SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE BUILDING & DESIGN

BSC (HONS) IN ARCHITECTURE

THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM

ARC 61303

PROJECT 2 :
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ESSAY

ONG VON WAN

0323364

TUTOR : MR NICHOLAS
TABLE OF CONTENT

1.0 Introduction
1.1 Frame of Reference
- Jalan Besar, Klang
- Nguyen Trai, Ho Chi Minh
1.2 Grounds of Comparison
1.3 Thesis Statement

2.0 Importance of Context to Contact Points

2.1 Intensity from Location
- Parks
- Transitional Space
2.2 Intensity from Activity
- Retail
- Attractions

3.0 Conclusion

4.0 References
 1.0 INTRODUCTION

Southeast Asia is a region with many countries that gained independence

from occupying countries such as the British, Spanish, French, etc. The occupation
of alien countries influenced the diversity of culture in Southeast Asian countries,
affecting the religion, food and architecture. Such is the case for countries such as
Malaysia and Vietnam, countries that have gained independence from their
respective occupants. The result from the independence from these countries are a
boost in economy growth and infrastructure. And the more the growth of
infrastructure, the more the need for quality public spaces.

Figure 1 : Historical Picture of British Influence in Klang (source : Malaysiasaya)

1.1 Frame of Reference

To study public spaces in Southeast Asia, two sites are brought to be

compared and contrasted from each other. The first site of study is Jalan
Besar, Klang, Selangor, Malaysia. The second site of study is Nguyen Trai,
Phuong Nguyen Cu Trinh, Quan 1, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

Figure 2 : Shophouses along Jalan Besar (source : Pretty Simply Normal)

Jalan Besar is a street in the royal town of Klang, a significant town

both geographically and historically. It is situated in the south of the Klang
River that runs through Kuala Lumpur to Port Klang. The street has tourist
attractions, traditional shops and restaurants. The town has experienced
many historical events such as, the British occupation, the introduction of
mining activities, and the Japanese occupation. In recent times, the town has
been dwindling from relevance as modern urbanism rises.
 Figure 3 : Traffic circle on Nguyen Trai Street (source : SaigonNezumi)

Named after the famous Vietnamese Confucian scholar, Nguyen Trai

street is situated in the centre of Ho Chi Minh city and has a number of
markets, shops, and community centres. The street connects the modern
District 1 to the culturally wealthy District 5. Ho Chi Minh city, previously
known as Saigon went through the occupation of the French that has brought
in new cultures to their food and architecture. Their urban landscape was also
changed upon the liberation of Saigon that combined a few districts into Ho
Chi Minh city.
1.2 Grounds for Comparison

The two sites from Malaysia and Vietnam are compared with each
other, Jalan Besar and Nguyen Trai. The sites for study are comparable in
many aspects of similarities and differences. From a bigger perspective, the
sites are from Southeast Asia and have similar topography and historical
context. In specifics, the streets present many public spaces for study and
comparisons.

1.3 Thesis Statement

Although the streets may be similar in many aspects of context, the

different types of public spaces and activities will be able to study the
importance of context to create high intensity contact points in accordance to
the theories from “Life Between Buildings” by Jan Gehl.
 2.0 IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXT TO CONTACT POINTS

In Jan Gehl’s “Life Between Buildings”, public spaces are a space that is in
need of contacts and interactions. To look for opportunities to be included in
activities or meetings, to experience other people functioning in different forms.
Contacts vary from the minimum of the “see and hear” passive contacts to the higher
intensity of close friendship contacts. These contact points make up for a quality
public space while the context of activities defines a contact point. The activities are
categorized a few types to simplify spaces that have very different demands on the
physical environment. Necessary activities are compulsory activities such as
everyday tasks and pastimes. Optional activities are pursuits participated based only
on a wish to do so when it is conveniently available. Social activities are activities
that depend on presence of others to interact with. The study will compare the two
streets with activities dependent on location and activities dependent on attractions.

Figure 4 : Diagram of Types of Activities in Relation to Quality of Space (source : Jan Gehl’s Life
Between Buildings, p13)

Figure 5 : Diagram of Types of Activities in Relation to Quality of Space (source : Jan Gehl’s Life
Between Buildings, p17)
 2.1 Intensity from Location

Contact Point 1 (Klang)

To study the intensity of contact points dictated by location, the
parks and transitional spaces of the two sites are compared. In Jalan
Besar, the small park of green space along the street is a space that is a
low contact point. The park is secluded by small roads amongst the
shophouses and is opposite royal gallery, beside a bank. Also, the space
has no amenities and is unmaintained with overgrowth of plants and
trees, therefore it discourages public usage of typical activities of a public
park, such as exercising and socializing. The location of the park does
not link any necessary spaces and is not strategically placed, further
decreasing the usage of the park. Due to the issues stated, the park in
Jalan Besar is mainly a passive contact point with very low opportunities
for public interaction and only occasional “see and hear” interactions
between passerby. There is also a low chances for activities to be held in
the space as there are little to no people that depends on the usage of
the park.

Figure 6 : Picture of park along Jalan Besar at night (source : Ong Von Wan)
 Contact Point 2 (Nguyen Trai)
From a different perspective, in Nguyen Trai from Vietnam, there
is a public park known as Cong Vien An Binh park which is located at a
crossroad. In its direct vicinity, there are three hospitals and mall,
whereas in the park itself there are proper maintained public amenities of
benches and pathways. Along the roadside of the park, there is a street
vendor that sells toys to the motorcyclists that frequent the street. The
park is a high contact point with many activities. Due to the nearby
context, the park has very high linkage with the surroundings, for
example when the public needs to traverse from one hospital to another.
The maintained and convenient amenities attract more public use and
create more contact points from passive to close contacts.

Figure 7 : Picture of Cong Vien An Binh park along Nguyen Trai (source : Google Maps)
Contact Point 3 (Klang)
Back to Malaysia, the KTM Station along Jalan Besar is one of the
main mode of transportation as well as a gathering point for the people of
Klang. Therefore, the station is a necessary activity with activities such
as waiting for the train, talking to friends, and buying from the
mini-market. The contact point is at its peak of activity during peak hours
of 7am and 6pm, when people go to work and school and return
respectively. There is a variety of contacts in the station, from passive
contacts of strangers to the close contact of friends and family
socializing. The station is a space that only functions as a transitory
space so people are not encouraged to linger around. During peak
hours, the station is congested with many people as they are waiting for
the train. For the people returning, the user will have to cross the street
congested with cars and have to wait by the roadside until there is a
chance to cross.

Figure 8 : Picture of KTM Station in Jalan Besar (source : Google Maps)

 Contact Point 4 (Nguyen Trai)
Whereas from Nguyen Trai, the public is greeted by roadside
stalls before arriving to an alleyway. The alleyway faces a university and
allows access other spaces deeper within the alley. Shops and a cinema
is located deeper in the alleyway and is frequented by locals. The
contact point has a variety of passive to close contact point from
strangers to closer relationships. The public uses the alley as a
transitional space to reach two points. The alleyway allows for the
necessary activity of traversing through the dense urban grid to get to
necessary spaces such as the university. The optional activities of
shopping also attracts the public to cross the alleyway and browse the
retails. The alley boasts the linkage of many amenities.

Figure 9 : Picture of alleyway along Nguyen Trai Street (source : Google Maps)

To conclude that the intensity of contact point in public spaces are

directly dictated from location, the two types of spaces from the two sites
are compared to each other. Comparing the parks of Jalan Besar and
Nguyen Trai, the contrasting intensity of contact points allow us to
understand that location and linkage to surrounding vicinity is vital in
creating opportunities for necessary and optional activities. In transitional
spaces of Jalan Besar and Nguyen Trai, both spaces have similar
intensity of activities and proves that a quality public space needs to be
in the vicinity of key locations that provide important activities to the
public.
 2.2 Intensity from Activities

Contact Point 5 (Klang)

To compare the intensity of contact points from activities, the retail
and attractions of the two sites are studied. Firstly, Jalan Stesen 1 is a
small street in Klang connected to Jalan Besar. Rows of shophouses are
located along the street and are mainly retail shops with traditional
businesses such as fashion textile shops, watch shops and traditional
medicine shops. School stationery shops and restaurants are also found
but the street is a slow paced and is a low contact point with only a small
amount of visitors. Jalan Stesen 1 is a neglected street that is difficult to
navigate to and more importantly, the shops does not attract the public.
The low amount of contact and activities discourages the public to use
the street.

Figure 10 : Picture of Jalan Stesen 1 from crossroad of Jalan Besar (source : Google Maps)
 Contact Point 6 (Nguyen Trai)
In Nguyen Trai, the famous night market is visited by tourists and
locals alike. The night market consists of casually opened stalls located
along the stretch of Nguyen Trai. The night market mainly features
material goods that are cheap and attractive to customers. The night
market is consistently a high contact point when it is open only in the
night. Due to the popularity, the bus stop near the night market is a
necessary gathering point for the public and is a place for passive “see
and hear” contacts. The main activities are optional activities of shopping
and examining the items displayed by the stalls of the night market. The
local culture in the market is to bargain with the seller for a better price
until an agreement is made, which makes the night market bustling with
activity and voices. Interestingly, motorcyclists may stop inside the road
shoulder where the stalls are set up to interact with the owners of the
stalls.

Figure 11 : Picture of night market along Nguyen Trai Street (source : Vietnam Travel)
 Contact Point 7 (Klang)
The attraction in Klang is the Little India located along Jalan
Tengku Kelana. The retail shops are located along two sides of the street
and is difficult to cross from one side to another. The retail activities are
held during the daytime which is convenient for the locals. The street has
high contact points especially during festive seasons. The shops along
Little India are traditional and religious trades that sell Indian spices,
textiles and prayer items. The street is frequently visited by optional
activities from casual window shoppers as well as necessary activities
from customers looking to buy prayer products needed for religious
purposes.

Figure 12 : Picture of Little India during festive season (source : Tourism Selangor)
 Contact Point 8 (Nguyen Trai)
Also from Nguyen Trai, Hai Ky Mi Gia is a famous restaurant in
Ho Chi Minh that is located at a crossroad of Nguyen Trai street and an
alleyway. The crossroads separates the restaurant into two units. The
restaurant is a high contact point varying from passive to close contacts.
The restaurant has social and optional activities with the patreons talking
to each other to individuals enjoying their meal alone. The customers use
the restaurant as a place for eating and socializing therefore the
customers linger in the restaurant until they are satisfied. Due to the
separation from the alleyway, the staff have the necessary activity to
constantly cross the alley to serve customers on the other side.

Figure 13 : Picture of Hai Ky Mi Gia along Nguyen Trai Street (source : Google Maps)

As a conclusion that activities are important to the intensity of

contact points, retail spaces and attractions of Klang and Nguyen Trai
are compared to each other. Comparing the retail spaces from Jalan
Stesen 1 and Nguyen Trai Night Market, the aspects of the spaces
contrast each other. Jalan Stesen 1 has a low contact point because it
does not have an activity that attracts locals such as the night market
bargaining in Nguyen Trai. Next, comparing the attractions of the two
sites, both are high contact points but have different functions. In Little
India, the intensity of contact point is contributed by festivities as well as
addressing the locals necessities. In contrast, the intensity of the
restaurant in Nguyen Trai is attributed by their fame to loyal locals as
well as curious tourists
. ​3.0 CONCLUSION

To conclude the essay, even though there are many types of public spaces
taken from the seemingly similar Klang and Nguyen Trai, the comparisons provide a
clearer understanding of the importance of context to create high intensity contact
points in relevance to the theories stated in Jan Gehl’s “Life Between Buildings”. In
context, the factors that can affect the intensity of contact points are site location and
site activities.

From the comparisons of site locations from different types of spaces in the
two sites, a few aspects of the location that affects intensity of contacts can be
broken down. The low contact point of the park in Jalan Besar can be attributed to
the lack of amenities for public use. The success of the KTM Station in Klang, the
park and alleyway in Nguyen Trai are from the strategic placement and linkages to
the surrounding context.

The comparisons of site activities of retail spaces and attractions from the
respective two sites have concluded that responding to local needs and interests
enhances the quality of public spaces, therefore increasing the intensity of the
contact point. In Jalan Stesen 1, the shophouses did not attract to the needs of the
public enough to increase the intensity of contact point. Whereas in Little India of
Klang, and the night market and restaurant of Nguyen Trai, the public spaces has
activities that is important to the local community.

Finally, the comparisons from Klang and Nguyen Trai have similar and
contrasting points that explains the importance of context in quality public realms of
high intensity contact points.
. ​4.0 REFERENCES

BOOKS

Gehl, J. (1996). ​Life between buildings: Using public space​. Beijing: Garden City

Publishing.

WEBSITES

Klang Baseline Study. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://thinkcity.com.my/urban-solutions/cultural-mapping/baseline-studies/klang

-baseline-study/

Top 10 Streets for your Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) Shopping. (2018, June 11). Retrieved

from https://www.itourvn.com/blog/top-10-streets-for-your-ho-chi-minh-shopping

Top Klang Attractions - What to see in Klang, Selangor. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.malaysia-traveller.com/top-klang-attractions.html

Vu, V. (2017, April 13). The Best Places Near Nguyen Trai Street - Christina's

Saigon The Mothership. Retrieved from

https://blog.christinas.vn/where-to-go-near-nguyen-trai-street/

Workman, V., & D. (2018, February 08). Klang Sightseeing: Unique Things to See &

Do in Klang, Malaysia. Retrieved from

https://www.theislanddrum.com/unique-klang-sightseeing/