Images of a City

Nodes, Paths, Districts, Landmarks and Edges as observed in a walkabout

By Lim Ming Jun U2002924
 Dataran Bangunan
Merdeka Sultan Abdul Samad
Start

End

Follow me on a Bus Hub

visual journey as I Lebuh Pudu
identify the five Central
images of a city as Market
introduced by Kevin
Lynch in this
historical part of
Kuala Lumpur.

Petaling
Street
Node
Bridge overlooking river

In my understanding, nodes are

places where people gather and there
are activities being carried out at
those locations.

Starting from the River of Life, there

is a bridge where visitors stop and
stare at the confluence of two rivers –
Sungai Klang and Sungai Rombak

This bridge could be viewed as a

path too as people walk across it
Landmark
Confluence point of Sungai Klang and
Sungai Gombak

Captured (in part) in this image is

the Masjid Jamek and ‘Kuala
Lumpur’ Sign in the background
which add to this landmark’s
significance

This picture is taken from an

observation deck located next to
the river of life.
Path
Cycling lane

There is a cycling lane throughout

the district which forms a path –
not for pedestrians but for cyclists.
The cycling lane is painted blue
thus creating a clear and
contrasting colour from the tar road
and brick road
Path
Kasturi Walk

Kasturi Walk is a path located next

to Central Market
It is a path characterised by its
usage as a walking path but at the
front entrance, there is an arch
featuring a giant Wau thus making
it a landmark as well.
In weekends, there are markets
held along this path, therefore the
front entrance of Kasturi Walk may
be a node also.
District
Central Market

Central Market represents the

district of art and culture in this
part of Kuala Lumpur
It groups together artists and
attracts visitors to explore what it
has to offer within it
The front of Central Market has a
distinct blue colour thus making it
as a landmark as well.
Edge
Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock

This major road gives me an

impression that it is the edge from
the art and culture district of Central
Market and Kasturi Walk.
Naturally, when we came up, we did
not have the instinct to walk across
the road, but instead, we turned left
and walked along it before crossing it
at a proper junction.
The fast-moving vehicles contributes
to the image of the road being the
edge from the district.
Being a road, it is naturally a path for
vehicles, but from my point of view,
it is a more significant edge than it is
a path
Node
Guan Di Temple

This temple serves as a node for its

believers to gather for prayers and
other religious activities.
Node
Cross junction of Jalan Sultan and
Jalan Tun H S Lee
This particular junction strikes me
as a node as the walkabout group
stopped and took a breather while
some entered 7-Eleven for
refreshments.
There is also an entrance into MRT
Pasar Seni as seen on the picture of
the left – people walk in and out of
the station and cross the road here.
The MRT Pasar Seni could be seen
in the background of the picture.
Buses parked along this road thus
creating a busier street impression.
Landmark
Petaling Street

Despite it being a street, Petaling

Street is a landmark, in my opinion,
in this part of the Kuala Lumpur.
As a street, it is also a path; as a
place where visitors shop and
commercial activities are carried
out, it is a node. During Chinese
festivities, it’s image as a node is
definitely stronger as people flock
here for festival items.
This gateway in particular is the
landmark and definitive image of
Petaling Street.
Node
Hawkers and street food stalls

Along Petaling Street, I found

myself ended up queuing behind a
line of people for a few times at
these stalls. I was not looking to
buy food.
In my opinion, these street food
stalls are nodes on their own as
they attract people to stop by for
purchase.
They may be small nodes –
insignificant on their own – but
collectively, they make up the soul
of Petaling Street.
Node
REXKL

REXKL being a community centre/

event space for art, music, food and
cultural activities is a node.
It used to be a cinema but got
repurposed into its current use. For
the older generation, this place was
definitely a landmark in this district
but as the cinema was gone, the
district had lost its unique
landmark.
As REXKL came to be now, it may
be a new landmark perhaps only
popular in a younger generation.
Node
Bus Hub Lebuh Pudu (Mydin Store)

I recognise this place as a node

because of the bustling people
going into and out of Mydin Store
as well as the passengers sitting at
the benches.
This is perhaps a transportation
node for buses and taxis. It is
significant as it has curved shade
on top.
I believe this place was also a node
in the past also when buses and
taxis were the preferred choices by
public.
Edge
Jalan Tun Perak

Jalan Tun Perak signifies the edge

of the district with the high traffic
volume and on top of that, there is
an LRT track which visually cut off
the district, buildings and area
across the road.
The landscape by the walkways
also serve as an obstacle or
reminder for pedestrians to not
simply jaywalk across the road.
Node
LRT Masjid Jamek

This LRT station serves as a node

along the Kelana Jaya LRT line as
well as interchange station to
Ampang/Sri Petaling LRT Line
Path
Jalan Raja

In my opinion, Jalan Raja is a path

instead of an edge despite the road
separating Bangunan Sultan Abdul
Samad and Dataran Merdeka. This
is because there is a non-
separatable cultural and heritage
link between the two.
Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad and
Dataran Merdeka are landmarks on
their own, but from one side, I
could see the other. Physically they
may be separated as by a path, but
in my impression, they are one
collective image.
 Dataran Bangunan
Merdeka Sultan Abdul Samad
Follow me on a
visual journey Start
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I identify the my
concludes
five images
visual of a
documentation ofEnd
city
theaswalkabout and my
introduced
take on thebyurban
Bus Hub
Kevin
imagesLynch in
as introduced by Lebuh Pudu
this historical
Kevin Lynch Central
part of Kuala Market
Lumpur.
Thank you for the cool
experience of walking
around the city for a
change outside the
lecture room and the
treat!
Petaling
Street