1. School of Architecture, Building & Design
Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Architecture
Theories of Architecture & Urbanism (ARC61303)
Project 2 : Comparative Analysis Essay
JALAN BESAR, Klang, Malaysia
QUEEN’S ROAD CENTRAL, Hong Kong
Kang Zi Shan
0327605
Tutor: Mr. Nicholas Ng
2. Tables of Content
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Jalan Stesen1, Klang, Malaysia
1.2 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong
2.0 Comparative Analysis
2.1 Contact Points of Jalan Stesen 1, Klang
2.2 Contact Points of Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong
2.3 Similarities
2.4 Dissimilarities
3.0 Conclusion
4.0 References
3. 1.0 INTRODUCTION
Streets are the most important role in the cities that allow circulation
and activities to happen. Different types of activities brought people
together and created interaction and communication between
people and environment. It serves as a public space where people
walk, talk and shop that created contact points with diverse human
behavioural patterns. Streets in our cities will be representing our
lifestyle and culture. The design of a street is to respond to the
activities and functions.
Two streets from different countries are being interpreted and
analysed in this comparative analysis essay- Jalan Besar, Klang,
Malaysia and Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong. Similarities and
dissimilarities in terms of contact point, contact intensity and
patterns of social activities between the two cities are being studied
and analysed.
4. 1.1 Jalan Stesen 1, Klang, Malaysia
Klang is located within the state of Selangor and is a royal town and
former capital. While the street, Jalan Stesen 1, is located in the
midst of a commercial zone which the old shophouses give the
street a heritage sense of place. Formerly it was a prosperous tin
mining area, and has transformed into a commercial and tourist
attractions zone with heritage buildings and nice food.
Jalan Besar serves as the main circulation for vehicles to circulate
through, while Jalan Stesen 1 serves as a secondary route which
connect with Jalan Stesen 1 and allow vehicles to circulate back to
the main route.
It is a street consist of traditional business in old shophouse and
younger generations in refurbished shophouse.
Figure 1.1.1 Jalan Stesen 1
5. Roof of Klang
Tin mining was the starting point in Klang.
The economy grew rapidly along the Klang
River because of the necessity for
transportation and tin mining activity.
Changing Tides
Railway serves for the high demands while
Klang River fell into further neglect and
disuse. The established of railway also
reinforced a barrier between settlements
between Northern and Southern Klang.
Diversity & Development of North &
South Klang
Port Klang boosted the economy of Klang.
Big blocks replaced scattered blocks and
high rise buildings brought up the
development of urban wall, prompting
differences between the old and the new.
Connecter & Divider
The bridges was built to connect the North
and South, however it also encouraged the
younger generations to move away from the
old heritage town.
The Morphology - Klang
Figure 1.1.2 Morphology of Jalan Stesen 1
6. 1.2 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong
Queen’s Road Central located in the northern coast of Hong Kong
Island, spanning from Central to Sheung Wan, Queen’s Road
Central was the first few earliest emerging roads to be constructed
by the British colony. It is a commercialized hotspot and a
human-centralized area acting as a transition space for locals and
tourists.
Figure 1.2.1 Queen’s Road Central
7. Before 1842
The Royal engineers and around 300 coolies
(labour workers) built the first part of San Ying
Pun.
1842
The road was initially named as Main Road,
but changed to Queen’s Road after Queen
Victoria of the British empire colonised
HongKong. It was the first section to San Ying
Pun and the hub of the island, thus brought up
a development in the island.
1878
A great fire broke out and burnt down almost
400 houses, which caused thousands of
people homeless. The area were reclaimed by
using recycled leftover ruins.
1942
Queen’s Road Central was then conquered by
Japan and was reidentified as Meiji-Dori. Land
was further expanded due to increasing
population.
Present
Queen’s Road is now the icon of the British
Crown Colony of Hong Kong and has been
developed into a commercialized and famou
tourist area for both locals and tourists.
The Morphology - Queen’s Road Central
Figure 1.2.2 Morphology of Queen’s Road Central
8. 2.0 Comparative Analysis - Jalan Besar &
Queen’s Road Central
2.1 Contact Points of Jalan Stesen 1, Klang
1
2
3
4 5
Five contact points are being mapped out which includes:
1. Five Foot Walkway
2. Mural Wall
3. Alley Vendor
4. Backlane
5. Junction (in front KTM Station)
Figure 2.1.1 Contact points
of Jalan Stesen 1
9. CONTACT POINT CONTACT INTENSITY ACTIVITIES
1 FIVE FOOT
WALKWAY
Moderate
Locals and tourists
NECESSARY ACTIVITY
Walking through to reach
destination
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY
Gathering spot
SOCIAL ACTIVITY
Interaction between
vendors and customers
2 MURAL WALL High to Moderate
Tourists
NECESSARY ACTIVITY
Parking vehicles
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY
Sightseeing, taking photos,
gathering spot
SOCIAL ACTIVITY
Interaction between friend
3 ALLEY VENDOR Low to Moderate
Locals, tourists and
vendors
NECESSARY ACTIVITY
Walking through to reach
destination
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY
Having meals at the
vendors
SOCIAL ACTIVITY
Conversation while having
meals
4 BACK LANE Low
Locals
NECESSARY ACTIVITY
Walking through as
shortcut to reach
destination
SOCIAL ACTIVITY
Interaction between friend
5 JUNCTION IN
FRONT KTM
STATION
High
Workers, tourist and
locals
NECESSARY ACTIVITY
Taking trains, walking
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY
Gathering spots
SOCIAL ACTIVITY
Asking for direction
10. 2.2 Contact Points of Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong
4
1
2
3 5
Five contact points are being mapped out which includes:
1. Walkway under Hillside Escalator
2. H’s Queen Hong Kong
3. Stone Slab Street
4. Li Yuen Street
5. MCM Broadwalk Junction
Figure 2.2.1 Contact points
of Queen’s Road Central
11. CONTACT POINT CONTACT INTENSITY ACTIVITIES
1 WALKWAY UNDER
HILLSIDE
ESCALATOR
Moderate
Locals, tourists and
shop owners
NECESSARY ACTIVITY
Walking through to reach
destination
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY
Sightseeing, taking
photos, gathering spot
SOCIAL ACTIVITY
Asking for direction
2 H’S QUEEN HONG
KONG
Moderate to High
Tourists, passerby and
white collars
NECESSARY ACTIVITY
Walking pass to reach
destination
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY
Taking photos, gathering
spot
SOCIAL ACTIVITY
Interaction between locals
& tourist
3 STONE SLAB
STREET
Moderate
Tourists, shop owners
and locals
NECESSARY ACTIVITY
Walking through to reach
destination
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY
Sightseeing, taking photos
SOCIAL ACTIVITY
Interaction between locals
& tourist
4 LI YUEN STREET Moderate
Tourists, shop owners
and locals
NECESSARY ACTIVITY
Shortcut for people passes
by
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY
Stops by in front of the
stalls
SOCIAL ACTIVITY
Interaction between
vendors and customers
5 JUNCTION IN
FRONT KTM
STATION
High
Locals, tourist and
white collars
NECESSARY ACTIVITY
Walking through to reach
destination, shopping
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY
Gathering spot, waiting
spot to cross opposite road
SOCIAL ACTIVITY
Asking for direction
12. Although there is pavement between five foot walkway and main road but people still
tend to walk inside the narrow five foot walkway is because of the covered walkway
which protect pedestrians from the weather. Similarly to the five foot walkway in Klang,
the walkway under the Hillside Escalator also attract people to walk underneath it for
shading. “Creating a pleasant place is a question of protection from unpleasant
weather as well. Types of undesirable weather conditions vary considerably from area
to area and country to country. Each region has its own climatic conditions and cultural
patterns, which must be the basis for the solutions in each individual case.” (Gehl,
2011, p.173)
Steps on the walkway act as an impromptu seating area for users. It is an informal
seating area for the public which can create a contact point with moderate contact
intensity “In addition to primary seating, many opportunities for supplementary,
secondary seating in the form of stairways, pedestals, steps, low walls, boxes, and so
on, are needed for times when the demand for seating is particularly great. Steps are
especially popular, because they serve as good lookout points as well.” (Gehl, 2011,
p.161) as Gehl elaborates that the informal seating area are not only serves as its initial
function but also as a public space.
2.3 Similarities
Walkway
Figure 2.3.1 Pedestrian using five foot walkway, pedestrians sitting on steps,
walkway under hillside escalator (left to right)
13. Functionality
In Jan Gehl’s book, “Life Between Buildings”, it is stated that people attracts people.
But first of all there must be some reason to attract people in the first place. It is again
stated by Jan Gehl that activity is the attraction for people. “Wherever there are people
– in buildings, in neighborhoods, in city centers, in recreational areas, and so on – it is
generally true that people and human activities attract other people. People are
attracted to other people. They gather with and move about with others and seek to
place themselves near others. New activities begin in the vicinity of events that are
already in progress.” (Gehl, 2011, p.23) So, the function of the building are important
which serves as a certain purpose that contributes to interest or needs.
Both the street has certain function which attracts the specific user groups. Food stalls
at the alley are the main reason that causes people to walk around at Jalan Stesen 1 to
find the alley. Thus, at the alley, people are gathered for necessary activities instead of
the crowd. While the Stone Slab Street reflected the ideology of people attracts people
as when the shops are crowded with people, pedestrians would definitely be curious
and interested to explore the shop which then creates an opportunity for optional
activities to occur.
Figure 2.3.2 Alley vendor (left) and stone slab street (right)
14. 2.4 Dissimilarities
Liveliness
Passiveness of the back lane at Jalan Stesen 1 created a high contrast with the main
street. It was only used by small number of pedestrians for shortcut and passing by due
to its insecure feeling. The back lane also mostly occupied by vehicles for parking
which reduces spaces for human. While in Queen’s Road Central, the alley such as Li
Yuen Street are utilized as stalls which created a lively street.
Cleanliness and conditions of back lane at Jalan Stesen 1 was unmaintained and
uncomfortable that makes people doesn’t stop by to have any activities within that
spaces. Also, most of the operating hours at Jalan Stesen 1 are shorter than Queen’s
Road Central which also affect the human density in both places.
“A characteristic common to all optional, recreational, and social activities is that they
take place only when the external conditions for stopping and moving about are good,
when a maximum number of advantages and a minimum of disadvantages are offered
physically, psychologically, and socially, and when it is in every respect pleasant to be
in the environment.” (Gehl, 2011, p.171) as reference to Gehl’s idea, passiveness of
the back lane at Jalan Stesen 1 is because the disadvantages are more than the
advantages physically, psychologically and socially. Hence the contact intensity is still
considerably high in Li Yuen Street throughout the day.
Figure 2.4.1 Backlanes (left) and Li Yuen Street (right)
15. One of the most important point of a well planned city streets are safety and walkability.
The junction plays an important role in both streets circulation. The KTM Station
located at the intersection of Jalan Besar. It has the highest intensity throughout the
whole day because it is a public transport connection to other cities where people
gather, waiting and travel to other places. However, it is a T-junction without traffic light
for vehicles to circulate which normally created traffic during peak hour, also a junction
without proper zebra crossing for pedestrians which created a kind of insecure. On the
contrary, junction at Queen’ Road Central has a better walkability which provide proper
zebra crossing and traffic light for pedestrians to cross the road safely and convenient.
The contact intensity at the junction of Jalan Besar is lower compared to Queen’s Road
Central due to the use of zebra crossing. Most of the pedestrians tend to cross road
away from the junction at Jalan Besar due to the lack of considerations for pedestrians
which brought insecure and danger although the main entrance of KTM station is
facing the junction. On the other hand, Queen’s Road Central, having a large zebra
crossing on the junction which created a node with higher level of intensity and a more
lively scene.
Both of the streets have important landmarks which required walkability for pedestrians
to travel. “Planners must take into consideration that it is the feeling of risk and
uncertainty rather than actual statistical risk that plays the decisive role in a given
situation. This implies that it is necessary to work carefully with both the actual traffic
safety and the feeling of security with regard to traffic.” (Gehl, 2011, p.173) as Jan Gehl
elaborates that the importance of safety considerations. The apply of zebra crossing
creates different circulation patterns and permeability for pedestrians which results in a
variation of contact intensity.
Safety & Walkability
Figure 2.4.2 Jalan Besar T - junction (left) and Queen’s Road Central (right)
17. 3.0 Conclusion
The overall condition of Jalan Stesen 1, Klang is quite active and fill with necessary
activities like taking KTM train to destinations, having meals and etc during the day.
The street is quiet and dormant during the night where almost every shop closes at
5pm and only vehicular circulation are transiting through the street. This is due to the
lack of optional activities along the street because most of the building serves as some
certain functions that creates necessary activities where people just drop by for a
certain purpose.
While Queen’s Road Central has a diverse range of necessary, optional and social
activities during the day and night. One of the major reason is due to the operating
hours of the shops and mall. Also, the street is surrounded by mall which contributes a
wide range of user group which creates a lively street life.
In conclusion, the theory of Jan Gehl that activities attracted people and people attract
people has clearly proven during my comparative analysis. In addition, functionality and
walkability is also a key towards the occurrence of activity which has a high contact
intensity.
18. 4.0 REFERENCES
1. “Life Between Buildings: Using Public Space”, Jan Gehl, (1986)
2. Queen's Road, Hong Kong. (2018). Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Road,_Hong_Kong
3. (2018). Retrieved from
https://www.itdp.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Better-Streets-Better-Cities-ITD
P-2011.pdf
4. WebsiteBuilder, 1. (2018). MID-LEVELS ESCALATORS - HONG KONG
EXTRAS3. Retrieved from
http://www.hongkongextras.com/_midlevels_escalators.html
5. [Hong Kong 6D5N] Stone Slabs Street 石板街 @ Pottinger Street, Central, Hong
Kong | Malaysian Flavours. (2018). Retrieved from
http://www.malaysianflavours.com/2014/07/hong-kong-6d5n-stone-slab-pottinger-
street-central-hong-kong.html
6. Kong, H. (2018). Li Yuen Street East & West. Retrieved from
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/hong-kong/shopping/li-yuen-street-east-west/
a/poi-sho/364195/355975
