Adaptation of Culture in Petaling Street

1. CONVERGENCE OF CUSTOMS:
ADAPTATION OF CULTURE
IN PETALING STREET
In terms of the standards of living,
public safety culture and community
health standards.
RE-PRESENTING PLACE
CLS60103
Project 1B:
Research Structure
submitted by
Team 3
Taylor’s University
Lecturer: Hafiz Amirrol

2. Research
Structure
CONVERGENCE
OF CUSTOMS:
Adaptation of
culture in Petal-
ing Street
TABLE OF CONTENTS
i) Reseach Background
ii) Main Research Questions
iii) Objectives
iv) Significance of Study
v) Methods and Expected Outcomes
vi) References and Citations

3. Research
Structure
CONVERGENCE
OF CUSTOMS:
Adaptation of
culture in Petal-
ing Street
RESEARCH BACKGROUND
The adaptation of culture is the process of change and transition
of the arts and tradition of a specific community with regards to
the environmental changes of which the community is situated in
over time. This condition is apparent in our chosen site, Petaling
Street, its rich history shaping the geographical, demographical and
architectural aspect of the place, allowing its culture to conform to
its advancements gradually.
As a result, the convergence of customs create a new way of living.
A bustling place where hawkers and vendors dominate the streets,
where temples rose and house prayers, where tourists gather and
bargains are made, and above all, where culture and civilization
continue to adapt.
This transition in culture gives birth to numerous issues on site,
including complications regarding the standard of living of the
current community, its public safety as well as its health standards.
Our site turns into a demographical focus. Congestion of vehicu-
lar traffic and people is inevitable, subsequently forming a rise in
crime rate and pollution. Other than that, it challenges the authen-
ticity and quality of the goods, services and facilities provided,
while greatly decreasing the hygiene levels of the site.
Nonetheless, Petaling Street is a platform for change as its cultural
aspect continues to grow and evolve. As the struggle to solve the
issues stated continues, we strive to understand the people’s per-
spective on the matter with hopes to shed some light on whether
this course of adaptation is moving towards a positive or negative
note.

4. Research
Structure
CONVERGENCE
OF CUSTOMS:
Adaptation of
culture in Petal-
ing Street
MAIN RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1.Standard of Living
How does the increasing number of foreign workers and foreign
tourists in Petaling Street affect the living standards of the local
community?
2. Public Safety Culture
How does the negative behaviour of unlicensed hawkers and sell-
ers, low-income foreigners, taxi drivers in Petaling Street affect the
level of public safety of the local community?
3. Community Health Standards
What are some environmental factors that constantly exist in Petal-
ing Street that would threaten the health standards of the commu-
nity?

5. Research
Structure
CONVERGENCE
OF CUSTOMS:
Adaptation of
culture in Petal-
ing Street
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the research are to examine, from the perspec-
tive of tourists, local hawkers, vendors and occupiers:
• To increase accessibility to information about the adaptation
of culture in Petaling Street.
• To investigate various community backgrounds and estimate
the standard of living from the investigation.
• To analyse the statistical association between the public safety
level and public safety status in Petaling Street.
• To collect the opinions about health standards among the com-
munity of Petaling Street.

6. Research
Structure
CONVERGENCE
OF CUSTOMS:
Adaptation of
culture in Petal-
ing Street
SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
Introduction
Culture is the way of life shared by people who live in the same
place. Cultural adaptation is when a person adjusts to the new
country in a positive or negative way. Each person adapts to new
culture in a unique way. The theory of cultural adaptation refers
to the process and time it takes a person to assimilate to a new
culture.
Standard of Living
In today’s connected world, the need to communicate effectively
with people from diverse cultures, races, faiths and nationalities
has increased exponentially. Cultural differences usually include
language, religion, political organization, customs and more.
Standard of living that utilises the cultural knowledge and expe-
rience of members of different subcultural groups to influence
a cultural construct that could operate as a mediator of change
e.g., enhancing cultural identity.
For example, Petaling Street’s living standard is studied by types
of communities, authenticity of original community, and main-
tenance of facilities. Petaling Street’s community consists of
seller, hawker stall operators, tourists, and homeless people. The
high intake of foreign workers as product sellers, hawkers and
cooks has indirectly diminished the authenticity of original com-
munity in terms of local food, products, and culture.
Public Safety Culture
Public Safety Culture helps define the recognition of the safety
culture attained from the people in Petaling Street in terms of
the beliefs and practices that they apply. The concept of cultural
adaptation is directly applied to any organisation or agency that
affects or interacts with public safety issues to ensure high lev-
els of safety performance too.

7. Research
Structure
CONVERGENCE
OF CUSTOMS:
Adaptation of
culture in Petal-
ing Street
SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
(cont.)
To illustrate this point, Petaling Street’s public safety is harmed
by its street and road culture, unlicensed hawkers and product
sellers, and public transportation culture. Locals and tourists
have to be wary of pickpockets and snatch motorcyclists. Be-
sides, unlicensed hawkers and product sellers who may sell un-
safe products are also a threat to public safety. Lastly, the public
regard taxis as an unsafe mode of transport due to its over-
ly-charged fare and poor attitude of most taxi drivers.
Community Health Standards
Community Health Standards that show references such as green
space data linked in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) or
experiences from individuals with different backgrounds to in-
crease the perceived relevance of information in health commu-
nication and health education interventions in Petaling Street.
For instance, Petaling Street’s community Health Standards are
examined by area of green spaces, noise level, and street hy-
giene. Green spaces such as parks facilitate physical activity and
relaxation, and form a refuge from noise. On the other hand,
street hygiene should be properly maintained in Petaling Street,
as it is a cuisine paradise with a wide choice of street vendor
food,

8. Research
Structure
CONVERGENCE
OF CUSTOMS:
Adaptation of
culture in Petal-
ing Street
METHODS AND
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
Methods
The information we need originates from a wide range of sourc-
es, thus there should be a variety of techniques used when gath-
ering data from communities at Petaling Street.
Several methods for collecting information and quantitative data
for this research will be done are interviews, questionnaires and
direct observation at site.
• Interviews - conducted by direct approach (interviewee
and interviewer) with questions that are focused and clear which
encourage open-ended responses.
t
• Questionnaires – short questions with answers presented as
multiple-choice and numerical bar to gather concise data and to
ease analysis afterwards
• Direct observation – careful investigation allows data to be
collected qualitatively and quantitatively, allowing the study of a
wide range of a situations, besides providing additional informa-
tion.
Expected Outcome
Through the questionnaire survey and interview, the expected
result is that the standard of living in Petaling Street will be low.
This is due to high number of foreign workers hired by locals
to work as food hawkers and product sellers at site. The rate
of public safety culture at the site will be threatened due to the
high cases of negative behaviour happening on the street, such
as bad road culture, unlicensed stalls and also public transpor-
tation. Lastly, lack of greenery, high noise level and low street
hygiene will indicate a poor standard of community health.

9. Research
Structure
CONVERGENCE
OF CUSTOMS:
Adaptation of
culture in Petal-
ing Street
REFERENCES AND
CITATION
AECOM. (2010). Asia Beyond Growth. ORO Editions: Singapore.
Barley, N. (2000). Breathing Cities. Birkhauser: London.
Lim, W. (1990) Cities for People – Reflections of a Southeast Asian Architect.
Singapore: Select Publishing.
“Petaling Street in Chinatown - Bargain Hunter’s Paradise.” Kuala-lumpur.ws.
N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Oct. 2016.
Kong, Sai Mat. “Top 10 Must-Have Foods in Petaling Street (Chinatown) - I’m
Saimatkong.” Im Saimatkong. N.p., 2015. Web. 04 Oct. 2016.
Clarke, P. (2008) Metricity: Exploring New Measures of Urban
Density. London: Royal
College of Art.
Teasley, D. (c2016). Study. Retrieved 3 October, 2016, from
http://study.com/academy/lesson/cultural-adaptation-definition-theory-stag-
es-examples.html
Mishra, S. (c2016). Businesstopia. Retrieved 3 October, 2016, from https://
www.businesstopia.net/communication/cultural-barriers-communication

10. Research
Structure
CONVERGENCE
OF CUSTOMS:
Adaptation of
culture in Petal-
ing Street
IS THIS ADAPTATION
FOR THE BETTER?
End of paper.