Medan Pasar, located in Kuala Lumpur, was originally the capital city's busy business and shopping center in the 1920s. Over time, it fell into disrepair but has since been restored to its former glory. It is now a pedestrian square featuring historical shophouses, landscaping, and lighting displays. However, it still struggles with an overabundance of loitering foreign workers, diminishing its image as a tourist destination despite revitalization efforts.

1. M E D A N
P A S A R
+
C E N T R A L
M A R K E T
W H E R E R I V E R O F
C U L T U R E I S F O R M E D
SAK KAR WAI | 0326525 | FNBE JAN 2016 | ENBE BOOKLET

3. CONTENTS
Introduction
About KL
The Site
About Medan Pasar
Site Info
About Central Market
Central Market Floor Plan
Business Activities at
Central Market
5 Senses
SWOT Analysis
Summary
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4. Introduction.

5. This booklet is created for ENBE Project 2A.
It documents the site analysis data of
Medan Pasar and Central Market, where
both of these locations are within the site
given to me by my lecturer for this ENBE
assignment.
Medan Pasar and Central Market are both
located within the Golden Triangle in KL,
both rich in heritage and contributed to the
expansion of Kuala Lumpur as what we see
now. So before we study about Medan Pasar
and Central Market, let us take a look at
this sophisicated city of KL.
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6. Kuala Lumpur (or KL, as it is commonly known) is, more
often than not, a traveler's point of entry to Malaysia. As the
capital, it is the most modern and developed city in the
country, with contemporary high-rises and world-class
hotels, glitzy shopping malls, and local and international
cuisine.
Kuala Lumpur is a Malay term which means muddy
confluence. The city began around 1857 as a small mining
boomtown spawned by the Industrial Revolution's hunger
for raw materials. Fueled by tin mining in the nearby Klang
River Valley, the town grew under the business interests of
three officials: a local Malay ruler, a British resident, and a
Chinese headman (Kapitan China). The industry
and village attracted Chinese laborers,
Malays from nearby villages, and Indian
immigrants who followed the
British. As the town grew,
colonial buildings that
About KL
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7. housed local administrative offices were erected around
Merdeka Square, bounded by Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin and
Jalan Kuching. The town, and later the city, spread outward
from this center.
Today the original city center at Merdeka Square is the core
of KL's history. Buildings like the Sultan Abdul Samad Building,
the Royal Selangor Club, and the Old Kuala Lumpur Railway
Station are excellent examples of British architectural
sensibilities peppered with Moorish spice. South of this area is
KL's Chinatown. Along Jalan Petaling and surrounding areas are
markets, shops, food stalls, and the bustling life of the Chinese
community. There's also a Little India in KL, around the area
occupied by Masjid Jamek, where you'll find flower stalls,
Indian Muslim and Malay costumes, and traditional items.
Across the river, you'll find Lake Gardens, a large sanctuary
that houses Kuala Lumpur's bird park, butterfly park, and other
attractions and gardens. Modern Kuala Lumpur is rooted in the
city's "Golden Triangle," bounded by Jalan Ampang, Jalan Tun
Razak, and Jalan Imbi. This section is home to most of KL's
hotels, office complexes, shopping malls, and sights like the KL
Tower and the Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest buildings in
the world from 1998 to 2004, when Taipei 101 stole the title.
They are now officially the world's tallest twin towers.
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8. Kuala Lumpur
Area of Kuala Lumpur:
243sq km
Landmark: KLCC
Twin Tower
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9. THE SITE.

10. Medan Pasar
&
Central Market

11. The Market Square
Medan Pasar
Medan Pasar means Market Square. Located at the
confluence of Klang and Gombak River where Kuala
Lumpur started and expanded, it's a scenic historical
square, now decorated with beautiful landscapes and
pavements. There's an art deco Clock Tower standing in
the middle of Medan Pasar, which was built in 1937 to
commemorate the coronation of King George IV.
History
Medan Pasar was the capital's banking and shopping hub
in the 1920s. When the miners and traders first landed, a
small trading post was constructed at the conflunece
between Klang and Gombak River. Business activity then
expanded eastwards to the Klang River, resulting in one of
the busiest business centres in Kuala Lumpur. Shophouses
were erected and streets formed. These rows of
shophouses and streets, with the river located to the west,
created a rectangular space, known as the Old Market
Square (Medan Pasar) which later became the main focal
point of Kuala Lumpur. During the administration of Kapitan
Yap Ah Loy, he owned majority of the buildings in that
area.
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12. Medan Pasar in 2016

13. In 2005, Medan Pasar was turned into a bus stop where
migrant workers waited to catch their bus to go to work and
go home. During that time Medan Pasar was poorly
neglected despite its rich heritage and history. It was a
sorry sight that 2 faces of the clock tower has been
defaced by grafitti back then.
Medan Pasar in 1960 Medan Pasar in 1970
Medan Pasar in 2005
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14. Today's Medan Pasar
Restoration works have been carried out by the City Hall to
transform Medan Pasar back to how it was in its glory days
while bringing some fresh architecture in. Today Medan
Pasar is a paved pedestrian square where people can sit
down and enjoy the Neo­classical architecture of the
buildings preserved there. Timer fountain is installed to
make the square lively. Beautiful landscapes are planted.
At night, the square turns into a bright street, where
lightings are carefully installed and projected to each of the
building. Street lamps are replaced by ground lamps
installed near each tree in front of the shophouses,
creating an ambient environment to chill with friends.
Medan Pasar at night.
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15. Lightings on the roof of the shophouses.
A few setbacks
Although Medan Pasar has been improved to a better look, there
are still a few drawbacks which requires amendments. First thing
first, many foreign workers still loaf around Medan Pasar. The
number of foreign workers wandering around Medan Pasar are
twice the number of the tourist who come to the square for the
historical buildings and the heritage. Some even sleep at there,
which their behaviour has brought down the image of Medan
Pasar. Hence Medan Pasar is not well known by the tourist from
other countries despite City Hall's effort in making it into one of
the Malaysia's heritage as well as a tourist spot, because no
travel magazine dare to advertise this place. Plus, it is hidden
within the high rises surrounding it.
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16. Foreign workers sitting in front of Ambank
A Bangladesh sleeping on the bench in front of UOB Bank
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