cognitive mapping

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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,

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Page 1: Cognitive mapping

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.

Page 2: Cognitive mapping

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

Page 3: Cognitive mapping

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

Page 4: Cognitive mapping

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

Page 5: Cognitive mapping

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

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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

Page 7: Cognitive mapping

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

Page 8: Cognitive mapping

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)

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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,

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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