The document provides an analysis of cognitive mapping conducted of Seksyen 1, Petaling Jaya. It identifies several key nodes in the residential and commercial areas, including the school/football field and shops/restaurants. The school/field is a major node where social activities take place, acting as landmarks. The commercial area has older and newer districts divided by building style. Major paths and edges like roads separate areas and influence movement. While reference points provide guidance in the residential area, the commercial area's complex traffic makes it harder to navigate.

1. Table of Contents Page
1.0 Introduction 2-3
1.1 Seksyen 1, Petaling Jaya
1.2 Introduction of Cognitive Mapping
2.0 Analysis and Interpretation 3-6
3.0 Conclusion 7
4.0 Reference 8

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1.0 Introduction
In this project, we are require to create a cognitive mapping of selected
significant urban spaces in the city of KL to understand one`s perception and spatial
behavior in cities today. Based on the cognitive map, we have to generate an
analysis of the chosen site by referring to Kevin Lynch notions of imageability and
how it influences people`s perception of the city.
1.1 Seksyen 1, Petaling Jaya
Seksyen 1 is one of the section in Petaling Jaya, which is connected to Jalan
Othman, Jalan Templer, Jalan Kelang Lama, and Lebuhraya Baru Pantai. The
accessibility of the site wouldn’t be an issue of the resident and visitor as the Jalan
Othman and Jalan Templer is also connected to the neighbor district. In addition, Seksyen
1 is surrounded by bus station, with the aid of public transportation, traveling to other
Seksyen or city would be and problem for the local, and the nearest Commuter station,
Jalan Templer station is only a walking distance from the site.
Seksyen 1 is consider as the oldest seksyen in the old town area. It had the first
settlements, which were established around 1953. But currently, some of the building and
residential had been renovated, but most of the commercial building or shop lot are still
remain and barely renovated. Especially the one facing to Jalan Oathman.
1.2 Introduction of Cognitive Mapping
Cognitive Mapping introduced by Edward C. Tolman is a research in his phycology
paper “Cognitive maps in Rats & Men”. It`s an mental map of an image of the layout of
one`s physical environment, we use cognitive map to discover our way and reminiscence
significant features of a location. Hence, cognitive maps could differ from the actual place
itself.
Throughout the mapping, it’s easier for use to record down the information, or the
feature on the site, it is easier for use to recall and analysis the information. In addition, it
also help us identify the tangible and intangible elements on site, for instance (memory,
identity, etc), spatial and temporal dynamics (traffic, people’s paths, barriers etc)

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architecture (stairs, benches, trees, etc) microstructure (texture, material) so on and so
forth play important roles on the perception of the site.
2.0 Analysis and Interpretation
Based on the cognitive mapping that had been generated, im focusing on some of
the area in the Seksyen 1. Through the observation, they’re few interesting point on
the site that attract me, the first one would be in the middle of the residential area,
which the Sekolah Kebangsaan 2 Petaling Jaya, and also the football field beside the
school is located. The second one would be the commercial area, where the new and
old shop lot is located. According to Kevin Lych: The image of the city theories
Path: The channels along the observer customarily, occasionally, or potentially moves.
Nodes: Nodes are points, the strategic spot in a city into which an observer can enter,
and which are the intensive foci to and from which he is traveling
Landmarks: Landmarks are another type of point-reference, but in this case the
observer does-not enter within them, they are external. They are usually a rather
simply defined physical object

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Edges: Are the linear elements not considered as paths, they are usually, but not
quite always, the boundaries between two kinds of areas.
Districts: Districts are the relatively large city areas which the observer can mentally
go inside of, and which have some common character
I discovered that the area around the school and the football field is one of the
major nodes in the residential area. Parents gathering here during the school recess
time and the end of the office hour which is around 5pm, the local gathering here for
different purpose. This might because the football field is consider as the only one
outdoor area in the neighborhood, and eventually these nodes becoming one of the
landmark for the resident of the neighborhood. In addition, some of the resident use
the path around the football field as their primary path through the commercial area.
Along the path around the school and football field, was most frequency used pathway
to the commercial area or exiting the Seksyen 1, because along this path, it come
across with the football field, where the social activities on the football field become
of the attraction, the activity on the football field enhance the vibrancy of the
neighborhood and also giving the user who use the path one interesting point rather
than traveling through the normal pathway surrounded by residential with no events
happening.
These activities on the football field, and also the activities such as parents parking
at the roadside and chatting with other parents at the football field while waiting for
their children which form a nodes and becoming a sign of the classes are over,
eventually they know it is afternoon time. When there are more people gathering at
the football field, jogging, playing football and other activities, eventually these
activities reflect the timeline of a day. These perception might only apply to the local

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who are actually staying there for a long time, for those who are new to the site, they
might not know the social norm of the community around.
All these memorable events that give the site or particular places an identity or
even more personal identification depending on different individual, for instance, a
children might perceive the football field as the place he usually meet his friend,
eventually it become a meeting point for him. On the other hand, it might be a different
perception for an adult, depending on the experience he had on the football field, it
might be place for him to have his first football competition during his teenager time,
and this gave him a memorable event, eventually his perception towards the football
field might be different. And these memories make these particular spaces becoming
one of their landmark, even though these doesn’t applied on every individual, because
everyone perception for the football field is different.There are also others nodes in
the residential area, such as the Sun Tao Jing Sheh temple, Sau Seng Lum buddist
temple, Gospel Hose Hall church, and True Jesus church. These nodes are related
to religious, so these nodes only attract different community depending on the
purpose.
Beside the school and the football field, other major nodes would be located at the
commercial area, as most of the restaurant (McDonald, Secret Recipe and others),
market, convenient store (Pasaraya BSL, 7-eleven), bus-stop and other store
(Popular bookstore, workshop, pharmacy). These are the area when people drive-by
Jalan Othman will be first encounter, eventually some of the building here becoming
the landmark of those who are not familiar with Seksyen 1, such as the Public Bank
at the conjunction, the Mcdonals behind the bus-stop and also the Hong Leong Bank
building, and these landmark help them differential between Seksyen 1 and other
Seksyen.
The commercial area is also the busiest area in Seksyen 1, people gather around
here are usually because of the café, and the restaurant for their lunch or dinner. The
other purpose they coming to this area might be because of the bus-stop as it’s the
only bus-stop that connect Seksyen 1 to other places. My personal perception
towards the commercial area is that, the traffic here is congested comparing to the
residential area, there are people double park at the parking area to wait for their

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family, this action usually occur where the public bank is, because they think that it
wouldn’t took up a long time for money withdrawal and also because of their own
convenient.
At the commercial area, there’s a different style of building, the older shop lot, and
the newer commercial block. As observation, most of the people tend to gather the
newer commercial block as, because it have more convenient store, newer restaurant
(fast food such as McDonalds), bank, and pharmacy, these are the function that more
suitable to current generation lifestyle. On the other hand, the old shop lot
accommodated most of the workshop, old bookstore that selling newspaper, kid toys
and other products we only find in the 80s, or 90s, it remind me of my childhood, and
I believe this also bring a lot of memories to the local here as well. Walking down the
part around the old shop lot, giving a feeling of nostalgic. The market beside the old
shop lot is one of the favorite spot where some of the local used to hang out, especially
those older resident of the area, it had become a custom for them to drink their coffee
here, eventually some of this coffee shop becoming their landmark from themselves.
Throughout the comparison between the old and new, I personally think that the
contrast of the building style (appearance in term of materiality such as the renovated
cladding Hong Leong Bank façade and the shop lot beside) also create a kind of
edges, which form a boundaries of the new community and the old community.
Eventually this make the commercial area divided into two district, where we can see
the drastically change of architectural style in these two district. Where the new
commercial block accommodate the store that serve the newer generation lifestyle,
and the old shop lot which accommodate the workshop and a row of hawker stall.

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Another edges we can see on the site is the Jalan Templer, Jalan Othman and the
KTM railway right before the Lebuhraya Baru Pantai. I differential the main road, Jalan
Templer and Jalan Othman as edges because of the function of the linear elements,
it is mostly a faster pace path and usually pointing at one direction, and it also act as
a barrier from pedestrian to walk across. As for the KTM railway, it have the same
attribute as the Jalan Templer and Jalan Othman, but it is not connected to any path
and it is very hard to reach because there’s a green barrier before we can reach the
KTM railway.
3.0 Conclusion
It is very easy for people to familiarize themselves in the residential area because
the pathways is very clear and there are school and football field as a referring point while
we traveling inside the neighborhood, but probably not the commercial area due to it
hectic traffic, narrow road, and double parking issue is very unfriendly to the user. But it
is rather easier to differential Seksyen 1 and Seksyen 2 at Jalan Othman, because
Seksyen 3 have bigger scale building such as UOB compare to Seksyen 1. But it is quite
hard to differential between Seksyen 1 and 2, because the height of the building along
the Jalan Pasar are very similar, the only different we can observe is that the texture of
the building is different, most of the commercial block of seksyen 1 that facing Jalan pasar
is renovated, on the other side, the commercial block of Seksyen 3 that is facing Jalan
pasar is mostly the old shop lot. In conclusion, I feel that the imageablity of Seksyen 1 is
not very strong, although there are a few reference point for the people who visit there,
but it lack in strategies focus point with activities that can attract the non-local around. I
would assume that the imageablity of Seksyen 1 is stronger for those who are actually
staying there for a time.

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4.0 References
(2016). Myrapid.com.my. Retrieved 6 June 2016, from
http://www.myrapid.com.my/journeyplanner/bus/routes?a=6
KTM Komuter Route Map | Official Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat (S.P.A.D.) Website.
(2016). Spad.gov.my. Retrieved 6 June 2016, from http://www.spad.gov.my/transport-
operators/rail/ktm-komuter-route-map
Lynch, K. (1960). The image of the city. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Petaling Jaya - Everything you need to know about Petaling Jaya. (2016). kuala-lumpur.ws. Retrieved
6 June 2016, from http://www.kuala-lumpur.ws/klareas/pj.htm