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1. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & DESIGN
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONS) IN ARCHITECTURE
ARC61303 / THEORIES OF
ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM
NAME: NIK AFIQ AMADI BIN NIK ABDULLAH
STUDENT ID: 0317749
TUTOR: MR PRINCE
SEMESTER: 05
PROJECT II: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ESSAY
JALAN TUANKU ABDUL RAHMAN, KUALA LUMPUR
QUIAPO STREET, MANILLa
1. Introduction

2. This is a comparative analysis essay between Jalan Tuanku Abdul
Rahman (Jalan TAR), Kuala Lumpur and Quaipo Street, Manilla. Jalan
TAR, one of the longest roads with retail units set up in pre-war era,
consisting mainly of 3-storeyArtDeco shophouses that remain until today.
It became the primary shopping haven for the local community in 1800s.
As the years went by, rapid developments were made to accommodate
the growing population and business. However, as the economyof other
neighbouring area of Jalan TAR such as Bukit Bintang and Chow Kit
reached its’ peak in 2000s, the development of Jalan TAR remained
stagnant until today.
Quiapo is basically a districtthat is located at the very centre of the city
of Manila, Philippines. It has also made a name for itself as a place for
marketplace bargain hunting. In Quiapo, more than 300 years of imperial
conquestwere manifested in Islamic and Spanish architecture, with a few
mosques and numerous Catholic churches dotting the district. In around
1950s,religious life and faith in merchandise converge on Quiapo’s inner
streets.The incessant foottraffic is also an opportunity to purchase lower-
priced goods from all types of business run by Filipino-Chinese
community. However, as the years went by, the construction of the Manila
Light Rail Transit System's LRT-1, which spans over Rizal Avenue has
led to the several effects to Quiapo such as the occlusionof light and the
trapping of smog. Besides, vehicle emissions has also left the streets
beneath dark and gloomy, which ends up with an increase in crime as
well.
2. Analysis of Contact Points
Optional Activities

3. Optional activities mainly revolve around Muelle DelBanco Nacional
and Plaza Lacson. Social spaces can be seen taking place at the plaza,
where is used to be a prominent commercial area since the early 20th
Century, an intersection point for pedestrians from surrounding buildings
and businesses. For example, communities can be seen hanging around
the steps that are actually designed to accentuate the statue. However,
the steps have become a supplementary seating for the public instead,
creating an informal interaction among the communities where strangers
have a chance to interact with one another. Besides that, at Muelle De
Banco Nacional for example, communities can be seen chatting and
drinking by the waterfront while enjoying the view of the river. The area is
also equipped withunpredictable intervals of hard and softscape,allowing
the communities to enjoy their walking experience which creates social
interaction between them.
However, in Jalan TAR, it is a completely different sight. Social
spaces are barely non-existent, as there are no open spaces designated
for those types of activities. Trade and business is and has always been
Diagram A: Communities chatting and
drinking by the waterfront while
enjoying the view of the river
Diagram B: Steps designed to
accentuate statue became
supplementary seating for public

4. put into creating social spaces. This results in people utilizing the back
alleys and five foot ways as their own social areas. Traders and business
owners often take up a portion of the public realm as their own, in order
to create a conductive environment for themselves.Although this creates
character in Jalan TAR, this also however creates a huge problem as it
disrupts the flow of the people in public. The narrowness of the street
creates an intimate space forthe communityto gather during lunch breaks
or in the evening. Alleys become a favourite spot as it is well shaded by
the buildings adjacent to it. This also creates a sense of privacy and
ownership forthe community to claim as their own. Besides that, the back
alley along Jalan TAR is also a famous spot for the optional activities as
it is the very few green belts left in the area that protects the community
for the scorching weather.
Social Activities
Diagram C: Width of alleys and height of the adjacent buildings
contribute to user experience and function of the alleys.
Interconnectivity of alley promotes integration in terms of built
forms, circulation and user group

5. Quiapo consists of several buildings which serve as different
purposes that leads to the overlapping of necessary and optional
activities. Social spaces are conductive enough to carry out social
activities as it is well supplied with the optimum amount of openspace and
public amenities. For example, Plaza Miranda serves as a freedom park
and offers valuable information about the social environment. It is
regarded as a center for fortune-telling, with markets and street vendors
as its main attraction. Other than that, religious building such as Quiapo
Church showcases Philippines’status, as the Church’s bastion in Asia as
it is the famous shrine for Black Nazarene. As for Santa Cruz Church,
many people, especiallythe employees of nearbyestablishments,flockto
this church before and after working hours. Religious functions not only
bring people together, butalso creating contact points and socialactivities
at Quiapo.
Jalan TAR has a more informal approach in handling social
activities. The lack of openspace calls forsocialactivities to happeneither
Diagram D: The plaza serves as a freedom
park and offers valuable information about
the social environment. It is regarded as a
center for fortune-telling, with markets and
street vendors as its main attraction.
Diagram E: Religious building allows many
people, especially the employees of nearby
establishments, flock to this church before and
after working hours.

6. indoors or along the street. Differentsetbackrequirement of shop houses
from different eras create a sense of rhythm in terms of pedestrian
experience. Width and levelling of sidewalks create a unique perception
towards the street in consideration of human scale. Most importantly,
Jalan TAR is equipped with alleys and height of the adjacent buildings
which may contribute the users to utilize and experience through it.
Interconnectivity of alleys promotes integration in terms of circulation and
user groups.For example, mural of Prime Ministers of Malaysia creates a
strong sense of locality, which contributes to pedestrian walkability and
vehicular parking during the weekends. Besides that, stalls operated by
vendors create a pedestrian friendly shopping street with the comfort of
shading. Small activities such as volunteer works can also be seen
happening along the smaller alleys as it has a more privatised space and
better protection from the main areas.
Necessary Activities
Diagram F: User experience
through the back alleys of Jalan
TAR

7. Jalan TAR is basically being segregated by the users and human
activities as they visit the site at differenttimes throughoutthe day, forming
districts that shift and morphs.These user groups are segregatedby their
active time period and location of activity. To be precise, the classes of
communities are divided into working class, profit-based community and
after-dark community. They function separately, segregated bytheir own
aims of operation at differenttimes and area as well. Necessaryactivities
mostly happenfrom the west side of Jalan TAR,starting from the morning
to evening where most office workers and bazaar vendors walk around
this area, making the streets to be very busy. This also causes the open
spaces to be unaffordable for parking, leading to many illegal parking at
the side of the road, causing the traffic to be congested.Besides,there is
also a lack of greenery, which creates a very unpleasant experience for
the users to walk around the area. A majority of shoppers (shopping mall,
street performers, textile and jewellery) will walk around at Jalan TAR at
11am onwards, as that is the time when most of the shops are opened,
and also most of the tourist start to walk around as well. At 7pm onwards,
the south part of Jalan TAR will be occupied by most local residents and
homeless people where people stop working and go home. Most
prostitution at certain area also takes place during this period. Besides
that, crime also frequently happens at night, especiallyat the back alleys.

8. Quiapo on the other hand, consists of people walking across the
area towards Plaza Miranda and around Carriedo LRT Station. The area
has undergone a proper urban planning system to decide the positioning
of its streets and built form.There is also a propergrid divisionthat divides
the city into equal portions and within each grid, there is a sufficient
amount of balance between built form and urban scenery. This type of
urban planning creates a conductive and systematic living environment
for the people of the area, as well as the tourist who come to this place.
This is because everything has a pattern and order to it. Proper
designated sidewalks exist to encourage walking, and this results to a
large number of people to walk around the street. However, there are also
spaces that are transformed into market space, which somehow makes
the place becomeabitcrowded whichdefectsthe circulation,even though
it also becomes one of the main attractions at Quaipo. Besides that, the
existance of public transportation such as LRT-1 at Rizal Avenue is also
a key feature in the area that eases movement from throughout the city.
Diagram I: Grid division that divides the city into equal portions and within
each grid
Diagram G & H: Jalan TAR is segregated by different users and
human activities at different time period

9. 3. Conclusion
In the nutshell, though Jalan TAR and Quiapo Streetare hosting almost
the same types of activities and social typology, they are both complete
polar opposites. Jalan TAR has a more informal way of approaching
things. The street itself creates a lack of open spaces, which creates
segregation among the community. However, segregation is not
necessarily a negative quality, districts within Jalan TAR fall apart over
time. Besides, being left out from the progressive development of its
neighbouring districts, Jalan TAR is still left to function on its own pace.
To highlight the positive qualities and similarities, Jalan TAR is still able to
create a sense of unity between the layers within the social hierarchy on
its own. A unique experience to integrate the working-class, profit based
and after-dark community within the same compound, yet by catering to
the needs of different social groups through programmatic response, a
sense of familiarity still exists as the identity and culture of Jalan TAR is
embodied, creating a core for the site. At the other end of the spectrum,
Quiapo is a bit more structured, a better constructed area suited for the
community to lounge around in its spaces. Its areas are well balanced to
cater for its necessary and optional activities as there is also a clear
segregation between the two. Public amenities are sufficient enough to
improve the walkability of the city. Itis equipped enough,to fulfil the users’
needs, and an optimum amount of spaces that are transformed into
several functions such as stall market that creates small pockets of
spaces throughout the area to allow the community to have an informal
interaction, as well as allowing the place itself to have its own main
attraction.
(2035 words)

10. 4. Reference
Navaro, E. H. Quiapo Street, Manilla
Hartman C. W. (1984)Plaza Lacson: Land Grab & Community
Resitance
Solnit R. & Dawson (2009)The Transformation of Quiapo
Sendut H (1983)Town Planning & Community Restructuring in Malaysia
Lamit Hasanuddin, “Redefining Landmarks” Alam Bina Journal,
University of TechnologyMalaysia (2004):67-69