CURRENT ISSUES IN ARCHITECTURAL THEORY AND URBAN DESIGN MBEA 1513

ASSIGNMENT 1:ARCHITECTURAL AND/OR URBAN DESIGN ISSUES IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT

Johor Bahru Lama Precinct, Johor Bahru

KIM ZHAO WEI (MBE141079) LAI CHUEN KET (MBE141084)

DR WAN MOHD ZAKRI BIN WAN ABDULLAHSEM 1 2015/16

Contents

1. Introduction

2. The Historical Background

3. The Urban Form

4. The Existing Land Uses and Human Activities

5. Programs and Developments

6. Existing and Proposed Policies

7. The issues

8. Proposed Solution for the issue

9. Conclusion

10. References

INTRODUCTION – Presin Pusat Bandaraya Lama, Johor Bahru

Long time ago, there were many Arab traders trade spices in Johor. Thus, Johor was named after Arabic word “Jauhar” which

means precious gems. Besides, Johor also called as “Gangganu” by Siam trader which also means gems. Before adopted the name

of Johor, it was called “Ujong Tanah” which means end of the land.

In recent years, Iskandar Malaysia development had been establish to revitalize and develop the state and its city into a world class

city. They have plan in Johor consist of 5 flagships which are Johor bahru city centre, Nusajaya , Western gate development, Eastern

gate development and Senai-Skudai.

Within the Johor Bahru City Centre, there is heritage hot spot sitting in the CBD. The little hot spot known as Presin Pusat

Bandaraya Lama, the town house the oldest commercial shop houses and the first street ever form. The region is revitalize and old

buildings refurbish to it original state and urban planning was redesign to make it a walk able town where pedestrian is key to

vibrant town.

1855 - 1885 1900 - 1920 1920 - 1940

1940 - 1980 2000 - NOW1980 - 1991

• Founded along Jalan Trus, and connected to waterfront where unloading and loading of people and goods. These are the location where people socialize and trades.

NODES• Bukit Timbalan – new

administrative center of Tanjung Puteri

• Jalan Trus• Water front

THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND – Understand the Morphology

• After the Japanese occupation, the town more vibrant with a structure planning by an authority, and shop houses begin to emerge. Besides that, Old Market was transferred to Jalan Wong Ah Fook.

Tapping inland land for commercial plantation increase the need of roads and bridges were build across Sungai Segget. Old Segget Market become a trading location for farmers and fishermen.

• Urban design began to change in proportion scale building. This had lead to town forming base on focus bulding. Besides that, the Segget River begun to close for road.

• Population of Johor reaches 737,000.• Indian community mostly built their houses and

temple along Jalan Trus. • Causeway link for train and road construction done.

• Modernization of facilities and infrastructure had lead Johor Bahru to a transformation state with IRDA and more development of new parks and business centers for international investement.

NODES• Bukit Timbalan – new

administrative center of Tanjung Puteri

• Segget Old Market• Jetty

NODES• Religion Building• Train Station • Segget Old Market• Johor Causeway

• NODES• Religious Building• Segget Old Market• Train Station • Shop House Area• Johor Causeway

NODES• Kotaraya building• Religion Building• Shop Houses Area• Street area

NODES• Heritage Building

area • Hentian Bas Wong

Ah Fook• Pasar Karat• Dataran Segget

THE URBAN FORM – Seeing the city through urban form and Kevin Lynch’s TheoryPresin Pusat Bandaraya Lama is a oldest town in Johor Bahru and the city shaped by the history. According to Kevin A. Lynch, the changes of the city structure can be visible from Lynch’s Image ability such as path, edge, district, node, and landmark.

LandmarkAccording to Kevin Lynch, landmark shall function to resemble a certain location, it also help user to have a better navigation around the town.

Based on the statement above, there 4 gateways that able to help user to identify their direction and which zone are they located. Furthermore, tall and iconic gateway also divert user visual up ward where they can appreciate the roof profile created by the building.

NodesNodes is identified by Lynch as a place with a characters where people can enter such as central space or linear space.

Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Jalan Segget, Jalan Dhoby and Jalan Trus are occupied by motorise vehicles. At night, the whole street become the nodes of the whole city, streets become walk able and bargain with local stand for goods with ideal prices.

The distinctive element in a nodes is the exciting community center where people gather the most. These location usually have a stage for variety of perfomance.

Furthermore, there are even a performance in front of the night market. This increase a visitor curiosity what will be there waiting for me.

PathPath is a connectivity on how user navigate across the area. The path in this region normally dominate by motorize vehicle. Due to a revitalize program, this region pathway is indicated with color or different paving material. This is to shows different spaces and its function. Some people may even walk on it when there is no car in the area.

Besides that, the street is well shaded from palm trees. Palm tree known to be less maintenance and reduce birds in the area.

District District is a zoning or a categorizing an area into a organize structure. Where it can identify different character in each zoning.

There two districts in the selected area as define by the architectural style. First district is an area that contain the most heritage building.

The second district houses modern building that replace or renovate from the old shop houses. The zoning make user more understanding how does the city evolve.

District 1 District 2

1 2

4

3 2 4 EdgeEdge is an element that enable user to define the end of an area where they will not travel outside a certain context.

Edge can be found in the form of street, river and even architectural style which separate two or more context.

This picture shows that the end of study area with a wide road and the architectural style become unfamiliar with heritage value.

A

A

B A junction mark the edge of the area with no continuity of building or structure.

B

3 1

EXISTING LAND USE & HUMAN ACTIVITIES – What are the interesting parts in the area?

LEGEND

B Class: Commercial AreasExisting CommercialCommitted CommercialProposed Commercial

- Education InstitutionExisting and Committed Educational InstitutionProposed Educational Institution

F Class: Open space and recreationExisting and committed Open space Reserved open space

CLASS LAND USE BPK 1.1: PRESIN PUSAT BANDARAYA LAMA

PLOT RATIO AND ACTIVITY

Commercial land

Proposed Commercial Open Space

Class B Existing and proposed commercial

Allowed activityB1： Retail (C1B - B1d)B3: Professional Services (B3a -

B3i)B4: Food and Drink (B4a - B4C)B5: AccommodationB7: Shopping ComplexB9: Free ParkingB10: Entertainment and Sports

Indoor (10B - 10C)B12: Petrol Stations

CLASS B1, B4, B7, B9, B12Shop Office = <4 level'Free Standing' = 1: 3

CLASS B3, B5Shop Office = <4 level'Free Standing' = 1: 6Height = <35 level

COMBINATIONCLASS B3, B5, B7, B9, B10'Free Standing' = 1: 6Height = <35 degree

(Refer along Johor Bahru Sentral District Master Plan and Action Plan for Regenerative City Johor Bahru)

Based on the land use data, the region mostly cater for commercial prupose. The diversity of commercial in the area draw in variety of customers and this has become the foundation of healthy town center (DoE, 1994).

Shops may be the key for the attraction, but offices such as bank, cooperate building also pull in customers from outside. This may where the term of symbiosis may occur when every commercial depend on each others.

Financial building (bank) Musical Shop

Western FoodRestaurant

Chinese food Restaurant

Cooperate office tower

Textile Shop

EXISTING LAND USE & HUMAN ACTIVITIES – What are the interesting parts in the area?

There are several factors that give the town an image and identity such as, safety and security and building design (DoE, 1994).

The selected area is known as Presin Pusat Bandaraya Lama, the earliest commercial shops house area. The architectural style give the town an identity of historical.

The increase of pedestrian security and safety are visible with low building height design just enough to shade the pedestrian walkway and allow sufficient sunlight to lit up the volume between two buildings.

Furthermore, most of the shops occupied outdoor spaces for outdoor dining and some shops fully open its gate to create the sense of welcoming.

Different color or material use for the road pavement

Bus stop before the entrance of the Town

A

The main transportation to reach this area is motorize vehicle and it also reachable by public transport. Once enter the street in the area, people can walk with ease and well navigate across the street. This is due to gateway were placed at starting or end of a street.

Besides that, different color or material use for the road pavement automatically define different street with it unique character or event.

Due to control vehicular circulation with one direction, there are no barriers that obstruct the walkability (DoE, 1994).

A

Traffic control with one way direction increase security and it increase the surface area for commercial purpose where started to occupied these spaces and benefit from it. The public participation accidentally increase the energy of the street as we had recapture a scenery where people use to trade on street (Bianchini and Landry, 1994).

Bazar Karat a night market that proposed by local authority to push the tourism industry within the area. Able to find goods at ideal price. The action also able to display the local culture (DoE, 1994).

Source: Rancangan Tempatan Daerah Johor Bahru, 2020 (Pengubahan)

PROGRAMS & DEVELOPMENTS – Viewing the precinct from economy & culture perspectivesHighlighting some of the CDP objectives for Flagship A (Johor Bahru City) that are relevant for the precinct:Objective 2 - Encourage diversity in terms of land use, activities and built formThis requires an enhancement of existing uses complemented by the introduction of new ones within the city. Diversity should encourage retail, commercial, office, residential, entertainment, cultural and both active and passive recreational uses in the city centre.

Objective 5 - Foster physical continuity and connectivityJohor Bahru city centre needs physical continuity spaces to allow the freedom of movement as this is in line with prioritising the pedestrians. Furthermore, there is a need to upgrade the public transportation system.

Objective 6 - Reinforce the unique local character and heritage featuresHeritage references should be incorporated into the designs used for in-fill developments that are within conservation areas. The new developments at certain designated zones should complement the local character of the area.

Objective 8 - Promote a vibrant cultural atmosphereArts, entertainment and other cultural activities are vital elements of the city centre and these activities should be encouraged since it also promotes economic development, tourism, international prestige and improves the quality of life.

Objective 9 - Preserve important view corridorsWithin the city centre, there are significant views and vistas, including the Straits of Tebrau, Bukit Timbalan, the Grand Palace – Istana Besar and the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque. This needs to be preserved.

Objective 10 - Promote public artPublic art reflects the identity of a city and it is the voice of the local communities and helps to strengthen relationships between diverse groups. As the southern gateway of the country, Johor Bahru will be able to showcase the country’s arts heritage to visitors. Public art will be displayed in allotted areas around the city.

Objective 11 - Promote approriate street activityCreate public activities along the streets, including sidewalks, seating areas and dedicated areas for vendors. New development that accommodates intense street level activity should be encouraged. Efforts made in Jalan Meldrum and Jalan Wong Ah Fook should be continued throughout the inner part of Johor Bahru city that is still within a 300 – 400m radius; accessible to pedestrians.

DIG INTO THE FUNDAMENTAL OF THE OBJECTIVESBasically, all the 7 mentioned objectives stated by the CDP are interlinked with the development of economy and socio-culture of the area. Without the mutualism relationship between both elements, the proposal will eventually fail, as it is lacking of sustainability.

By understanding the fundamental of the objectives through the perspective of Litt’s idea of qualities of a good city design where he looked at all the activities that people are engaged in while in public spaces. There are three different categories of activities that take place in public space: necessary, optional and social activities.Necessary activities take place regardless of the quality of the physical environment which is the normal routine of people working and taking their meals. Due to the advancement of industrialization, people gain more free time than ever before and now young generation people tend to seek for more leisure. (Cools, in Lennard, 1992)

All the activities that are happening like public arts and street activities, in accordance to the concept proposed by DoE(1994) that vitality contributes to achieving viability, through a series of processes, initiatives and actions with economics, environmental and cultural aspects; it will be very hard to pull anything off without a series of effort from all aspects to carry out all the activities.

EXISTING & PROPOSED POLICIES – Policies that better the city

Column I Column II Column III

Main Usage Allowed Activity Other Activity Allowed With Condition

Commercial(Existing, Committed and Proposed) Area- 18.42 hectare • Proposed relocation of industrial areas (workshop) to the business district.A) EXISTING• Commercial Area- Central District City Centre• Institutions and Facilities (Main)- Temple- District Police Station- MosqueB) Committed Development• Commercial AreaC) THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT• Business Areas and Recreation- Pasar Seni Jalan Meldrum- Studio Art and Soul Johor- Construction Arts Audiences

Class IV (a) – Commercial· Office Tower· Store Office / Home Office (Existing)· International Hotel· Condotel· Shopping Complex· Bistro & Expo (Open Café)· Banks / Financial Institutions· commerceKey Features Business Center -CBDPlot ratio = 1: 2-1: 3.5 (5-15 Storey- Freestanding Bldg)= 1: 2 (≤ 5 Storey-Terrace)

Activity Requirement

CLASS II- Institutions &Community FacilitiesCLASS II (b) - Place of Religion• Mosque• TempleCLASS II (f) -Safety• Police StationCLASS III (a) - Open Space / Recreational Facilities• Open Space• Other activities appropriate

• Only the existing development is allowed unless there is a need of additional facilities.• Comply with the existing planning standards used.• Keep the landscape and facilities • Take into account the factor of safety and comfort of pedestrians.• bounded by public transportation.• Comply with the existing planning standards used.

Column IV Column V

Activities Not Allowed Notes

- All activities other than those specified in columns II and III.

- Any trade and business activities that create land use conflict and cause .

- Activities workshop in building a business is not permitted and should be transferred to CBD 1:11 & 1:13

- Other commercial activity subject to consideration / approval of the Local Authority.

- Preservation and conservation of heritage buildings gazetted.

- Development of new business in the form of 'Free Standing' is encouraged.

- ‘Infill development' of the business areas (terrace) should be given priority.

- The height of the building for the 'Free Standing Building' may not exceed Bukit Timbalan which has been issued

- Business-shaped Bistro & Bazaar must be equipped with safe pedestrian facilities and has integration between the building to other buildings and public transportation.

SUMMARY OF THE EXISTING POLICIESThere are 5 columns shown as regards to the commercial activities, other activity allowed with condition and activities that are not allowed within the precinct. All of these policies are agreed by all parties and to be obliged by all the interested developers. Without these policies, the development will be chaotic and not sustainable as those development may be redundant for the site, may be a nuisance or eye sore, may become obstacle for future development and may alter the healthy image of the city.

The first column describes about the main usage around the precinct: existing, committed and proposed commercial. Second column describes allowed activity (building function) within the precinct with plot ratio and building height limitation. The third column states the other activities that can be allow with condition such as institutions, community facilities, religious place, police station, religious space and open space. In order to get approval for the development, requirements such as complying with existing planning standards, taking account for the safety and comfort of pedestrians, bounded by public transportation shall be comply. The fourth column list out the activities that are not allowed where it may cause land use conflict and cause.

With this policies, the precinct is able to maintain the attractions which are the foundation of a healthy city center and referring to the attraction for the customers. Besides, it could also ensure the amenity of the city is in place so that the city center would be a pleasant place to be.

PROPOSED POLICIESThere are two categories of customers which are differentiated by Chapman (1996): vested interest group & passive consumers. Vested Interest Group • Active operational and financially interest in policies or plan• people: local traders, business people, landowners and developers.Passive Consumers• Broad interest as ‘consumers’ in the policy and plan of the local environment• People: local residents, schoolchildren , road users, shoppers, leisure activist &

employees.

Therefore, there can be policies that are targeted to both vested interest group and passive consumers specifically which in a way embrace their presence in the city and encourage them to participate more in the city.Example of policies for vested interest group:Fast and efficient process of issuance of permit and loans for the business people within the precinct to encourage diversity of business happening.Example of policies for passive consumers:In conjunction with festivals or special occasion, government could instill festive promotional activities around the precinct that could benefit both customers and business people.

ISSUES – Problems that are faced by the people

According to the study done by Iskandar Regional Development, there are mainly 3 focus area of issues within the Johor Bahru City area. The first issue features the city improvements for coastal area & water quality with main issues of ineffective waste management that affect the city image. The decency of a city is depending on the ambience that the diversity of amenities created, which in return, gives a sense of belonging, secure in terms of personal safety, health and also mental health.

How did the issues be identify?By evaluation from residents or non-residents.- ‘…the nature of the environment that is utilized by various groups of people

including commercial occupiers and residential owner-occupiers.’ (DOE, 1996:32)

By evaluation from the visitors- ‘visitors are often able to perceive merits and defects in an environment that are

no longer visible to the residents.’

Referring to DOE (1994) of city vitality and viability, the four main elements contributed to a healthy town center are:1. Attraction – what draws customers, range of diversity of shops/services2. Accessibility – how easy to reach the center3. Amenity – how pleasant a center is a place to be, security, safety, image &

identity4. Action – making things happenThus, the issues identified are based on the first 3 elements of the DOE where focus area 1 is focusing on Amenity, focus area 2 focusing on Attraction and focus area 3 focusing on Accessibility.

As per the focus area 2, the focus is about city optimization of heritage & culture as economic asset. Dilapidation is a waste committed by the incumbent of an ecclesiastical living. This is liability to both the city and the tenants. Optimization will create attractions to the people.

Whereas for focus area 3, it emphasized on the city enhancement towards livable and low carbon city. Connecting people physically and virtually is the primal intention. The accessibility of the city would eventually the capability of Action of a city where how well and fast can it carry out a program or development.

1

2 3

PROPOSED SOLUTION FOR THE ISSUES – Amenity Improvement

SUPPORTIVE THEORIESIn order to make the recommendation much solid, there is a quote by Chapman (1996) that stated that public involvement is appropriate in most cases of development. This could be realized by the participation of the tenants around the area to participate in the effort to refurbish the surrounding area

Here is a analytical scale of participation according to composite of the scales of Arnstein’s Ladder or participation, classification of political systems based on Pateman’s definition of democracy, hierarchy of spatial units based on simplified version of Doxiadis’ Ekistic scale and mode of planning. (Moughtin, 1992)

Techniques of Participation – Community planning and designLevels of participation – citizen control, delegated powerPolitical system – Participatory democracy with government aidSpatial Units – home, street, neighborhoodMode of planning – Informal ad-hoc (Action plan & Incremental planning)

To further support the idea of public participation in urban design process, as stated by Ahmad Bashri Sulaiman (2000) who argued that feedbacks and opinions from general public are essential in the development of urban public places and the lack of public involvement in the stages of urban design normally would lead to undesirable conditions of urban environment.

SUMMARY OF PROPOSED SOLUTIONThe above is a case study from Iskandar Regional Development that caters to the 1 st issue which is the city’s amenities problem which in other word how to present an ideal city image for the people and to the visitors.

Their proposal stands with some key initiatives like controlling pollution at source, centralized STP, flood mitigation system and refurbishing the river. The first three initiatives involve huge fund and collaboration from diversity of parties to carry out. Whereas the last initiative would need lesser fund and easier to collaborate to realize it.

CASE STUDY COMPARISONIn comparison to the case study from CBRE, which focus on making Campbell street and Chowrasta Market of Penang a more attractive place for the public, there are a few recommendations that we want to highlight:1. Façade improvement for the two markets in order to turn the building into key landmarks

which increase the level of attractiveness of the area.2. Cleanliness and order contribute a great deal to the level of attractiveness for a town area.

Hence, it is relevant and affect directly to the retail neighbourhood of both markets and street.

3. Encouraging property owners to improve the building façade and interior quality by acquire and refurbish abandoned buildings for collective redevelopment projects. Besides, embarking on small landscape projects to beautify and green the neighbourhood.

These are the three main recommendation highlights from the case study that could be integrate into the existing strategies proposal of IRDA.

.

PROPOSED SOLUTION FOR THE ISSUES – With intention of betterment and find a solution

CASE STUDY COMPARISONIn comparison to the case study from CBRE, which intend to turn Campbell streets and the two markets into a vibrant and active business district would provide more attractiveness to the area. Below are some of the strategy highlights that are suitable to be incorporated into IRDA heritage revitalization:1. Encourage F&B business such as cafes, restaurants, food stalls and

stores selling food products.2. Introduce crowd activities like: midnight market, book market, flea

market, car boot sales, etc.3. Activate back lanes and encourage the properties in the identified

lanes to have dual frontages.4. Ground floors of shop houses must cater for the most active type of

retails and provide interests to pedestrians.

The first strategy can be introduce into the IRDA proposal by adding activities into the existing shop houses that are left unused through leasing and provide incentives for doing business around the area. The second strategy would be similar to what Bazaar Karat in JB city now has. By attracting crowd to the area will boost the micro-economy revenue and hence providing solid reason for the tenants to participate in the revitalization of the area. Both third and fourth strategy would be focusing on the existing building responding to the open space, which is the street and lane. In order to establish connection with the pedestrians, regardless of local or non-local, each turn, each lane shall has its very own treatment with either celebrating the street or keep the street tidy and decorated. With the responsive design of the ground floor towards the pedestrian alleys, this will create a sense of security and belonging for the people, hence attract more people to gather.

SUMMARY OF PROPOSED SOLUTIONAccording the proposed solution of IRDA to revitalize the heritage buildings around the precint, the two major conservation are the Bangunan Sultan Ibrahim and KTMB Railway Station.

The current situation for Bangunan Sultan Ibrahim is unoccupied and planned to transform into Johor Art & Cultural Centre and KTMB Railway station which is currently unoccupied and in need of restoration had been proposed to become the first train museum in Malaysia.

However, there are little proposal about revitalization of the valuable shop houses around the old city area which shows the lacking of comprehensiveness in the proposal. Every single heritage building in the area should be given consideration as it is a part of the area and existed since long time ago. It has the value and the role before that and now there should be new value and role to be injected so that the area would be revitalize fully.

SUPPORTIVE THEORIESIn comparison to the case study from CBDE, which focus on making Campbell street and Chowrasta Market of Penang a more attractive place for the public, there are a few recommendations that we want to highlight:1. Façade improvement for the two markets in order to turn the

building into key landmarks which increase the level of attractiveness of the area.

2. Cleanliness and order contribute a great deal to the level of attractiveness for a town area. Hence, it is relevant and affect directly to the retail neighbourhood of both markets and street.

3. Encouraging property owners to improve the building façade and interior quality by acquire and refurbish abandoned buildings for collective redevelopment projects. Besides, embarking on small landscape projects to beautify and green the neighbourhood.

These are the three main recommendation highlights from the case study that could be integrate into the existing strategies proposal of IRDA.

Old shop houses in Penang that are injected with a new role and value, in the same time conserving the heritage value: Batik museum cum workshop, Camera museum cum café, Sun Yet San museum cum café.

1st Image: Old KTMB Station2nd Image: Shop houses along Jalan Ibrahim3rd Image: Bangunan Sultan Ibrahim

PROPOSED SOLUTION FOR THE ISSUES – With intention of betterment and find a solution

SUMMARY OF PROPOSED SOLUTIONAccording the proposed solution by IRDA to solve the connectivity issues in the city centre, a pedestrian friendly city which emphasizes its livability factor is proposed. With the increase capacity of people the connectivity elements like bridges, road, lanes and alleys, there is a estimation of 9 million MYR increase of revenue per month for the area.

There are six strategies that will exploit the potentials of the city centre, they can be summarized into:1. More parking spaces2. Path separating vehicles and pedestrian/pedestrian priority lane

(free walkway from building to building)3. Good signage, well lit walkways, abundant outdoor space, human

scale and considering streetscape that will bring pleasant walking experience

All of the above strategies are concentrating on the user experience of drivers and pedestrians in the city centre where consideration of how both users travel and access to their destination take place.

SUPPORTIVE THEORIESAccording to the study done by Luz Valente-Pereira, the formal continuity of the circulation spaces such as lighting, urban furniture, sidewalk treatment and types of vegetable species, etc. defines the edge and end point of each journey.

The circulation space also contributes in defining the relationship between the road network (boulevard, lane, streets, alley, back lane), outdoors meeting spaces and buildings (gap, access delimitation, parking, landscaping) in terms of formal and functional integration and spatial distribution of use. With that, the people will be able to travel without confusion and with ease as the relationship is established in clear cut format.

As for outdoors meeting space (square), it can be categorize by the values and functions of the related public space, either due to a meeting, social gathering or party, whether it be public or semi-public or private in relation to the building typology, there will be implications on dimensions , distribution and hierarchy of the urban tissue.

CASE STUDY COMPARISONIn comparison to the case study from CBRE in Penang, where it intends to improve the management of traffic and pedestrians and to create linkages between the two markets and the surrounding area. There are a few highlights that can be integrated with the proposal of IRDA:1. Reintroduce back lanes with a new image

of pedestrian routes that enhances the linkage between point to point.

2. Creating hot spots (node) where diversity of retail activities can be introduce.

3. Planned schedule for restriction of entry for certain roads at certain hours to make way for loading/unloading activities or fully pedestrian due to programs

4. Encourage people to park at common multi-storey car park in order to reduce the number of cars parked along the streets by both creating strategic spots for centralized car park and well linked routes.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the assignment has refurbished us with knowledge on the aspects of urban design issues in Johor Bahru Lama Precinct,Johor Bahru City Center.

The main study that we focus on are:

• The historical morphology of the city center

• In this chapter, we understand about how the Johor Bahru City Centre morph from a village into a populated city with vibrant activities. We capture the point that Segget River is part

of the mother river for the area which bring in economy activities for the area like fishery and trading. Besides, we also study about the solid and void of the city where it slowly

transform from course grain to fine grain of development.

• The urban form of the precinct

• Regarding urban form, we learn about the 5 elements of the city which are nodes, paths, districts, edges and landmark. By identifying these elements, we are able to observe and

analyze the city center in a much systematic manner and clearer justification can be made for whether the city is well planned or not.

• The existing land uses and human activities

• By studying existing land uses and human activities, we could understand the role and potential for the specific area in relation for the whole city center. It is vital to understand the

people who utilize the space as they are the people who create interaction and generate revenue for the area. The city social fabric is also depend on the people around the city

center in which to create a city that people love to be with, a city with a clean and healthy image, great amenities and attractions.

• Existing and proposed policies

• Understanding the policies will enable us to know the effort and direction of the government to lead the development of the city center to what extent. The policies may act as a

standard framework that could hold the people together to form a well bonded city with integrated building and program development. This would eventually give birth to a well

connected city with great accessibility that people will fall in love with.

• Programs and development

• Programs and development are the action of a city in which with the existing people and building, the city can now carry out a variety of activities such as culture and art,

recreational, commercial, trading, healthcare and so on. Without the well planned policies, urban form and the people, there will be no successful programs and development

around.

• Highlight of certain issues

• Highlighting 3 main issues that affect the city center which are the city cleanliness, the city connectivity and also the city heritage conservation.

• Case study of solution for the specific issue

• Highlighting 3 main solutions to solve the issues as mentioned with comparison with other relevant case study in order to strengthen the solution strategy.

REFERENCES

1. Luz Valente-Pereira; Urban Form Definition in Urban Planning

2. CDP Johor Bahru; Chapter 13: Johor Bahru City Centre, Section B Planning and Implementation, Part 3 Physical Planning Initiatives

3. Iskandar Regional Development , Iskandar Service Centre: Www.Iskandarmalaysia.Com.My

4. Iskandar Regional Development; Vision of The City Rejuvenation & Revitalisation Lab

5. Kevin Lynch (1960); The Image of The City

6. J.C. Moughtin; Urban Design; Green Dimensions

7. CBRE,MBPP; Rasa Chowrasta, Built Environment: Assessment of Significance issues & Strategies (Chap 6)

8. Department of Environment (DoE), UK; The Vitality and Viability of Town Centers

9. Francis Tibbalds (2001) ; Making People friendly Towns, Improving The Public Environment In Towns And Cities‐10. Matthrew Carmona, Tim Heath Tener Oc And Steve Tiesdell (2003); Public Places Urban Space

11. Ian Bentley,alan Alcock, Paul Murrain, Sue Mcglynn And Graham Smith (1995); Responsive Environments A Manual For Designers

12. Gordon Cullen (1983); The Concise Townscape.

13. Lim, Khoo & Ch’ng; Residents’ Perspectives Towards Conservation in Georgetown World Heritage City: A Post-UNESCO Listing Scenario

14. N. Jasme, M.A. Othuman Mydin, N.MDd. Sani; Investigation of Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Buildings in Penang

15. Draf Rancangan Kawasan Khas Konservasi, Garis Panduan Dan Glosari

16. Kawasanwarisan Pusat Bandaraya Johor Bahru Jilid 1 : Laporan Pelan Induk Dan Garis Panduan.

17. MAJLIS BANDARAYA JOHOR Bahru

18. Alma Architects And Planner Sdn. Bhd.

19. Rancangan Tempatan Daerah Johor Bahru, 2020 (Pengubahan) Jilid 1: Bhagaian B, Peta Cadangan Dan Kelas Bangunan Tanah 2020.