SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN

Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Architecture

THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC2224) (ARC61303)

PROJECT PART B

NAME : WONG TENG CHUN

ID : 0318538

LECTURER : MR NICHOLAS NG KHOON WU

1.0 Introduction

The objective of this research paper is to investigate the elements of individual to create their

own strong identity image of the city. Cognitive map is used to present the understanding of

emerging contemporary urbanism in Brickfield in relations to Kevin Lynch’s theory and how it

influences on people’s perception of the city. To assist the validation of the research, personal

observation, case study and various literature reviews are done based on theories that are related

to mental mapping in relation to site context. This research paper aims to find out the objective by

responding to the following questions:

1. What are the elements that alter human’s perception on presenting their mental mapping?

2. How Kevin Lynch’s theory are related to individual’s mental mapping?

3. How cognitive mapping define the identity or idea of an individual of a site?

1.1 Introduction to the site

Figure 1.1: Map of research area; Brickfields

This research paper revolved around a medium-sized town that consists of commercial and

residential area, located right outside central of Kuala Lumpur called Brickfields. Brickfields is

recognized as “Little India” town due to its high percentage of Indian community present. The

reason why it is crowded with Indian community is because of the history of the site whereby they

are brought over for railway station construction and bricks productions. The business of bricks

production is furthered by Yap Kwan Seng as the demand for bricks increased. Brickfields also used

to be a main depot for KTM during the administration of British to export it goods. It was then

became the largest transit hub in Kuala Lumpur area. As the time pass, different community joins

Brickfields and grow into a larger community. Besides that, Brickfields became an attraction point

for tourism as the place is full of historical and cultural elements and businesses all around the

places. Public transport facilities enable people to access Brickfields easily including the students for

institutions.

Figure 1.2: Map of researched zone in Brickfields

This research will be conducted on area D, right in the middle of Brickfield. That area is

surrounded by Jalan Tun Sambantan and Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad. The area is mainly shoplots

from the opposite of the NU Sentral way down to “Little India”.

2.0 Cognitive Mapping

Cognitive mapping was firstly introduced by psychologist E. C. Tolmon explaining on study of

“how rats learned the rewards in the maze”. Cognitive map, also called mental map, is a type of

mental representation of an individual of a certain physical location. A cognitive mapping of a

person will look for a physical qualities which relate to the attributes of identity and structure in the

mental image. That quality of physical object has high probability power of evoking strong image in

any given observers. In another word, it can be described as a map whereby important features are

define from the surrounding and use it as a reference to find their way. The cognitive map includes

the human’s physical sensory to identify the features of the surrounding. Each of the people has

their own memory of a place as their own mental map. The irrelevant or unimportant features by

individual will be excluded from their mental mapping.

This following cognitive mapping is drawn by me as a local whereby has only been to the

place 2 times recently and a time in the past. The unfamiliar of the site context enable to

distinguish the different and unique features, icon and symbol of the surrounding more effectively.

Figure 2.1: Cognitive mapping drawn by Wong Teng Chun

3.0 Analytic Essay

3.1 Walking Experience and factors of recognition

NU Sentral is a shopping complex whereby is connected to KL Sentral, the main railway hub

throughout the country. Therefore, the starting point of researched zone in Brickfields is chosen to

be at NU Sentral because it is the gathering place for everyone whom visit from another place. It

serves as a starting point for everyone to explore Brickfields.

Figure 3.1: NU Sentral as starting point

Figure 3.2: Crossover Bridge Figure 3.3: Performers at the other side of cross

over bridge

The very first intention coming out from NU Sentral was to cross to the other side of the

road full. The crossover bridge are located right in front of the entrance and cross it to the other

side of the road. People are gathered at the exit of the crossover bridge for the street performers.

The path was chosen down to “Little India” along the cultural arc at the side of the walkway

pavement.

There are a few factors that draws one to the crossover bridge and to cross it to the other

side of the road. One of the factors to bring the people towards the crossover bridge is that it has

an interesting and unique form that creates the excitement and draws people to explore and

experience it. The crossover bridge is located very near to the entrance of the NU Sentral that also

another factor that allow people to access the crossover bridge easily. In the text of Jan Gehl’s “Life

Between Building” describe that people are drawn to activities rather than a space. The 3 type of

activities include optional activity, necessary activity and social activity. At the other end of the

bridge, performers act as social activity element to attract the people to approach them. The

orientation of the crossover bridge define the pedestrian path along Jalan Tun Sambanthan to Little

India direction.

Figure 3.4: Menara SHELL Figure 3.5: Human Statue

The “Menara SHELL” building is located in a near distance with NU Sentral and then was

seen on the other side of the road. It has an enormous volume and size in respond to its unique

shape of architectural design. A small human statue located right opposite of large Menara SHELL is

visited by people for photography.

Due to Menara SHELL’s large size and zig zag volume shape, it became a very noticeable and

recognizable by everyone including the first time visiting. On eye view on street level, the human

statue became noticeable because the gate is open widely. The large opening invites people to go

in freely and have photographs. The building and the statue has historical value started before

Brickfields was developed into today. Charles Jenks describe that people give a meaning to a sign or

symbol. In this case, that statue has its meaning from the society and became a public attraction for

anyone that pass by that area.

The walk continues till reached the “Little India”. The width of the walkway became huge

and spacious with number of shoplots increases along. Looking backwards, the high-rise are clearly

Figure 3.6: Little India

to be seen and no view are being obstructed knowing a clear location of where they are from the

starting point.

The spacious walkway gave a clear view of everything ranged from near to a distant

structure. This allow pedestrian to notice the landmarks of the surrounding and became one of the

features as it is the only place that can do it. Cultural arc also present at Little India adding it more

with cultural meaning to the surrounding other than high percentage of Indian community present.

These features made this space easier to be recognized and memorable.

The walk continues and left path was chosen as it has more interesting element to be

explore around the site. The incompleteness of the road along the way keep pedestrian to stay in

the unchanged pathway and leads to the school compound. The walkway became narrow and

compact and it was sheltered all along by vehicle such as buses.

The change of pathway volume and width size and the shading from the hot sun stimulate a

person’s senses of the surrounding. This happens when an individual gain different experiences by

changing its physical conditions. This enable people to remember and recognised based on their

senses to the surrounding.

Figure 3.7: Walkway beside school compound

Moving forward, a small house was discovered with 2 little monkeys locked in a cage. A

table of burned candles are left outside the house. Inside the house, cultural music was played and

finds out little kid wore their traditional outfit taking traditional dancing classes.

The cultural elements are present in this place. Cultural objects, features and practices

stimulates a person memory to be recognizable and memorable. Repeating the theory by Jan Gehl,

the dancing classes is an activities that attracts attention and draws people to explore the source of

music.

Figure 3.8: Monkey in the cage Figure 3.9: Religious house

Figure 3.10: Left over burned candles

After that, a Tamil Methodist Church was discovered with a unique and sharp shape;

triangle, coloured in white. The façade has a nice stone texture with 3 long and narrow opening on

it.

Charles Jencks describe that meaning of sign are given by the society and each of them

define it with different meaning behind. The cultural symbol of a cross and its sharp shape are

unique along the road which give a deep impression of Christianity for pedestrian. The sharp form

of this church are very distinctive from the site context. Juhani Pallasma describe that visual can

stimulate other senses when they are not having sensing experience. In this case, visual on the

texture stimulate senses as well as evoking the emotion of pure and white elements of Christianity.

Figure 3.11: Tamil Methodist Church

Figure 3.12: Distant view of parking area Figure 3.13: Graffiti wall

A short distance after the Tamil Methodist Church, an empty and spacious parking lot was

spotted with street graffiti at the very end of the wall. Railway structure are located right beside the

parking lot.

Based on Charles Jenks, the wall graffiti wall has given meanings and became a street

culture which act as a symbol for pedestrian to be recognized. The subtraction of volume (huge

parking space appear as walking), setback, is one of the factor to draw pedestrian’s attention. The

clear view of the huge space invite the pedestrian exploring emotion and thus found the graffiti

wall making it easy to be recognize and memorable.

The journey continues, passing by a large field of empty land. A small red building was

contrasting from the existing shoplot attracting attention and took a turn into a small alley. It was a

Chinese temple, “Sam Kaw Tong Chinese Temple”. The road was small enough to allow a vehicle to

drive through at a time. The alley is decorated with colourful flags all on top of the road. At the end

of the road, left direction was headed to as the left is more interesting to be explored than the

right.

The colour became contrasting element as it is different from the surrounding and attract

pedestrian attention towards it. The cultural elements of the building differs in the modern

architecture building compound which makes the building stands out.

Figure 3.14: Sam Kaw Tong Chinese Temple Figure 3.15: Small road beside temple

On the way walking towards the starting point, a sudden turn of pathway has discovered.

The flow of the pathway was disrupted causing an awkward walking experience. In the middle of

the building is the railway track for the transit train. The track penetrates through the buildings

from both side and pass through the graffiti wall.

The disrupted pathway disturbed the smooth walking experience causing to have a memory

of that incident. The train coming out from the railway track act as a surprise element for

pedestrian. This catches the attention of the pedestrian and draws them to go forward to it for

exploration. Based on Juhani Pallesma, human sensory are aggressively seeking on sensing

experiences rather than being a passive receiver.

Figure 3.16: Disrupted pathway Figure 3.17: Railway track station

3.2 Discussion and Analysis on Cognitive Mapping

The cognitive mapping is produced based on factors that influence on one’s recognisability

of the places which includes proximity, size, location, shape and social-cultural factors. Based on

Kevin Lynch, the mapping should be convey with his theory of the 5 elements; path, edges, districts,

nodes and landmarks.

Path. According to Kevin Lynch, the path should have a continuity flow to movement and

has an obvious functional necessity. He also states that “path may not be identifiable and

continuous but has direction quality”. In the mental map, the path is constructed according to the

flow of the movement where incomplete pathway is eliminated or not chosen by the individual.

The path also was identified by the crossover bridge directing the pedestrian to the main attraction

of the town, Little India. Juhani Pallasman describe that “…senses as aggressively seeking

mechanisms rather than mere passive receivers”. The reason why the map circulate around is

because that in that compound, the individual finds interesting or exciting element for fulfilling

their sensing needs. In the mapping, after the Chinese temple, left path was chosen as it has

buildings, railway structure and activities than the right side.

Edges. Kevin Lynch define edges of the site as inaccessible path or area to the pedestrian.

That will create a boundary to define the site itself. The mental map has its boundary defined by

Figure 3.18: Railway track defining edges

the inaccessibility of pedestrian to cross over it. The one of the left hand side would be railway

track that goes to the KL Sentral. Figure 3.18 shows the railway track became the edges as no one is

allow to invade the private property of train station.

District. Kevin Lynch refer district as a relatively large sections of the city distinguished by

some identity or character. The physical characteristic that determine districts are thematic

continuity consists of various component. Edges can act as secondary role of district to help

distinguish and define more. The map shows a clear district component throughout the journey by

showing the sequence of district that has been through. On the left hand side of the cognitive map

is business district and on right side are religious district. This interpretation is made based on the

walking experience throughout the site. It defines the district that a person has gone through.

Nodes. Kevin Lynch states nodes are point or strategic spots in the city that public can enter

and is intensive foci. Junction of path, a place of break and transportation stop also can be nodes

where they heighten their attention to the surroundings. Nodes are made up of concentration of

humans to be in a certain place. Activities also attracts people to approach and gather. To support

that argument, Jan Gehl describe that human are attracted by activities in the space rather than a

space without activity. Nodes became memorable when it draws pedestrian attention towards it.

For example, the performers at the crossover bridge create a memorable impact to the pedestrian.

Landmarks. According to Kevin Lynch, landmark is a point-reference whereby it is used

externally as a guide for way finding. The landmarks has its uniqueness, specialization or

memorable in the context. The landmarks that is easily identifiable most likely be chosen with

significant, contrast with the background or prominence of spatial location. In the mental map, the

landmarks are crossover bridge, Menara SHELL, Chinese temple, graffiti walls and Tamil Methodist

Church as each of them has achieved the requirement to be as a landmark.

4.0 Conclusion

The cognitive mapping by an individual show how one define the identity of the site,

Brickfields. The mind-mapping characteristic criteria would be proximity, size, location, shape

and social-cultured factors. Kevin Lynch’s image of city: 5 elements theory of a city; path, edges,

district, nodes and landmarks describe the physical characteristic, appearance or features of the

site into the mapping. The use of only Kevin Lynch’s theory alone is insufficient to help one to

define the identity of a place.

Theories by other authors does help and contribute for an individual to define the identity

more in depth. Jane Jacobs analyse the city with different consideration taken to define a city.

She define it with safety, contact and children of the sidewalk as the identity. Her theory helps

to judge the urban town. Other than that, Charles Jencks theory can be applied to define the

identity more clearly. He states that the symbols, landmarks, has their own multi-valent

meaning that is given by the referent. Every element in the site has the meaning behind it and

to be given by the people depending on how much they interpret it as a whole. Therefore,

different individual define the landmark differently with their own understanding to the site.

Juhani Pallasma’s theory on memory stored within body enable an individual to recognized and

link the elements or characteristic of an object or culture to shape the site identity. For

example, the smell of the flower and the burned candles from that context remind the

individual’s conscious about Indian culture.

With these, an individual define the identity unconsciously based on their self-evaluation on

site. However, each of the individual has their own definition of their cognitive mapping.

Therefore, their interpretation on the place are different from each other as they has different

level of experience of senses and knowledge with them.

References Gehl, J. (1987). Life Between Buildings Using Public Space. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.

Jacobs, J. (1961). The Death And Life Of Great American Cities.

Jencks, C. (1969). Semiology and Architecture.

Lynch, K. (1960). The Image Of The City.

Pallasma, J. (2007). The Eyes Of The Skin. Great Britain: Wiley-Academy

Tolman E. C. (1948). Cognitive maps in rats and men. Psychological Review, 55, 189-208.