Human activity in covered urban space a case study of Petaling street, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Streets are channels of movement and a symbolic representation of local tradition and culture. In South East Asian cities like Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, they are avenues for socialization just as what plazas are in Europe. They are publicly acknowledged joints for entertainment of peer groups, fami...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Conference or Workshop Item |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2008
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://eprints.usm.my/34935/ http://eprints.usm.my/34935/1/HBP48.pdf |
| Summary: | Streets are channels of movement and a symbolic representation of local
tradition and culture. In South East Asian cities like Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, they are
avenues for socialization just as what plazas are in Europe. They are publicly acknowledged
joints for entertainment of peer groups, family members, and guests alike. The physical
quality of a street determines the human activities it could support. The changing identity of
Petaling Street activity character with the introduction of a permanent cover for the traditional
market altered its original activity pattern. It is therefore imperative to evaluate the impact of
the new physical environment on human activities within it. The behavioural analysis of the
covered street was conducted to appraise its ability to support or restrict human behaviour.
User activities of the environment were observed systematically to establish behaviour
pattern of the street. Behavioural mapping, behaviour categorisation and behaviour analysis
were carried out to identify the functional characteristics associated with covered streets.
The research findings show that there is a very strong functional characteristic of the
covered street which is consistent with theories of environmental quality enhances human
activity. They play a very important role in determining the user of the street, their activities
and behavioural patterns. It also realized that the built environment could be to be
manipulated to control human behaviour. The research identified that elements such as
pedestrian comfort and adjacent land uses appear to influence the level of use within the
pedestrian malls. This research will enhance the understanding of design decisions at
different scales, such as the introduction of covered streets in Malaysian traditional markets
like Petaling Street. |
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