theories

1. 1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Site Introduction
Petaling Jaya Old Town, initially a planned township to support the population boom in Kuala Lumpur
due to the tin mining industry, started off with a few scattered wooden houses. The increase in tin mining
workers led to constructions of more residential houses and the development of more systematic
infrastructure as the industry of rubber and oil palm plantations started to emerge. Today, Petaling Jaya
has over 3200 residential houses, 100 shops and 28 operating factories due to its strategic location
connecting Kuala Lumpur and Port Klang, which are both important industrial areas.
Petaling Jaya Old town is mainly a strategic residential area that houses various facilities needed
by the residences living within it. There are convenient access to sundry shops, banks, hospitals, mosques,
libraries and many other facilities which surround the residential area located in the middle. Moreover, the
abundance of bus stops around this area also makes it easy for the people to commute around the area.
Regardless of the developments happening around it, Petaling Jaya reserves its old coffee shops
and sundry shops which cater to the needs of the residences living there. In addition to that, the old coffee
shops serving authentic cuisines have also become an attraction to the public to visit Petaling Jaya Old
Town.
Figure 1.1 Shophouses lining the roads of Petaling Jaya Old Town.

2. 1.2 Introduction to Cognitive Mapping
Cognitive mapping is an idea initiated by Edward C.Tolman in which it was implemented into an
experiment involving rats and mazes. This experiment proves that the mind visualizes images of a space,
accumulating knowledge about it, which is later used as guidance in directing oneself to a certain
destination. Cognitive mapping is explained by Kevin Lynch as a generalized mental picture of the outside
world that is perceived by an individual, produced unconsciously by our mind induced by memories from
the past. This means that every individual has their own unique cognitive mapping of a certain space,
guided by emotions of their own which induces them to have a more vivid image on certain paths or
landmarks in a place.
Figure 1.2 An example of cognitive mapping by Kevin Lynch.

3. 2.0 Analysis
In order to further understand the site, site visits are conducted along the streets of Jalan Othman,
Jalan Templer and Jalan Selangor which lines and envelopes Section 3 of Petaling Jaya Old Town. The
following cognitive mapping is produced by an architecture student with no previous visits to this area. Thus,
images of buildings and landscapes are more prominent in the memory which is reflected in the mental
map illustrated.
Figure 2.0 The cognitive mapping illustrated by an architecture student.

4. Section 3 of Petaling Jaya Old Town is an area of commercial and residential, surrounded by
impressively wide main roads, connecting this area to different parts of the town. The roads which are the
main transportation route form a vivid image in the minds of the visitors as it has significant spatial qualities
as compared to the paths branching out from it into commercial and residential areas. As explained by
Kevin Lynch in his book, The Image of the City, characteristic spatial qualities can strengthen the ability of a
person to remember a particular path. Paths that are constructed to the extremities of either wideness or
narrowness tend to attract one’s attention which leaves a more profound impression of the path in one’s
mind. Besides that, the main roads also have strong directional qualities with sign boards clearly showing
the destination that the roads lead to. According to Kevin Lynch, people tend to have a better memory of a
path when they are aware of the origin and ending destination that this path leads to.
Figure 2.1 The wide main road that leads into Section 3 of Petaling Jaya Old Town.

5. In contrast to that, the narrower paths branching out from the main roads which connects the
residential area lacks identity. A person who is not familiar with the area can easily be confused by the
frequent intersecting of paths which then diverge into different paths leading to different directions. In
addition to that, the paths are lined with similar plants and pedestrian pathways, which further reduces
one’s ability to identify the path that they are walking on. However, this creates a sense of continuity to the
path which can be followed by pedestrians to reach a destination, although unfamiliar with the area. For
example, the continuous pedestrian paths that line the roads eventually leads pedestrians from the
confusing intersecting paths towards the main road, which is more straight forward in terms of directional
quality.
The clarity of directions of the path is also clearly facilitated by the landmarks lining it. By knowing
the direction that a path leads to, one is also able to conduct scaling of the path, in which they have an
approximate idea of their travelling distance towards a certain destination along a path. This can be aided
by the placement of landmarks and nodes along the path.
Figure 2.2 Pathways intersecting residential areas that are lack of identity.

6. As one passes the junction entering the street that leads into Section 3, the construction site, UOB
bank and Menara Mutiara Majestic stands out as landmarks lining the street. The construction site and
UOB bank easily becomes an identifiable landmark due to its contrast in background. The raw concrete of
the unfinished building and the fencing of the site by blue hoardings make it distinctive to the surrounding
shop houses which are arranged in an orderly pattern, with wide entrances opened to public. Moreover, the
difference in height of these tall buildings as compared to the double-leveled shop houses further
emphasizes it as a landmark in this area. As mentioned by Kevin Lynch in his book, The Image of the City,
regardless of the function or importance of this construction site, the contrast of siting and scale makes it a
fairly well identified image. Moreover, the location of both buildings at the junction also further strengthens it
as a landmark as one stops by the traffic lights to make a path decision.
Figure 2.3 The immediate visual attraction of the construction site, UOB Bank and Menara Mutiara
Majestic which stands out as landmarks.

7. On the other hand, Menara Mutiara Majestic acts as a distant landmark due to its protruding height
within the spread of low shop houses. It is distinguishable from near and far, from any angle around the site
as its contrast in scale to its surrounding is dominant enough to be identified, especially by people who are
unfamiliar to the site. Although not sufficient enough to create an accurate sense of direction towards a
certain destination, it is generally useful for people unfamiliar to the site to roughly identify their location
within the area.
Figure 2.4 The difference in height in between Menara Mutiara Majestic and the neighboring shop houses.
Figure 2.5 University Teknologi MARA as viewed from the entrance.

8. As one ascends down Jalan Othman, they will be able to spot a tall building taking up a huge lot of
land which gives the path a more strong sense of identity. The strategic location of University Teknologi
MARA at the junction that leads to the highway connecting towards Kuala Lumpur makes it a significant
landmark to people passing by as this is where traffic slows down at traffic lights which diverges the paths
to different directions. However, this landmark is weaken by the dense vegetation surrounding it which
makes it difficult to be identified until one reaches the main entrance of the university. It can be considered
as a local landmark as only people who are familiar with the area are able to identify this building
immediately. In contrast to that, people who are unfamiliar with the site require more concentration to
identify this building as the signage imprinted with the university’s name is also not clearly displayed and
hidden behind bushes.
Further down the road, the rear of Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Aziz can be spotted due to the
distinctive use of color of the building and also the height of the minaret which makes it easily identifiable by
pedestrians. Spatial prominence is one of the factors that contribute to the identification of a building as a
landmark, in which it can be achieved by either making the element visible from many directions or by
creating a local contrast with neighboring elements like a variation in height (Lynch, 1960), which is
obviously applied in this masjid. Besides that, Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Aziz not only creates visual
attraction to people passing by but it also reinforces its existence as a prominent landmark by its periodical
broadcasting of prayers through speakers directed towards different directions of the area.
Figure 2.6 The rear view of Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Aziz.

9. As one continues walking down the street, a roundabout will come into sight in which the path
diverges to the left, leading ones’ vision to a tall building, singled out due to its significance in scale and
form. There is a hockey stadium situated right next to the library but the image of the library appear to be
more vivid in one’s mind as it stands out with its use of strong colors and large volumes of building blocks.
In comparison to that, the hockey stadium is overshadowed due to its level of construction which is closer
to ground, making it unnoticeable and easily perceived as “just a field”.
In the cognitive mapping illustrated, another observation that can be obtained is that people tend to
concentrate around the places perceived as landmarks of the area. Referring to Kevin Lynch’s text in The
Image of the City, he explained that decisions are to be made at junctions, which intensifies their attention
at these places, causing extra attention to be given to nearby elements, making it a focal point of the region.
This explains the situation happening in Section 3, which has an abundance of junction nodes, located
nearby prominent landmarks of the area.
Figure 2.7 The contrast in scale and colors of the Petaling Jaya Community Library.

10. Located right beside Menara Mutiara Majestic, Hong Joo coffee shop is one of the primary focal
point with a high concentration of people coming from the residential area located behind it. It does not
have a strong physical form that draws people visually but its attracting factor is more to the activity
happening within it. Being a coffee shop that provides a variety of food choices, it becomes a place
frequently visited by locals living or working around the area. Conveniently located at the intersection of a
back lane that leads to the residential area and the secondary path that leads to the main road, it stands
out even more with its functional importance as a gathering point for workers from the row of shop houses
and also from Menara Mutiara Majestic to have their lunch there. Moreover, the backlane also acts as an
access point for locals to drive or walk towards the coffee shop for a quick lunch.
Figure 2.8 Hong Joo coffee shop located beside Menara Mutiara Majestic.

11. In addition to that, people also tend to concentrate more at areas of institutional functions. SK
Petaling Jaya, University Teknologi MARA and the Petaling Jaya Community Library are all focal points of
Section 3 in which they are supported by their distinctive forms. Kevin Lynch mentioned that it is not
essential for a node to have a strong physical form for it to be recognizable, but the impact of the building
towards one’s mind can be much stronger with the help of a significant form as strong visuals create larger
impacts on the memory of humans. These points of concentration are also further supported with their
strategic location within the vicinity of the residential areas, in which many families with children live around
that area. Moreover, some residences are also converted into dormitories which are rented to the college
students attending Universiti Teknologi MARA.
Figure 2.9 SK Petaling Jaya located within the residential area.

12. This convenience in accommodation and the close proximity between institutions and residences
causes them to be a focal point of attraction. On the other hand, these educational institutions contribute to
the concentration of crowd towards the Petaling Jaya community library as students conduct group studies
and complete their assignments here.
Figure 2.10 Residential houses rented out for the accommodation of college students.
Figure 2.11 The only pedestrian bridge that connects both areas at the beginning of the street.

13. Looking back to the cognitive mapping illustrated, the main road that lines the outer area of Section
3 only has one pedestrian bridge that connects it to the shop houses located across the street. Throughout
the whole stretch of the road, there is no convenient access for people to cross to the other side of the road.
This eventually creates a barrier between Section 3 and the shop houses located across the road, which
makes the main road an edge separating both areas. Although the main road separates both areas in a
physical sense, a visual relation is still kept as there are no screens or walls obstructing visual connectivity
in between these two areas.
This edge divides Section 3 and Section 4 of Petaling Jaya Old Town into two different districts.
This can be clearly observed by the distinctive functional qualities of these two districts. The commercial
functions of Section 3 is mainly of sundry shops, car workshops, banks and governmental buildings.
However, Section 4 are mainly made up of rows and rows of shop houses selling a variety of food. This is
due to the different skills acquired by locals living around the area, which leads to the opening of shops of
similar commercial categories within an area.
Figure 2.12 Abundance of banks and sundry shops lining the main road of Section 3.

14. Moreover, the row of shop houses lining the main road also act as an element that separates the
public and commercial areas to the more secluded residential areas located at the back. It acts as a strong
edge as one walks pass the row of shop houses, there is an immediate feeling of transition from a public
realm to a more private place. This produces two distinctive districts, which are the commercial district and
the residential district. The commercial district gives a sense of energy and openness to the public while the
residential district gives off a feeling of privacy, tranquility and seclusion from the outside world.
3.0 Conclusion
In conclusion, Kevin Lynch focuses the analysis of an area to the effects of physical and
perceptible objects. Although there are many aspects that influence the imageability of a city, it can be
conveniently depicted by five elements: paths, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks. Based on the five
elements introduced by Kevin Lynch, Section 3 is most identifiable by its prominent landmarks lining the
main roads. They are the first physical elements that enter the visual range of a pedestrian as they first
access the area.
However, rather than emphasizing on the forms and identity of the structures around the city, one
should also focus on the experience of people within the city. Apart from the physical elements, spatial
experience should also be taken more into consideration: the width of the pathways, the disruption of
shaded pathways or even the continuation of pathways which might affect the nodes or landmarks
connecting to it. These different spatial experiences by different people will then create different
interpretations towards the site. As mentioned by Kevin Lynch in his book, The Image of the City, “Moving
elements in a city, and in particular the people and their activities are as important as the stationary
Figure 2.13 Feeling of privacy and seclusion of private housing areas as compared to the
openness of commercial shop houses in Figure 2.12

15. physical parts. We are not simply observers of this spectacle, but are ourselves a part of it, on the stage
with the other participants”.
Section 3 of Petaling Jaya Old Town is basically a city that holds and preserves its cultural identity
regardless of modern developments happening around it. This creates a sense of home to the locals living
around the area as they are familiar with every nook and turn around the corner, the smell of coffee and
steamed buns coming from the morning coffee shop and the familiar negotiation of prices in the sundry
shops. However, this strong sense of locality creates a very normal and common feeling to the outsiders
that arrive at this area. It lacks an obvious significant identity that marks it as a unique area around Petaling
Jaya Old Town.

16. 4.0 References
1 Ghioca, S. (2014). Open Access Repository. Retrieved 6 6, 2016, from The Cognitive Map's Role in
Urban Planning and Landscaping.: http://www.ssoar.info/ssoar/bitstream/handle/document/45353/ssoar-
cinqcon-2014-10-ghioca-The_cognitive_maps_role_in.pdf?sequence=1
2 Lynch, K. (1960). The Image of the City. London: The MIT Press.
3 Malaxi. (2015). Malaxi. Retrieved 6 6, 2016, from Petaling Jaya Overview:
http://www.malaxi.com/about_petaling_jaya.html
4 Travel, M. E. (2013). Mother Earth Travel. Retrieved 6 6, 2016, from Mother Earth Travel:
http://motherearthtravel.com/index.htm
5 Weisbin, K. (2014). Khan Academy. Retrieved 6 6, 2016, from Introduction to Islamic Architecture:
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-islam/beginners-guide-islamic/a/introduction-to-mosque-
architecture