

10. Figure 2.11 Necessary activities in Jalan TAR : (clockwise) Pratunam Market leads to
Petchaburi Road ; Skybridge allows users to across the edge ; Stalls operate at night to provide
late night meal ; Stalls being established at the pedestrian walkway.
In Petchaburi Road, people were busy setting up their stalls, pull their canvas over as a shade
for pedestrians, near Platinum Fashion Mall. However, office staff can be seen with their formal
attire, walking under the canopy, to their destination. There are few shopping malls along the
road, such as Platinum Fashion Mall and Central World, attracts customers (mainly youngster),
of its shopping facilities. Some vendors tend to open their stall at nightime since the nearby
malls and market attracts tourists.

11. Optional activity
Figure 2.12 Optional activities in Jalan TAR : (clockwise) Food stalls at the junction of Lorong
Gombak - Jalan TAR ; Users taking Lorong TAR to Masjid India ; Five foot way became place
to rest ; Avenue at Jalan TAR became locals favourite hang out place.
At lunch hour, some group of office workers walked to Jalan TAR and Jalan Masjid India for
food, due to its cost and varieties of choice. Because of its hot weather, people tend to avoid
the sun by taking alleys or 5 foot way. Around 6pm, users can be spotted to have some leisure
at the avenue, sitting on the public seating and have a chit chat with friends, with some little of
breeze. Some of them are actually spending time there before not willing to being stuck in
crowd or traffic jam.

12. Figure 2.13 Optional activities in Petchaburi Road : (clockwise) Pratunam Market as favourite
leisure walk spot ; Platinum Mall - shopping heaven ; Palladium night market ; Pratunam
Market.
After the work, people tend to join the market for sightseeing or leisure walk near the Pratunam
Market. Some of them have their dinner there with friends and family. The stalls were arranged
quite packed, and enhance its enclosed and intimate atmosphere that makes user feel warm
like a home.

13. Figure 2.14 Social activities in Jalan TAR: (clockwise) Foyer infront SOGO shopping mall
became a weekend gathering spot for all communities entertainment spot ; street art
participating along at the mall to strengthen its vibrancy ; Lorong TAR night market that flood
the user to Jalan TAR ; Avenue of Jalan TAR became an activity spine, where people stop and
shop.
Social activity
There are few nodes happening in Jalan TAR, that tends to attract big group of people within a
communal space. Outside SOGO shopping complex, the open plaza became a place where art
and music converge. Passive and active engagement can be seen here, as music band plays
and sings song, street artists draw portraits of customers. Wide staircases been used as
informal seating for public to enjoy the performance. Even the drivers were rolled down their
windows and watch over the show in the traffic jam. The avenue at Jalan TAR became an
acitivity spine where people walk and stop at some stores for shopping. Public seatings were
provided but it was limited to accommodate more users.

14. Figure 2.15 Social activities in Petchaburi Road: (clockwise) Central World plaza ; Platinum
Shopping Mall ; Palladium night market ; Siam paragon. All the venue above provides open
space as perimeter, allowed outdoor urban scale activities to be occur.
Figure 2.16 Social activities in Petchaburi Road: (clockwise) Talad Neon ; Pratunam Market.
Open air communal space like Pratunam Market and TALAD Neon provided spaces to house
many food stalls. Therefore the sellers itself had created a community and attracts customer,
and customer crowd attracts more customer - people attract people. Not all of them come for
food, but foreign tourists especially, they come to experience the atmosphere of the market and
heighten up the intimacy. The walkway in front of Platinum Fashion Mall became an informal
market place where users can get cheap products like accessories and clothes - women
shopping heaven. The statement of “people attract people” can be seen here, very obvious,
where the place with crowd able to be a magnet to pull in more people.

15. 2.2 Spatial Experience
Beside the outdoor activities, there are some urban elements that support or encourage users
to experience urban or public space, such as landscaping, seatings, shading etc.
Vehicular Circulation
Jalan TAR, KL Petchaburi Road, Bangkok
Jalan TAR is a 4-lane one way road. It is a
busy path and it creates a hard edge for user
to walk across. However, some pedestrian
able to risk themselves to run across, which is
unsafe.
Petchaburi Road is a 4-lane two way road.
Vehicles were driving fast and make it
impossible to walk across.
Landscape
Jalan TAR, KL Petchaburi Road, Bangkok
Due to the existence of colonial buildings’
five-foot way, landscape like plants only able
Landscaping became part of the road
elements to shade pedestrian walkway and

16. to be complimented at certain new area, as
Jalan TAR avenue.
enhance its lively and vibrant condition. It is
quite consistent to see along the road.
Shaded walkway
Jalan TAR, KL Petchaburi Road, Bangkok
Inherited from British colonization, 5-foot way
was one of the requirement for colonial
building to protect pedestrian from climate
exposure. New avenue was extended, to
create much comfortable walk.
Most of the building facade was “flushed” and
aligned. In the result, some tenants have to
set up their canvas roof for their business and
pedestrian use.
Zebra crossing / skybridge
Jalan TAR, KL Petchaburi Road, Bangkok
Zebra crossing available at Jalan TAR for the
ease of crossing an edge. It is efficient for
pedestrian and it doesn't take long time to
across safely.
Due to the heavy traffic beneath, skybridge is
necessary for users to walk across.

17. Alleys and Lanes
Jalan TAR, KL Petchaburi Road, Bangkok
Most of the lanes (purple) that connected to
Jalan TAR are pedestrian friendly. Therefore
less vehicular road contribute to the traffic of
Jalan TAR. Lorong Gombak (yellow) and
Lorong TAR were served as backlane, but
Lorong TAR tends attracts more people than
Jalan TAR due to its good walkability.
Petchaburi Road doesn’t really has a back
alley. River has became a backdrop for
Petchaburi. On the other side, the alley is way
far from the main road.

18. Seating
Jalan TAR, KL Petchaburi Road, Bangkok
At Jalan TAR, public seatings are provided in
modules form. It was believed to break the
continuity for homeless people to sleep
above. However, stairs or platform became
informal seating for users as well.
There is lack of public seating at Petchaburi
Road. Outside the mall, users sit on the stair,
or just standing against the handrail.

19. 2.3 Contact Points
Contact points, by simply meant a place where people met each other, physically. It may varies
on the degree of intimacy and intensity. People can engage both positively or negatively as
well.
SOGO, Jalan TAR, Kuala Lumpur Palladium Night Market, Petchaburi Road,
Bangkok.
Similarities
-Users engage to live band or stall vendors via negative engagement (see and hear) beside.
-Users engage to street artists or seller via positive engagement (greet).
-Both are outdoor spaces in front of a shopping mall.
Differences
-Informal seating provided like stair.
-Users more to sit than walk (dwelling more
than circulation).
-People walk and stop for the product interest
like a bazaar.
-Users more to walk than sit. (circulation more
than dwelling).
Lorong TAR, Kuala Lumpur Talad Neon, Bangkok
Similarities

20. -Both are bazaars, which only operate and gain its crowd during nightime.
Differences
-A linear typology bazaar, where people can
spend more time on the walk.
-No public seating provided.
-The bazaar is enclosed by buildings, which
strengthen its intimacy between people.
-Bazaar is created flexibly, because its site is
a driveway on daytime.
- Central establishment with linear typology,
where people stay longer with seats provided.
-Bazaar is created at an open site, which is
intended for its usage.
Junction of Jalan TAR & Jalan Dang Wangi Junction of Petchaburi Road & Ramchadamri
Road
Similarities
-Both are 4 ways junction, like a point that converges all directions of traffic.
-A node point that collects attention from many perspectives.
-Shopping mall located at one of the corner.
Differences
-Pedestrian friendly, with zebra crossing
provided,
-Junction became a zone where public tends
to “terrify” with fast and busy traffic.
-Skybridge was provided but it is away from
the junction.

21. 2.4 Summary
To conclude this essay, we can see that both places have lot of similarities, especially its
response to local climate and human activity (shopping culture). However, it is disappointing to
see the public spaces in both KL and Bangkok are slowly losing its sense of sharing. One of
the example is the shopping malls that blooming in both areas. Around Jalan TAR, we have a
total of 4 malls, where Petchaburi alone has 6 malls. Despite its existence does heighten up the
influx of people, but it is not fully perceived as an open area. The plaza infront of the shopping
malls has a sense of private or commercial ownership. So in a way the plaza is semi-public in a
way that it is still under surveillance of the owner.

22. 3.0 Reference
Book:
1. FuturArc (2016). The Problem of Public Space : Singapore as Case Study. Singapore. : BCI
Asia.
2. Gehl, J. (2011). Life Between Buildings. London. : Island Press.
Web:
1. Bangkok.com (n.a.). Petchburi Road in Bangkok. Retrieved from
http://www.bangkok.com/petchburi/.
2. MalaysiaTravel (n.a.). Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. Retrieved from
http://www.malaysia.travel/en/au/places/states-of-malaysia/kuala-lumpur/jalan-tuanku-abdul-ra
hman.
3. VisitKL (n.a.). Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Masjid India. Retrieved from
http://www.visitkl.gov.my/visitklv2/index.php?r=column/cthree&id=112&place_id=971.
4. Wikitravel (n.a.). Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. Retrieved from
http://wikitravel.org/en/Kuala_Lumpur/Tuanku_Abdul_Rahman.
5. MalaysiaInsight (July 2017). Ramadhan and Raya buzz at Jalan TAR. Retrieved from
https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/g/5072/.