By : Ahmad Fitri bin Mohammad, Dylan Snyder anak Jensen, Nurul Khalisa binti Mohd Saktar, Nurul Atiff binti Md Tanudin, Nur Syafiqah binti Azman and Norsyamira binti Samsuri
Based on the article "City center organization and its influence on the city structure" by Petar Mitkovic, 2004, a city center is mostly were historical core and a subject to a series of transformation during its development. The most common meaning of Town Center is the development of a multi purpose durable and arranged public area that can be identify and people can gather to strengthen their community. In the town center, there are many type of development for example commercial development and industrial development as well as uses for other purposes such as office space and hospitality purposes. From the constructions of such facilities, town center's region will attract settlers and be subjected to high population density. This in turn will cause town centers to be highly competitive and may lead to unhealthy lifestyle.
CITY CENTER ORGANIZATION
AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE CITY STRUCTURE
CITY CENTER ORGANIZATION
AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE CITY STRUCTURE
2.0 Principles of Planning a Town Center
To make a good Town Center, there must be a principle that can be used to make the process of planning more systematic. According to “Ten Principles for Developing Successful Town Center” by Michael D. Beyard, Anita Kramer, Bruce Leonard, Michael Pawlukiewicz and Nora Yoo (2007), said principles were needed to create sustainable town center for the communities and the following are the principles:
2.1 Plan for development and financial complexity
Financing and ownership issue in town center involve numerous levels of complexity beyond those that occur in most single-use projects. The ambitious scale of planned town center often require phasing development projects in line with market demand. Phasing may require different financing strategies.
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Figure 2.1 example of phasing plan for the community
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2.2 Balance flexibility with a long-term vision
Long-term vision is the framework; and flexibility is a tool for implementing it together. They provide the basis for planning at the outset, decision during development and adjustment at maturity. Historically, town center have grown and changed organically. Creating a new town center requires analogous flexibility over the course of development as markets sift, consumer preferences changes, and relationships among uses mature.
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Figure 2.2 example of long-term
vision for the community
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2.3 Capture the benefit that density offer
The development of an
appealing, vibrant town center require a well-designed mix uses at a density
high enough to achieve a critical mass of people on the street. A truly
successful town center will be the most densely developed and lively part of
the community. High density means more amenities, more liveliness, more synergies
between development component and more choice for the public. Designing a dense
town center requires the introduction of pedestrian-friendly elements.
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Figure 2.3 example of high
density amenities development
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2.4 Connect to the community
One of the defining characteristics of Town Center development is that they are very public and have strong connection with the surrounding community. Connectivity requires an understanding of the complex interrelationships among planned uses roads, pedestrian ways, transit, open space and the surrounding neighbourhoods.
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Figure 2.4 example of amenities
development connect to people
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2.5 Invest for sustainability
Sustainability is not just a buzzword that stands for the use of green products and protection of the environment. Sustainable design uses a holistic approach that included economic and social as well as environment considerations. The goal of sustainable development is to be environmentally responsible and physically enduring while performing well over the long term.
3.0 Requirements of Planning a Town Center
A Town or a City Center can be defined by many different definitions that has its own sets of standards. Thus the requirements to identify a town or a city center may vary according to the definition.
But according to a paper published by Clarion Associates Chapel Hill on the Topic of Town Center Mixed-Use Development District Standards, it stated that traditionally a small city downtown is what often comes to mind when the concept of a town centre is brought up. City hall, the courthouse, and city parks were often nearby, with picnic tables and band-shells. Downtown is associated with where the holidays were celebrated, where parades marched and the post office was located. When friends came to visit, downtown was the place to go. it defined the community and was the place to be.
Development regulation such as zoning codes and subdivision standards have proven to be key factor in whether a community will be successful in creating a lively, mixed use town center. More specifically, some of the key issues explored in this working paper include:
This promotes appropriate uses that encourages a dynamic live-work-play environment. This measure also creates an active and secure pedestrian friendly-settings. Planners also have to provide a range of housing to cater with public demand as well as offer a variety of retail and employment opportunities. Such measures also need to support civic and institutional uses for the general public.
3.2 Development densities and intensities
This is to ensure that the development is ready to accommodate and encourage higher development intensities that supports retail shops and services, provide an enhanced tax based; and reflect acceptable development investment risks.
3.3 Transportation circulation and access
This is to provide for circulation patterns that form a safe, convenient, and accessible network for all means of transportation, interconnected streets, walkways, and bikeways throughout the district and its surrounding development, maximize connectivity between adjacent development and provide transit options.
3.4 Parking
City must apply for parking management strategies that reflect the reduced vehicle parking demand inherent in mixed-used developments. They also must provide for the increased bicycle parking and make parking a utility provided at the district level rather than a requirement of individual development on a parcel-by-parcel basis.
3.5 Development and design standards
Planners have to create an enhanced environment that is attractive, safe, and orderly as well as compatible with surrounding existing neighbourhoods, organized public and private spaces too invite pedestrian activity and social interaction in comfort and security. Planners and architects also need to encourage building facades and orientation that reinforce the human scale of a pedestrian environment and enhance pedestrian routes. Finally, city planners and the local authority should also implement low impact development concepts such as bioswales and pervious pavement where feasible.
4.0 Elements of a Town Center
Based on Center for the cities (2020), it states that element of town center includes communications and transportation, built-up area, open space, public utility services, public amenities, land use, circulation, zoning, housing and landscape.
4.1 Communications and transportation
Transportation
and communication are a way for citizens to overcome physical distance
barriers. Transport generally involves the movement of people or goods from one
place to another. Meanwhile, communication is the
transmission of information or data from one source to another. In short, communications and transportation are designed to improve and ease the daily lives of
citizens and improving sustainability.
4.2 Built-up area
Built-up
area can be defined as a human settlements with high population density and
built environment infrastructure. Town generally consists of the town centers,
suburbs, industrial areas, road networks and open spaces. They are an important indicators for town center development and growth. Built up areas also
contribute a trends in town center development which can guide the
implementation of town center planning management.
4.3 Open space (parks, playgrounds, recreational unit)
Open space in town centers refer to any open piece of land that is undeveloped which mean has no buildings or other built structure and is accessible to the public. Urban parks, parks, and recreational spaces stimulate commercial growth and promote urban revitalization. It is an important place for people to exchange information, material and energy out in the comfort of nature. Open space also varies in size, shapes and functions.
Table 4.1: Hierarchies Of Open
Spaces
hierarchy
|
size
of open space
|
population catchment
|
National
Park
|
Unlimited
|
National
|
Regional
Park
|
100
|
Regional
|
Urban
Park
|
40
|
More than 50,000
|
Local
Park
|
8
|
12,000 – 50,000
|
Neighbourhood
Park
|
2
|
3,000 – 12,000
|
Playing
Field
|
0-6
|
1,000 - 3,000
|
Playground
|
0-2
|
300 – 1,000
|
Roof
Garden
|
Varies
|
Target Group
|
4.5 Public utility services (electricity, gas, telephone, fire safety)
Public utility services is important in the development of a city. Public utilities services is an important factor in determining urban development locations such as sewerage, drainage and water supply, gas, telephone, electricity and fire safety. Public utilities that are available in a town area are determined by demand of the public or the number of people living in the town.
4.5 Public amenities (post office, bank, police station,
solid waste disposal, petrol pump, court)
Public
amenities can be defined as the public services that contributes to the urban living experience of
residents and are linked to the daily life needs of residents in a town. Public amenities serves an important role in the society that can be distinct by some elements; a few of which are education, healthcare, transport services, housing, post and mailing, police station, fire station, court of justice, petrol station, banks and many others. These amenities plays an important role in providing a live-able sense in the community.
4.7 Circulation
According Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue (1998) ‘’circulation is an important element for a town to develop; which is important for the movement of traffic within a town area’’. A good network of roads is essential for the rapid growth of town and it is related to the mobility and connectivity of users and space. The circulation in town center development must include interconnected disperses traffic network which eases movement of people from one place to another.
Table 4.2: The classifications
of town roads
administration
|
description
|
Federal road
|
Roads that gazette under federal
road. Ordinance and linking the state capital and international border
crossing
|
Privatization or Toll road
|
Alternative to the federal road
which are built and maintained by concession company
|
State road
|
Road within sate and also provide
linkage of intra state
|
Local road
|
Intra town movement that provide
access and circulatory roads in land development including residential areas
|
Other road
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Roads those directly under the
jurisdiction of District Office.
|
5.0 Factors that help shape a City Center
Urbanscapes all around the world are unique on its own with multiple different factors come into play in shaping and organizing the urbanization processes. The processes of which interactions of various intensity creates urban form in direct or indirect way. The urban transformation of each urban area has also local specifics related with the nature characteristic of space and structure, create unique urban ambient, local history and tradition, some cultural or sport manifestation or so on.
Most prominently but often forgotten are the urbanscapes of a city center. Theoretically speaking, perceptions on revitalizing and maintaining of these developed areas are often overlooked by the general public due to its established infrastructures and amenities. But in fact, areas of these categories are especially emphasized by local authorities and urban planners due to its important status upon one region. City center serves as the economic hub of which it holds the ‘reputation’ of a region toward outsiders and foreign investors and therefore it is important to constantly re-evaluate and adapt the cities according to current trends and needs to reach its full capabilities and potentials in order for the city to stay relevant and interesting. Below are a few key factors urban planners must pay attention to:
5.1 Pay attention to the area’s environment
Physical
environment: This includes the location of the city as well as the area’s
geological history. For example, Climate plays a role in region’s physical
environment and so does its proximity to water and food sources. Urban planners
must also consider the land use of the current situation. Social environment:
The existing social fabric of a city is a crucial component in the expansion or
revitalization of a particular area. Urban planners must pay attention to the
resources available to different demographics in the region, like public
transportation and commercial activities. Economic environment: Urban planners
need to know what economic factors might help or hinder a city’s development.
The number and types of businesses will impact how an area is laid out.
Residents’ socioeconomic level as well as any employment or economic trends in
a region can help planners to develop an urban area. (Eagleview, 2016)
5.2 Consider city
residents
Urban
planning used to rely on hand-drawn plats to design spaces. Today, this
discipline takes into account other factors like the goals on a particular
region. The reason for this is when urban spaces began to flourish in the 19th
and 20th centuries, architects and city officials were so concerned
about the aesthetic design of the city that they often failed to consider the
people it affected. Later on, however, many cities for example, opted to build
highways in places of historic buildings or neighbourhood of which were often
demolished despite public outcry. This issue continues today, despite state and
federal efforts to preserve important landmarks. Today, cities involve their
residents in planning and revitalizing efforts in a process known as
participatory planning. This gives designers and city residents the chance to
have a say in the city’s plan, thereby improving public awareness surrounding
current plans. (Eagleview, 2016)
5.3 Plans should be
forward thinking
Consideration
for current residents is important, in that taxpayers want to have a say in the
decision that impact them. However, urban planners also need to look to the
future. An urban planning official will monitor population trends to determine
the space needed for future constructions. If the population is going up and a
developer wants to build apartment building downtown, the must need to build
high rises rather than smaller two-story buildings if they want to accommodate
future growth. Similarly, increase in tourism would call for additional hotels
and event venues. Ultimately, planners look to a specific outcome rather than a
time frame. They know that the population might increase, but it could be I five
years or twenty years. in order to predict such fluctuations, planners may look
to data to track changes, such as new constructions or demolition in an area
over time.
5.4 City policy in action
In an article written by Brankica in 2012, Policies
have strong intensity of action in relation to other influencing factors on
urban transformations. Political decision have changed state boarder, led to
armed conflicts, displacement of demographics, economic transformation and a
number of other processes that have started the society in its transition
towards a new form of public-politic, social and economic system. The political
factor is, therefore, dominated over the other, which makes assumptions for
changes in urban structure and form of many cities. But in the pass years, the
stabilization of political factors have reduced its impact on urban form, so
private investments, population, cultural and globalization have greater impact
of urban change.
6.0 Activities in a Town Center
6.1 Shopping mall
Mullin, John; Kotval, Zenia; and Murray, Edward (2009) states that shopping mall are important to the town center so that we can have a clear perception about cities and towns that have the potential to attract people and tourist .
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Figure 6.1 : Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur
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6.2 Public transport
There are a variety of public transport modes which; buses, rail, and taxis as an examples, can serve the people of a particular developed area. These services are essential to keep the people in a community moving and run their daily life.
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Figure 6.2: Kuala Lumpur Central
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According to the International Association of the Public Transport (2009), the provision of good public transport enables cities to thrive and fulfill their economic, environmental and social aspirations. Good public transport is vital to successful urban areas, enabling people to access jobs and services, employers to access labor markets and businesses to reach the customers for their services.
To plan better cities for the future, we need to improve our understanding of the full benefits of public transport. For instance, the benefit of public transport can be simplified as improving economic productivity, establish a high quality urban realm, regeneration of slum areas, promote social inclusion and additional economic vitality.
6.3 Commercial
Louise McGough, Elli Thomas (2014), states that commercial areas in a city are areas, districts, or neighbourhoods primarily composed of commercial buildings, such as a downtown, central business district, financial district, "Main Street", commercial strip, or shopping center. Commercial activity within cities includes the buying and selling of goods and services in retail businesses, wholesale buying and selling, financial establishments, and a wide variety of uses that are broadly classified as "business".
7.0 Best practices
7.1 Town in Malaysia
a) Petaling Jaya
Kuala Lumpur Area Guides (2020) describe that before the establishment of Petaling Jaya, it started out just as a small, humble town in the 50's; measuring only 2.12 square kilometers. As of today, Petaling Jaya has vastly developed into one of the most important cities in Malaysia. Also known as the twin sister of Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya is Malaysia’s very first planned town. Consisting of numerous commercial, residential and business districts, the satellite city is now a renowned metropolitan city of no less than 500,000 inhabitants.
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Figure 7.1: Petaling Jaya City Centre
|
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Figure 7.2: 1 Utama Shopping Centre
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b) Bangsar
According to Kuala Lumpur Area Guides, 2020, Cosmopolitan Bangsar is a residential neighbourhood just 4 km off from the Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC), best known for its array of shopping, dining and nightlife offerings. On one hand it is a hip area with quirky stores and trendy restaurants. However, they find it to be a culture-soaked haven of exotic street markets and temples. Attracting a healthy mix of locals and expats, it is less than five minutes from KL Central, making it easily accessible to travelers.
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Figure 7.3: Bangsar
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7.2 Town in other countries
a) Scotland
Town Centre Action Plan Master planning Toolkit (2013), states that town center are a vital part of Scotland’s past, present and future. Revitalising them is a priority for Scotland. People are the lifeblood of town centers. Create a town center where they can choose where they can go shopping, meet friends, see a film, listen to music or eat out. Businesses and organisations can choose where they invest and grow.
Scotland is a country blessed with beautiful and dramatic landscape. In some cases, Scottish towns are characterized by strong local landscape features and settings, such as local mountains or hillside forests. Many Scottish town centers have a rich built heritage. Where this is the case, it is important for towns to identify the significant value of their historic built environment as a resource, possibly with greater further potential, to contribute to local distinctiveness and identity. Some towns may have only a few historic buildings or artifacts, but thought might usefully be given as to how they could better contribute to a town’s character and vitality.
 |
 |
Figure 7.5:
Scotland Street
|
b) Singapore
Wikipedia states that Merlion Park is a landmark in Singapore and a major tourist attraction, located near One Fullerton, Singapore, near the Central Business District (CBD). Merlion is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and a body of fish widely used as mascots and identities of Singaporeans.
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Figure 7.6: City of Singapore
|
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Figure 7.7: Merlion Park in Singapore
|
In a nutshell, by performing the bench marking on best practices for town centers around the world, it gives planner a better understanding on how each town implements their strategies to establish and achieve a great town center. This bench marking processes also helps planners to create a better town center themself by analysing and choosing some of the best characteristic of the other towns. Mimicking and learning from their successful strategies and know what to avoid or improve based on their failures in order to create a better town center.
8.0 Conclusion
The city center is a complex place that serves a variety of people and destinations. The importance of healthy city center has been highlighted in recent years in particular locations because the obvious effects of empty shops and perceptions among some of their cities do not provide them with all the services they want or need, with a negative impact on their quality of life. City center and those operating and managing them, need to adapt to changing circumstances as global issues impact local conditions.
Likewise, local authorities also need to adapt to the rapidly changing fiscal change that increasingly challenges the budget constraints. As with any change process, it is important to be able to measure where we are, to monitor progress, learn from others and to compare performance and measure realistically. This report and the accompanying toolkit are intended to facilitate and support all those who have an active interest in enhancing the experience and vitality of central areas so that they can provide a healthy operating environment for the businesses and communities that depend on them.
The conclusion of the inception report is to act as guide for the students to collect data needed. Hence, to fulfill all task given and to propose the right proposal based on the goals of the report.
9.0 References
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