The Regaining of Traditional Street: Combining Street Network Configuration with Temporary Urban Interventions

Abstract

Observations and Axial analysis models are combined into Space Syntax to study the corresponding relationship between a street network and how temporary urban interventions in a traditional shopping street in Little India, Kuala Lumpur, may affect public life. Little India was chosen as the case study because of its historical and cultural significance. The study aims to explore the most important temporary urban interventions - activity-based interventions in traditional shopping street through the spatial logic of street network. Static snapshots and people-following were conducted in Little India, to observe activity and movement during a whole day on a weekday and a weekend day. Two (2) parameters in Space Syntax were chosen including global integration and local integration to measure its urban interventions, activities, and movement among visitors in traditional shopping streets. The result indicates that there is a certain correlation among these parameters with the following spatial configurative analyses; all lines analyses and segment based angular analyses. It finds significant relationships between global integration and local integration, and the activity pattern. It is proposed in this paper that streets with a high degree of integration and adjacent to main streets; Jalan Tun Sambanthan is a key factor for carrying forward temporary urban interventions in Little India. More attention should be paid to the street network to preserve diversity, make the streets active, and importantly to improve public life.