2

DESIGN CRITERIA FOR A USER-

FRIENDLY STREET
Norhafizah Abdul Rahman, Shuhana Shamsuddin

2.0 INTRODUCTION

Streets are a vital component of the urban form and play an

important role in the city centres. Streets have three main
functions; circulation route or connection space, social space or
meeting place and market place. Streets are where the greatest
amount of human contact and interaction take place. However, in
Malaysian cities, it is hard to find examples of street environments
that are friendly and accommodating to pedestrian users especially
in the advent of motorised transportation. The unfriendly street
environment for pedestrian in urban spaces is also cited as among
the most critical urban issues addressed in the Kuala Lumpur City
plan 2020. Urbanisation has a tremendous influence on urban
spaces, generally, and streets, specifically. One of the influences is
the erosion of the street as a public space, which also has an effect
on public life and urban users. The rapid growth in the cities has a
tremendous influence on the relationship between the urban users
and the social spaces, especially the streets. This issue constitutes
one of the most important concerns of the Kuala Lumpur City Hall.
The increase in population has contributed to the decrease in the
quality of the urban environment and the quality of life of the
inhabitants, particularly in major cities like Kuala Lumpur. This is
2 Sustainability and the Design of Public Places

more pertinent in view that it is envisioned that there will be a

population increase from 1.6 million today to 2.2 million by 2020.
Therefore, the streets will become a vital space for the public and
need to be governed effectively and efficiently to promote an
environment that is conducive, sustainable and friendly to all. The
focus of this paper is to identify the design criteria for a user-
friendly street. The street will affect the people uses and activities
that shaping the quality and character of urban living. There is a
danger that the city will end up having streets which are not
friendly to the various users groups if we do not understand the
design criteria that fit with users‟ needs and preferences
2.1 ISSUES OF USER-FRIENDLY STREET

2.1.1 Global issues

A user-friendly street concern with a street that is inclusive to all

(Burton et al, 2006; Yaakub et al, 2009); a street that fulfils the
needs of all users (Tibbalds (1992); a street that is usable,
accessible and safe to all member of society; one that is strongly
shaped by functional, emotional, physical and socio-cultural
attributes and climate (Burton et al, 2006; Yaakub et al, 2009;
Shamsuddin et al., 2004). This concept is related to the broader
concept of walkable environment as user friendly streets which are
one of the factors that can encourage people to walk in the city.
Walkability at its most basic character considers the safety,
security, economy and convenience travelling by foot. A walkable
community is also determined by factors such as residential
density, mixed land use, street connectivity, aesthetics, accessible
to get to recreation facilities and safety (Borst H.C. et al.,
2008).The actual needs and preferences of the urban users are the
most important quality that should be given more attention in order
to re-evaluate the quality and design of the space over time in order
to create a successful urban space (Jansson et al, 2010). However
the needs of the users in the street depend on their activities in the
Sustainability and the Design of Public Places 3

street and the activities on the other hand are influenced by the
quality and the character of the outdoor space (Gehl, 1987).

The understanding of the design criteria is essential to

identify what is a user-friendly street to the users. Gehl (2004)
added that, by creating good pedestrian environment, it will
provide a well-functioning public domain; inviting more people to
walk, stay longer and offering a variety of attractive public
activities. The physical design of a street is the actual structure of a
place, which includes buildings, landscape, climate and aesthetic
quality (Shamsuddin et al, 2004; Carmona, 2003), it is the objects
in the setting; natural elements, manmade features and climate;
relation between places created by walls, distance, windows,
barriers; and qualities of setting (Rapoport, 1986).The most
important design criteria for user-friendly street is comfort, which
is one of the basic human needs in urban spaces (Carr et al, 1992:
Jacobs.1996; Carmona et al, 2003). In order to create a
comfortable street/urban space, the design decisions play an
important role in modifying the impact of micro climate (Carmona
et al., 2003; Mofidi, 2009) that is suitable for human activities
either intended or unintended.

Environmental conditions have a very strong relationship

with people‟s behaviour and the usage of outdoor spaces
(Nikolopoulou, 2007). Many features of the physical structures of
the city can affect the urban climate that gives a comfortable
environment to the street (Mofidi, 2009). In a hot and humid
country like Malaysia, environmental conditions in public spaces
such as micro climate, sunlight, shelter from rain, air movement
and lighting, play a vital role in creating a comfortable space. This
research seeks to uncover the criteria that are important for a user-
friendly street in the context of Malaysia
4 Sustainability and the Design of Public Places

2.2 METHODOLOGY

This study adopts a case study method that is approached in both

qualitative and quantitative manner. The street environment is
examined in respect of the physical qualities through the analysis
of questionnaire surveys of 346 respondents selected using quota
sampling. The respondents were broadly divided into daily users
(those who are constantly engaged with the street) and occasional
users (those who are not dependent on the study area. The daily
users (shop owners, shopkeepers, vendors, office workers) were
selected based on the systematic sampling method using the
interval of unit spaces on the ground level of the street (shopping
space, restaurants, stalls, stores and shop premises). In this
sampling the total of the units within the street of JTAR is divided
by the total number of sample size required. Based on observation
on site the number of unit spaces is 346, which is divided by 170
(the total number of sample size required). Therefore, the selection
of respondents is based on an interval of 2 units.
In this study, in-depth interviews were utilised to complement the
quantitative data. The type of user, age, sex and ethnicity are
important characteristics that considered in selecting respondents
in the interview. A convenience random sampling of 20 street
users was interviewed. The in-situ interviews will assure that the
respondent‟s phenomenological observations are recorded and that
the perceptions while moving could be considered in the final
outcome. In this study, structured observations of the users‟
activities and physical environment of the street was conducted as
part of the multi method approach to record the physical
characteristics and the qualities in urban pedestrian environments
and to study human activities on the streets. Field observations and
documentation of the quality of the site in the form of maps and
photographic records were conducted for each sub-area of the case
study. Field notes and related photographs were taken of all major
elements in the space, buildings use, and landscape use with the
physical settings.
Sustainability and the Design of Public Places 5

The data were processed using both qualitative and

quantitative approaches and tabulated to find potential patterns and
connections. The result s from the interviews, physical observation
and activities observations were used to support the results
revealed from the questionnaire surveys. Triangulations were made
within and between other data from observation of physical
characteristics and activities on the street, interviews and from
previous researchers in the literature review.

2.2.1 Case Study

The study area, Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, is located within the
core of the Central Business District (CBD), of Kuala Lumpur.
Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman is well known as one of the earliest
routes in Kuala Lumpur and as one of the earliest traditional
shopping districts in Kuala Lumpur (Abdallah, 2006). It was
originally called Batu Road. Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman (JTAR) is
identified as one of the main traditional streets in the city centre
due to its inherent socio-cultural role and historical significance as
being among the earliest high-streets in the city centre of Kuala
Lumpur (Shamsuddin et al., 2010).

Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman was noted for „shophouses‟, a typical

character of the Malay urban settings in the nineteenth-century. As
the city grew, „shophouses‟ were developed in groups with facades
of unified designs. Such grouping arose from the need to provide
covered pedestrian passages along the shops and from an
understanding of scale and civic responsibility. The initial, simple
design slowly became increasingly elaborate in the details and
decoration. As the „shophouse‟ unit came under the control of
individual owners many have been and continue to be remodelled
and replaced by larger buildings. This street receives the highest
concentration of shoppers, visitors and pedestrians (KLCH, 2003)
and is located in the area which has been dedicated for urban
revitalization initiative (Ujang, 2008).
6 Sustainability and the Design of Public Places

JALAN TUANKU ABDUL RAHMAN

Figure 2. 1 Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman

2.3 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

The findings suggested four design criteria that are important in

creating a user friendly street, namely; easy access by foot,
proximity, safe crossing devices, environmental conditions and
other supportive factors.

2.3.1 Easy access by foot

Ease of access by foot is related to safe environment and is

dependent on the conditions of the walkway, well connected to
path, services and facilities, wide, flat footways and no clutter
blocking pedestrian movement (Carrs et al., 1992). The results
from the survey related to safety and security indicated that a safe
environment for the elderly, people with disability and children as
being one of the main attributes that make people use the street.
Although JTAR has good connections with other streets, the
conditions of the pedestrian walkway in JTAR are still not very
Sustainability and the Design of Public Places 7

friendly to the pedestrians, especially people with disability.

Feedbacks from the interviews indicated that the conditions of the
pavements and materials used made it difficult to walk, especially
for those with disability. The pavement is not well maintained and
the surface of the materials used, which is slippery when it rains in
some areas, is not suitable and dangerous especially for people
with disabilities. It was also observed that the walkway is uneven
and cluttered with street furniture, thus causing obstruction to the
pedestrian movement, especially for the elderly and people with
disability. Based on the interviews it was found that the
appropriate surface of the sidewalks also affect the level of comfort
of when using the street.

It was also observed that the walkways lacked ramps at

surface changes, and the absence of tactile blocks make it difficult
for people with disabilities to use the street. The curb extension
condition is also too steep and the inappropriate gratings used
along the walkways hinder the smooth movement of pedestrians,
especially for people with disabilities. Most of the finishes used
have not been carefully selected and arranged to ensure safety and
unobstructed access for all. Furthermore, the locations of signages,
dustbins, phone booths and other street furniture along the
pedestrian walkways create obstruction for pedestrians to walk
unimpeded. As argued by Tibbalds (1992), pedestrians are always
being impeded by street furniture, such as lamp posts, dust bins,
and advertisement boards while walking on the street, which
makes the street inaccessible and unsafe for them to walk easily
(Figure 2.2). This statement is supported by Carrs et al (1992) who
stated that the presence of these elements sometimes distract and
severe the connections for walking as well as blocking the views,
where visibility is an important factor for safety on the street.
8 Sustainability and the Design of Public Places

Figure 2.2 Walkway conditions in JTAR that create unfriendly

pedestrian movement

In JTAR, the obstruction is not only caused by the location

of the street furniture along the street but also there are goods for
sale and illegally parked motorcycles making it difficult to walk
(Figure 2.3). This not only affects the pedestrian movement on foot
but also poses danger to the pedestrians from the vehicular traffic
on the road. The width of the pedestrian walkway also affects the
feelings of comfort in using the street. This street has narrow
sidewalks that may cause danger to the pedestrians, hence making
it less accessible.

Figure 2. 3 Conflict between pedestrians, clutter, motorcycles parking

and traders on the street
Sustainability and the Design of Public Places 9

Easy access by foot is important to create a user-friendly street.

Therefore, continuous pedestrian linkage, appropriate location of
street furniture, the careful design of pedestrian walkway and
regular maintenance must be considered. As suggested by the
previous study on streets in Kuala Lumpur city centre by
Shamsuddin et al. (2010), people tend to walk longer and visit
more shops if the street condition is convenient for them to walk.
Inaccessibility by foot also increases the number of cars on the
street as suggested by Schmitz et al. (2006) where people prefer to
drive than walk even for short distance trips. Therefore, in the case
of Malaysia, in order for the street to be accessible for the
pedestrian which include the disabled people, the design has to
conform to the approved guidelines by the Standard and Industrial
Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM), as Malaysian standard MS
1331: 1993: Code of Practice for Disabled People Outside
Building.

2.3.2 Proximity

The proximity from the user‟s place of work and home is one of
the most important factors influencing the use of the street. The
survey results indicated that proximity was one of the reasons
mentioned in using the street where respondents who stayed within
a 10 km radius with JTAR were the group that most frequently
visit the street (Figure 2.4). The results show that 46.7 per cent of
the respondents who stayed 1-5 kilometres away and 31.7 per cent
of the respondents who stayed between 5-10 kilometres from
JTAR used the street daily. People are much more likely to walk to
a given destination if they perceive that the distance is not too far.
The perceived distance can be influenced by the right type of land
use and design characteristics. Design elements such as continuous
walking systems that connect door fronts with transit stops or other
destinations can create good connections. Most of the interviewed
respondents mentioned that they could walk up to 1.2 kilometres
distance, which supports the suggestion by many authors that
people will choose to walk approximately 1 kilometre in distance.
10 Sustainability and the Design of Public Places

The proximity of public transportation nodes and shopping spots

make this street highly accessible for pedestrians. The proximity of
one spot to another is a positive response factor that encourages
people to use the street as expressed by one of the respondents.

The proximity factor of JTAR contributes to an accessible

street that gives pedestrians comfort in using the street (Carney,
2000) where the street users are able to move freely between and
within the zones (Anderson, 2006). Burton et al. (2006) noted that
10 minutes (about 800 metres) are a comfortable walking time for
people to reach services and facilities. Therefore, the locations of
the services and facilities, such as shops, public transport and other
facilities should be located or situated within a 10-minute walking
distance (Burton et al., 2006). However, in some situations even
though pedestrians aim to use the shortest route, due to encounters
with other pedestrians and obstacles on the street they might not be
able to do so. Proximity from the parking area to the users‟
destination is another key factor that contributes to the feeling of
comfort to the street users.

60

52.4
46.7

50
36.6

35.7

40
Percentage

31.7
27.3

27.3
23.8

30
21.4

18.2

18.2
16.7

16.7
14.6
14.3

14.3

14.3

14.3

20
12.2
9.1

9.5
10

10

10
4.9

0
once a week twice a week every other day every day others
Requency of visit

1-5 KM 5-10 KM 10-15 KM 15-20 KM More than 20 KM

Figure 2.4 Relationship between respondents‟ frequency of visit with the

distance to JTAR
 Sustainability and the Design of Public Places
11

2.3.3 Safe crossing devices

The survey indicates that safe crossing devices are one of the most
important attributes that contribute to a friendly street
environment. The presence of safe crossing devices is another key
attribute in supporting the feeling of safety and security in using
the street. As noted in the interview, pedestrian crossing feature is
very important for pedestrian safety to cross the streets, especially
in areas that are busy with vehicular traffic. In the survey, the
occasional group and group of user age more than 45 years old
expressed the most concern in respect of the need for adequate and
safe crossing devices. This is because most of them use the street
for shopping purposes and carry many bags where sometimes they
also come with their family. It was observed that there are some
areas along the study street that do not provide pedestrian crossings
such as in front of the Sogo shopping block. This is not in
accordance to the Malaysian standard 1331 (2003) which requires
pedestrian crossing to be provided in busy shopping areas and in
areas where the number of vehicles exceeds 300 per hour.

Most of the users tend to use the zebra crossing more

compared to the overhead crossings. People tend to prefer to cross
the road illegally rather than use the pedestrian crossings provided.
This is due to many factors, the first reason being the width of the
street that is too wide making it difficult to cross safely. The wider
the street, the longer it will take to cross, hence, the longer they are
exposed to vehicular traffic. The ITE (2006) recommended in
certain cases the width of the street could be reduced by extending
the curb. This has the effects of traffic calming and not only
reduced the pedestrian crossing distance, but also gives exposure to
traffic by improving the driver and pedestrian‟s sight distance and
visibility (ITE, 2006).

Another reason is that the overhead crossing is not suitable

for those with mobility issues, such as pregnant women, women
with shopping bags or strollers, elderly people and children. The
12 Sustainability and the Design of Public Places

study discovered that the aged group of users perceived that safe
crossing devices are one of the most important attributes that
contribute to the use of the street. It is impossible for such group to
climb up the stair-case with no other supportive facilities provided
such as a ramp, escalator or lift. Due to its height, the overhead
crossing is also located at a higher level than the street, therefore
lacking of pedestrian surveillance, which contributes to the feeling
of insecurity to the pedestrians. Whyte (1980) argued that putting
spaces away from the street level like sunken spaces or roof top
urban spaces is not convincing in terms of safety. In addition, the
crossings are not conducive for the specific needs of people with
disability such as safe crossings for the blinds. Sometimes the stop
signs for the crossings are also not clear. The sounds for the stop
signal that allow people to cross the road are also not loud enough,
making it difficult for people to hear and impossible for people
with hearing problems. It was also found that at the pedestrian
crossing area, there is no proper refuge for pedestrians (waiting
space), especially at the areas with narrow walkways, and that the
traffic calming system is not effective to allow adequate time to
cross the street; as also observed by Shamsuddin et al. (2010).

2.3.4 Environmental conditions

Comfort and convenience are the basic physiological needs of

people in order to encourage them to use a place. The results
confirm these attributes of comfort and convenience that can
attract more users to the street

Mean value of the attributes shows the criteria of comfort

and convenience that are important to the respondents. It was
found that most of the attributes that were stated as most crucial
according to users‟ perception are related to the weather and
overall climate of the street. Surprisingly, the finding suggest that
(based on the mean value), seating placement, sufficient and
comfortable seating are the least important criteria compared to the
others. Comfortable streets are calm, welcoming and pedestrian
 Sustainability and the Design of Public Places
13

friendly with the necessary facilities and services (Burton, 2006),

in the study the occasional group of users were more concerned
with these attributes to make them use the street compared to other
groups. These results suggest a different scenario compared to
studies done in Western and European countries where seating in
the street is an important attribute for their users (Whyte, 1980;
Gehl, 1986; Carr et al, 1996 and Burton et al, 2006). Factors that
relate to culture and climate may create different expectation for
the street and at the same time create different kinds of activities
on the street, which contributes towards different attributes of
users‟ preferences and needs.

Table 2.1 Degree of comfort and convenience attributes based

on mean values
Comfort and Convenience Occasional Daily Non Mean
qualities user Value

a Free of pollution, noise, smell 1.18 1.25 1.28 1.23

and vibration
b A lot of covered ways/shade 1.38 1.34 1.37 1.36
and other protection from sun
and rain
c Availability of dust bins, 1.48 1.41 1.61 1.47
telephones and toilets
d Breezy 1.45 1.54 1.51 1.50
e Suitable temperature 1.43 1.56 1.46 1.50
f Very clear direction of the place 1.62 1.49 1.77 1.58
g Very clear pedestrian signage 1.66 1.52 1.84 1.62
h A lot of recreational facilities 1.66 1.57 1.79 1.64
i Lot of banking and 1.69 1.59 1.81 1.66
communications centres
j Lots of convenient places for 1.66 1.64 1.95 1.70
shopping
14 Sustainability and the Design of Public Places

k A lot of greenery 1.80 1.69 1.84 1.75

l Very attractive building facades 1.76 1.70 1.91 1.76
m A lot of outdoor cafes, 1.85 1.64 1.96 1.77
refreshment kiosks
n Lot of rest areas and seating 1.95 1.67 2.14 1.85
places
o Width of the walking space 2.0 1.7 2.12 1.87
p A lot of spots for entertainment 1.85 1.98 1.91 1.92
q Comfortable and sufficient 2.07 1.74 2.16 1.92
seating
r Seating places adjacent to 2.09 1.85 2.32 2.01
pedestrian flow

Mean Value 1.42 2.02 2.01 1.53

Response format
1= strongly important
4= strongly unimportant

Among the four attributes that contribute towards the

feelings of comfort on the street, free of pollution from dust, sound
and smell are the most important to the user in the survey. The
results show that comfortable and sufficient seating even those
located adjacent to the pedestrian flow were the least important
attributes that contribute to the feeling of comfort and convenience
of JTAR. The findings of the current study do not support the
previous research findings in other countries towards the provision
of these seatings. This may relate to the environmental conditions
that are not convivial, not healthy in terms of pollution and the
micro climate of the street that is too hot and humid, being not a
pleasing environment to view and lacking of shaded areas.

The finding shows that the feeling of comfort and

convenience affects the length of time people spend in a public
 Sustainability and the Design of Public Places
15

space. This was supported by Carmona et al (2003) who stressed

that comfort is a prerequisite of a successful public space and
affect the length of time people stay in the space.

2.3.4.1 Free of pollution, noise, smell and vibration

In the case of this study an environment that is free of pollution,

such as smell, noise and vibration is shown to be the most
important attribute that makes people use the street. As mentioned
by respondent no.8: “I don‟t like to spend time in JTAR because
the environment is not conducive. It is hot, dusty, too crowded and
the sounds from vehicles are too loud. Normally when I go to
JTAR I just get what I need to buy and move” (Male). Based on
the interview it was also found that due to the dusty environment,
it might distract people from doing more activities outdoors as
according to respondent no.2: “When I go to JTAR with friends,
we always have lunch together, but we normally have lunch
indoors (inside the building), because the outdoor environment is
quite dusty and that makes us uncomfortable” (Female).

According to Krupart (1985), this attribute relates to the

stress and experience of the environment. On site observation
revealed that such pollutions are mainly caused by the large
number of cars using the street. This was supported by the findings
in the Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020 (2006) that stated within 2000
to 2003, 81 per cent of the pollution was due to the vehicles.

2.3.4.2 Presence of covered ways/shade and other protection

from sun and rain

In hot and humid countries, protection from the sun and rain are
important to create a conducive outdoor environment. The
presence of covered ways that provide shade and shelter from the
sun and rain is important for people to use the street comfortably.
The survey showed that most of the users use the street in the
morning and late afternoon, spending up to 4 hours in JTAR. Most
16 Sustainability and the Design of Public Places

of the activities along the street also occurred in the areas that have
shade and protection from the sun. People use these areas to sit and
do more static activities, as they feel comfortable compare to the
unsheltered areas where only dynamic activities such as walking
shopping activities were witnessed. It is also observed that during
hot sunny days in JTAR, people prefer to walk under covered
walkways such as the corridors of the shophouses and under shade
from buildings along the street where only seating in areas that
have shade are being used (figure 2.5).

Figure 2.5 The static activities happening in the area that provide shade

There are three main ways of protection from the hot sunlight and
rain, namely; through the design, orientation and spacing of the
buildings, tree plantings and the spacing between tree and building,
and the presence of covered walkways (Carmona et al, 2003). The
way the orientation of the buildings plays a role on the street
design to minimise the sunlight is by taking account the shading
effect of the buildings or other structures such as trees. The areas
that are shaded by the buildings tend to attract people and
activities, especially optional and social activities. However, some
areas of JTAR have good shadow casting because of the tall
buildings in the street. Besides covered arcades, building
overhangs of shopping complexes also provide shade for
pedestrians.
 Sustainability and the Design of Public Places
17

In the case of JTAR, the pedestrian walkways are divided

into two groups, which are covered walkways or arcades in front of
the shops (five-foot walkway) and uncovered walkways along the
street (pedetrian pavement). The five-foot walkway provides
protection from the sun, rain and strong wind while the uncovered
walkways offer more space to walk. However, the research by
Abdul Latip (2011) also found that people prefer trees to covered
walkways due to the cooling effects they bring to the area. Trees
and greenery along the street do affect the use of the street. In the
case of JTAR, there is strong exposure to the sun every day,
therefore tree planting is one of the provisions for providing shade,
reducing glare and cooling the atmosphere. The presence of
greenery is felt to have a positive effect on the environment, such
as modifying the impact of the micro climate, providing shade
from the sun and also acting as a divider between the pedestrian
walkway and traffic flow. It was observed that in the areas that
have shaded trees planted, more activities exist. The seating
located under shady trees also shows more use by the street users
compared to the seating located in the exposed area along the street
(figure 2.6).

Figure 2.6 The seating located under shady trees are more use by
the street users compared to the seating located in the exposed area
18 Sustainability and the Design of Public Places

Relief from the sun is also a main factor that needs to be

considered for comfort, as it can affect the micro climate in urban
spaces (Whyte, 1980; Carr et al, 1992) especially in tropical
climate. Unlike Western and European countries where the
sunlight penetration into places helps make the area more pleasant
for the users (Carmona et al., 2003), in the Malaysian context, the
protection from sunlight is a crucial element that can make people
feel comfortable and pleasant when using the street. The
improvements needed in JTAR are covered walkway (as often
seen in traditional street in the form of five-foot walkway), trees
and greenery which relate to protection from the sun and rain that
also have a cooling that makes the street more conducive for
walking. This is in line with the statement by Lynch (1984) that
streets that are shady provide a setting for activities and can bring
people together.

2.3.4.3 Breeze and suitable temperature

The survey shows that breezy environment and suitable

temperature of the space are among the most important attributes
from the users‟ perceptions that make them use the street and at the
same time will contribute to a user-friendly street. This is
supported by Nikolopoulou et al. (2007) with their observation that
there is a strong relationship between micro climate conditions and
the use of space. One of the elements that need to improve JTAR
according to the respondents is to increase the greenery and tree
planting along the street. The presence of greenery in the city not
only provides shade, but also may contribute to the cooling
temperature in a place (Abdul Rahman, 2013). Therefore, planting
and increasing greenery along the street may help to reduce the
local temperature and at the same time will create a comfortable
environment for the users to use the street. It has also been proven
by Gill et al. in Abdul Latip (2011) that the mature trees can
provide a cooler surface by 15.6 Celsius. The finding was also
supported by Simonds (1994) who stressed that instead of
beautification purposes, the presence of trees, ground covers and
 Sustainability and the Design of Public Places
19

open water into the open space will reduce 30 degrees cooler to the
surface temperature than that of the sun hot paving.

Another criterion that affects the temperature in the street is

the physical structures which include the surface material. It was
observed that some of the physical structures and surface material
are not suitable for hot and humid country like Malaysia. This is
supported by Mofidi et al, (2009) and; Bourbia et al. (2009) who
stressed that physical structures, including properties of surfaces
can affect the urban climate that provides a comfortable
environment to the street. According to Bourbia et al. (2009) in
their study, they found that there are differences in temperature in
the area that is fully covered by hard surfaces with the non-
existence of vegetation with the area that is covered with hard
surfaces and with the existence of vegetation. It has proven that the
presence of vegetation into the open space will provide a cooler
surface by 15.6 Celsius (Abdul Latip, 2011).

Breezy or windy environment may affect the comfort level of the

street users. According to Carmona et al (2003), in a very humid
climate like Malaysia, the outdoor spaces may need to be designed
to encourage a greater thorough flow of cooling air. This can be
achieved by modifying the design decisions like the pattern of
physical layout either natural or artificial such as positioning
access, trees planting, walls and other obstructions (Carmona et al.,
2003). The importance of wind flow and air temperature in urban
spaces to encourage people to use the space has also been stressed
by other authors (Carmona et al., 2003; Jacobs, 1996 and
Nikolopoulou et al., 2007). Based on the observation of users‟
activities on the street, the way they use the street, duration of stay,
time of usage and where they prefer to spend their time can help to
identify how important these factors are for them. The reasons they
use the street more during the morning and late afternoon is
because the temperature is lower and there is less sunlight, which
creates a comfortable environment for them to use and spend their
20 Sustainability and the Design of Public Places

time. It was observed that the street is being used mainly in the
morning and evening when the environment is more comfortable

2.4 CONCLUSION

The purpose of this paper is to determine the design criteria that

are needed for a user-friendly street in Malaysia. The importance
of such findings is the need to create a more walkable environment
in the city centre in order to reduce the heavy dependence on
vehicles for movement. A user-friendly street will facilitate the
creation of a walkable environment that is seen as the more
sustainable approach towards city planning and design in the
future. In this research it was revealed that the design criteria that
contributed to the user-friendly street in the Malaysian context is
mainly similar to the previous theories developed by other
countries, especially the developed ones. There is also not much
difference between the users‟ needs of a user-friendly street with
the needs of users of other urban spaces based on previous theories
developed elsewhere. However, the attributes that contribute to the
factors vary for each context, especially between countries with a
different climate and economic level (developing and developed
countries). This may relate to the differences in environment,
climate or culture of the urban places. For example in Malaysia
street are used much more in the evening when te sun is down and
the enviroment is much cooler for activities to take place, such as
street market and night-markets. This paper identifies the factors
that need to be considered in the future guidelines and policies for
planning and design of urban spaces especially streets in the city
centres. It is hoped that these factors will be taken into
consideration by those involved with decision- making in respect
of planning and urban design, as a guide to create a friendly street
environment for the users.
 Sustainability and the Design of Public Places
21

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The author is grateful to the Ministry of Higher Education

(Malaysia) and Universiti Teknologi MARA for sponsoring this
research. The author also thanks the organisations (Dewan
Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) and Jabatan Perancangan
Bandar dan Desa (JPBD) who have been involved direct and
indirectly for completion of this research.

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