1.0 SITE INTRODUCTION
This research paper focuses on the KL Sentral and Brickfields area. KL Sentral and
Brickfields area plays a crucial role in Malaysia Peninsula’s transportation core intersecting
point. The area gave the strong contrasting image of a city, the modern developed high-rise
building and the underdeveloped low-cost old shop houses existing side by side. However, this
contrasting image had become a tourist attraction in these recent years after the transformation
of Brickfields to “Little India”. The brick paved Jalan Tun Sambanthan with white street lamps
had marked the distinctive image of recognition to those who had reached KL Sentral area.
A street apart Jalan Tun Sambathan, locates Jalan Abdul Samad which is the street
focused in this research paper regarding the cognitive mapping. The area is conceived as the
suburb of KL Sentral where housed the mixed developed with partial new development under
construction; others are the old existing shop houses. Jalan Abdul Samad also bring a strong
sense of religious as it locates a lot of historic and religious building spreading along the small
alley such as Buddhist Maha Vihara Temple, Sam Kow Temple (three-teaching Temple) and
the Tamil Methodist Church. Compare to the fast pace living lifestyle in the hearth of KL
Sentral, here in Jalan Abdul Samad practices a more community-based lifestyle which includes
residential, schooling, trading, and religion. Hence, one would perceive the busy cultural street
of Jalan Tun Sambathan acting as an edge, separating the hearth of KL Sentral and the
suburb.
Having a historic background of brick making at this area, traces of old bricked shop
houses and brick paved pavements can still be seen, leaving the place with familiarity among
the elder generation while some part of the area is scaffolded for on-going new projects,
disturbing the locals’ territory (a sense of belonging) in an uncontrollable way, accommodating
along with a sense of insecurity for the unknown future developments and its consequences.
2.0 COGNITIVE MAPPING ANALYSIS
Kevin Lynch’s Image of the City records the analysis of people’s way of finding
throughout five years of interviewing people to form their own cognitive map of cities in
America. He eventually summarized the findings into the 5 elements theory. People tend to
form a mental map while walking through it (path), moving on the realization of the difference in
between (edge). Zooming out one who observe an area of similarities and started to “zone” out
areas (district). Important focal points or significant activities (nodes) (Landmark) are
identifiable, as one perceives an unfamiliar city as referencing point. With the aid of these 5
elements, the image of cognitive map is structured more precisely and effectively.
A cognitive map is the mental map where one created when moving away from our
immediate surrounding to places unknown to us. One tends to rely on clues to guide us
through. The records of information perceived along the way based on own observation and
understanding is called a cognitive map is then formed a story. A story that leads peoples to
walkthrough the landscape mentally.
Figure 1 Cognitive Map by an architecture student
A cognitive map travelling from KL Sentral to Jalan Abdul Samad is drawn after two
times visit to the area. The map is done by a student with architecture background and not
familiar with KL Sentral and Brickfields area.
The center of the map is the image of the Jalan Tun Sambathan, a general prominent
landmark with its cultural richness as perceived by those who are not familiar with the area. It is
drawn first in the middle of the map because of the author previous frequent experience with
the KL Sentral. (Referring to figure 2) As stated by Kevin Lynch (1959) a landmark is
heightened its value once attached with the history and meaning of activities to an objects.
(The Image of The City, page 81) KL Sentral acts as the dominating public transportation hub
had become most of the local’s reliance of daily travelling reference point before travel to other
places. The image of the KL Sentral is not remembered as a way that distinct form in the author
memory as the drawings of KL Sentral is unclear with the pink colour and with lots of taxies.
This is based on the regular travel drop off point throughout the author experience with the
ignorance of the actual whole picture of the KL Sentral, where one always travel internally
instead of externally. It had become an important node where the physical form is shapeless in
the memory but shaped with the activities attached to the subject.
Figure 2 KL Sentral along Jalan Tun Sambanthan as Center of Cognitive Map
The urge of moving on led by the similarity of the street patterns along Jalan Tun
Sambanthan, where the brick paved pavements giving the directional sense. Whole mass of
vehicles can be found along the street. The crowd along the five-foot walkway in front of the
shop houses lightens up the streets with happening activities and form small gathering node
along the shaded area. The human and transports traffic tend to drive the pedestrian to move
towards that direction as stated in Kevin Lynch’s theory of path, one is guided by main stream
of traffic. The path then lays the destination of Sri Kota at the end of the path, able to view from
the starting of the path, serve as another directing focal point leading the crowd towards
because one would know where would be the next place to go, and thus take action.
Figure 3 street similarities formed by the arches
Figure 4 Human and Vehicles traffic, guiding in direction of path
The path then stopped at the Sri Kota, a concentration of human activities because of
restaurants and street foods, intersecting point of the vehicles as it serves as the roundabout,
connecting various streets together. Various streets connected to the center square of
landscape feature, bringing a sense of wondering and confusing. It can be seen in the map as
dispersion of path happened here. Inability to foreseen the end of various intersecting paths
heightened the loss of direction.
Figure 5 Centre square of landscape feature
The continuous leading path interrupted by the sudden approach of Empty Square.
The changes of circulation of pedestrian from moving in straight course into circular form when
encounter the landscape area, making the people to stop in deciding which way to proceed.
The wonder makes the people to stay longer and tend to remember more about the
surrounding. Therefore, the colour of the building, the arrangement of foods, the fonts design at
the advertisement board had recorded in the map. The landscape area monument is drawn
based on the memory and end up high similarity with the reality appearance.
Figure 6 Drawing of Sri Kota node in cognitive map
Figure 7 Sri Kota image in reality
The existing node is considered fail in guiding direction, caused by the outstanding
landscape area with no relationship with the surrounding. The meaning of the sculpture and the
form makes the people wonder of its meaning. However, it served as a good referencing
landmark as it is visible from all direction. Directional signboards should be added into the node
in order to guide people to continue the journey.
Figure 8 Reference point visible from far
A research had carried out by Karen O’Rourke (Walking and Mapping: Artist’s As
Cartographers, pg117), tested on the ability of people to walk in straight course through
unfamiliar terrain, the Sahara Desert and large forest area. The result shows that people tend
to walk in circle under no external reference to recalibrate in the straight course. Jalan Sultan
Abdul Samad has lacking in directional reference as the whole street serves almost similar
language. This can be seen via the cognitive map where Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad is drawn in
circular form although the street is straight in reality. The circular form of the map actually
brings out two different districts by the mental map.
Figure 9 Circular Conception of Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad
Figure 10 Two districts of Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad
As perceived by the experience from walking along Jalan Abdul Samad, after Sri Kota
node, the building activities and street patterns and pedestrian behavior underwent two distinct
differences, which then led to deviation of path being drawn. The path below where first
underwent after the Sri Kota node is a whole stretch of temporary food stalls area with less
pleasing environment. Trash can be seen everywhere, food exposed to flies, oil stain from the
kitchen, noise by the eating people and working people, people travelling to and fro carrying
goods under the exposing sun. Following by the existence of low cost flat and ‘mamak food
stalls’ in between the alley and back lane had hence form a small district within the Jalan
Sultan Abdul Samad. The district mapped by the drawing also contains the low-rise terrace
houses, temporary food streets, which serves local Indian food, and rows of old shop houses.
These areas are imagined as a whole picture, which shares a same thematic unit. Referring to
Kevin Lynch’s district definition, area shares the same theme is seen as a district. (Page 68)
Figure 11 Messy and dirty street condition
Figure 12 Low cost flat areas
However, path above the cognitive map drawing is a different image compare to the
path in previous discussion. The path is drawn relatively closer to the KL Sentral as they serve
almost similar environment. Unlike the path below which is covered with dirty and noisy
background, the path above shares the more tranquil feelings, soft breezes blown, huge trees
planted along the pavements, following the rhythm of the breezes, pedestrian walking
relaxingly along the street, clean and wide road with lesser activities alongside, The building at
this area are normally for community daily needs based, which including mostly schools,
church and crossover pedestrian bridge. The buildings existed at this area are low in height, flat
and equipped with empty land. Although the path is divided into two distinct districts by the
memory map, the line is difficult to define as it shares the similar architecture style (similar
building colours and type and height) blurs the image of the city. Only experiencing through the
path individually can notify the line of difference.
Figure 13 Shady and windy pavement
Figure 14 Wide and Clean Environment
At the edge of the cognitive map drawn the memory edge of the area. Memory for this
area is weakly shown in the map. There’s no exact location along the street, and neither a
single special feature of the street is drawn. The area covers the whole stretch of common
shop houses, which used to connect the two distinct districts together in the author’s mental
map. The location of them in the map is not accurately stated. With only the strangely high level
of pedestrian walkway is experienced at the second stretch of shop houses.
Figure 15 Common old shop houses
Figure 16 Higher level of pedestrian walkway
Moving on to the top of the cognitive map drawings, there’re three pedestrian bridges
lying in the middle of the empty street. The contrasting design and colour (yellow) makes the
bridges another small landmarks for the streets. As bridges or flyover can be identified by edge
of the city, preventing the visual connection for path continuity. However, at this area the
continuation of bridges forms a sense of continuity for the viewer to continue the path.
Therefore, visual blockage of continuity can be overcome by having a repetition of an object to
form a sense of familiarity. The map is ended by a striking LRT railway track heading towards
KL Sentral from nowhere. The sudden appearance of the railway track creates question and
curiosity among the people for not knowing where does the track came from and where it is
heading. This eventually forms a visual edge for the journey as nothing is drawn beyond the
track.
Figure 17 Three bridges forming the edge
Figure 18 one of the bridges
3.0 CONCLUSION
In conclusion, KL Sentral and Brickfield are in fragmentation patterns. As drawn in the
cognitive map, the location of significant landmarks is arranged randomly according to their
historical originated place. The relationship between one with another is hardly seen in the
street causing the site to form variety of streets characteristic. This would then led to confusion
of recognition of image of the city. It can be seen via the random placement of the iconic
buildings drawn in the cognitive map.
The
image of the
area might
Figure 19 Another bridge
Figure 20 The sudden approach of LRT railway track
be perceived as individual images rather than a picture of whole. However, the cognitive
mapping is done based on the different personal experience and grown up background,
therefore the accuracy of it might still need to be enhanced and developed. As Kevin Lynch
stated, most often our perception of the city is not sustained (scene changes, human crowd
shifting generations and function of building changes) but rather more fragmentary mixed with
other concerns. There’s no final result to create a good beautiful cities, agreed by people of
widely diverse class and characteristic. Therefore, only partial control can be emphasized over
the city growth and form while it may be retained in the overall form but keep changing in
details.
To enhance the messy arrangement of the site, including of similarity or repetition of
features, nature or man-made, in order to create strong relationship among the whole area. For
now, the hearth of KL Sentral is doing a good job in putting the arches along the street and
brick paved, forming a strong one language of Jalan Tun Sambanthan. However, the language
descended as it goes further in the suburb area. By introducing the landscape design into
street patterns can also making the image of city clearer and more directional.
Put it in a nutshell, Image of City by Kevin Lynch is a good reference book when came
to urban design. The building behavior interrelated to the human behavior forming the
consideration of the design motive, whether where should the building faces? How should the
circulation are going to be? How to make the people stay and experience the building being
designed? Kevin concludes all of them.
4.0 RERENCE
1) Brickfields' transformation – recognition for Indians. (2013, April 25). New Straits Time. Retrieved from http://www.mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.htm?dtl/21605/Brickfields transformation recognition for Indians
2) Kuala Lumpur Little India Brickfields. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.kuala- lumpur.ws/attractions/brickfields.htm#
3) K. (2013). Walking and Mapping: Artists as Cartographers. Retrieved from https://books.google.com.my/books?id=wI_MlDWcPswC&printsec=frontco ver#v=onepage&q&f=false
4) K. (1960). The Image of th City. Cambridge Massachusetts: MIT Press.
5) R. H., S. C., & M. (n.d.). An Analysis of four measures of cognitive map. 254-264. Retrieved from http://www.edra.org/sites/default/files/publications/EDRA04-Howard-254-264_1.pdf