ajE-B s Asian Journal of Environment-Behaviour Studies
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Functional Dimensions at 'Kuala Lumpur Waterfront'
Get PDFThe 'Kuala Lumpur Waterfront' may be unfamiliar to many. Kuala Lumpur is a city that originates at the confluence of two rivers, the Klang and Gombak Rivers. The waterfront used to be very busy with activities when it was once a trading post for the export of tin. This was once the lifeline of the city - its main mode of transportation. The activity at the waterfront has changed over the years along with the social, economic and physical development of the city. Many waterfront cities throughout the world have gone through similar changes when the mode of transportation changed from water to the motor system. A number of cities have made efforts to integrate the cities' activities with their water body. This research attempts to investigate the functional aspects of the Kuala Lumpur waterfront within the city centre in terms of its level of contextual integration with the urban rivers in the current context. The technique adopted for this research is field observations which include a building use survey and time interval observation to investigate the Junctional aspects in ten demarcated zones along the Kuala Lumpur waterfront within the city centre. The research concluded with the finding that all the zones have a medium level of contextual integration between the waterfront and the urban river in terms of its building use, which depends much on the continuity of activities, their positioning location, accessibility and the provision of space and facilities
Modification Trends of Terraced Houses: A case study of Section 7, Shah Alam, Selangor
Get PDFTerraced or link houses have been one of the most popular housing schemes lived by modern Malaysians from all walks of life due to their design and affordability amongst all landed properties. Conversely, the mass housing production concept has its disadvantages and in most cases could not complement the diverse individual needs and personal satisfaction of personalisation. The most distinctive evidence is the adhered normal practice to renovate or modify houses even as early as when the owner is given vacant possession of the property. Users make changes for various reasons such as for personal needs, functional requirements or just plainly for aesthetic appeal. Housing modification or occurs when users modify the interior or exterior physical components of their homes. Modification works range from a simple change of colour of the facade to major structural changes to the home. It is also much based on individual affordability and the timing J{Jr the modifications to be made. A questionnaire survey was conducted in a terraced housing development in Section 7, Shah Alam, Selangor, to establish the personalisation trends and the motivational desires behind the personalisation
The Values of Parks to the House Residents
Get PDFThe presence of a park in a residential area plays an important role for residents living near the park. The focus of this paper is to examine the significance of a park to house residents. The methods used in this study include interviews with the developer and a survey administered to the residents living near the park. The main findings gathered from the survey reveal that the five most important 'park-related factors' to house residents are (i) good park elements, (ii) conceptual or design of the park, (iii) nearness to the park, (iv) existence of a view to the park, and (v) active area of the park facing the house. Other results also indicate that shade trees, lighting and butterflies are elements preferred to be present in a park. This research provides knowledge on the preferences of house residents and the importance of parks in a neighbourhood. The information from this research is hoped to be useful to policymakers, local authorities, urban planners, developers, corporate bodies, individuals and other related agencies involved in park and residential property development
The Perception of Social Safety in a Green Environment: A preliminary study at the Kepong Metropolitan Park
Get PDFAlthough there are many positive benefits gained from green areas, it is possible that people also have a negative perception towards such areas. Previous studies have shown that natural areas are sometimes perceived as scary, disgusting and uncomfortable when the sites are more densely vegetated, particularly when the vegetation is not apparently maintained and crime is often cited as a reason to avoid densely wooded areas. Based on this notion. a preliminary survey was conducted at Kepong Metropolitan Park. A total 0/69 park users were interviewed. A questionnaire was designed to provide information on the users' perception 0/ personal safety based on vegetation composition in urban parks. The perception of personal safety was based on photos taken before the survey. These photographs were taken at several urban parks in Kuala Lumpur. Out of 66 photographs taken. only 24 photographs were chosen for this study. The selection of the photographs was based on the type of vegetation such as topiary, young trees, matured trees. open space. hedges, shrub. water plant, bamboo, non-woody plants, and palms. Each of these photographs was identified with a numbered label. The respondents were requested to assess the type of surrounding vegetation they regarded as providing the safest environment. This study indicated that a photograph representing topiary plants was chosen by most park users as providing the safest park environment. On the other hand, a photograph depicting a pool with tall water grasses was considered as providing the least secure environment. This preliminary study revealed that people preferred parks which are more organized, maintained and well managed with a 'more formal' landscape setting. This study only presents preliminary evidence for the idea that a green environment can contribute towards fear and the feeling of being unsafe
Residents' Perceptions of the Visual Quality of On-Site Waste Storage Bins in Kuching
Get PDFOn-site storage of waste can be convenient to waste generators, especially for those who generate a large amount of waste every day. Concerns regarding public health and aesthetic considerations of the on-site storage of wastes have also arisen due to the use of unsightly makeshift containers or open-ground storage. There has been extensive research conducted to improve the understanding of the aesthetic qualities of natural landscapes. Nevertheless, research on residents' visual preferences and concerns for solid waste management facilities is still limited. Therefore, the ultimate goal of this study is to understand the perceived visual aesthetic quality of on-site storage facilities of wastes at collection points in Kuching District. A survey was conducted in August 2009 using a set of questionnaires consisting of several sections with 60 closed-ended questions, including questions with Likert scales. Since the official privatization of solid waste management in Kuching, the concession company has been providing uniform mobile garbage bins of standard sizes to residents and commercial areas. This has gradually improved solid waste management systems. In general, the solid waste management problems in Kuching city are perceived to be moderately serious. Other than that only overflowing waste in containers is the main problem that creates visual pollution. The highest mean ratings for the visual assessment were 3.43 (physical attribute -clean), 4.60 (feelings' comfortable), and 3.34 (appraisal -attractive). It was also found that the photographs showing the mobile garbage bins provided by the concessionaire had the highest mean ratings for all three scales, i.e. descriptive, affective and appraisal scales
Ideation in Industrial Design Context: The importance of group process in brainstorming
Get PDFBrainstorming is a series of procedures (rules) designed to maximize the productivity of groups engaged in idea generation by reducing production loss, popularized by Osborn, an advertising executive. The main concern of this tool is increasing creativity in an organization. This study examines two main factors, production loss and ownership of the topic that influence the performance in group brainstorming. Production loss includes activities in production blocking, social loafing and evaluation apprehension among individuals, while ownership of the topic relates to the interest of individuals in engaging the brainstorming activities, especially in industrial design. Using a quasi-experimental research design, this study reports on the participation of 115 groups of university students from 6 different universities. The data is analyzed at the group level. The hypotheses of this study are tested using Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression. Results reveal that out of the three dimensions of production loss, production blocking, social loafing, and evaluation apprehension, production blocking is negatively related to the group brainstorming performance whereas evaluation apprehension is positively related to the performance or group brainstorming. As expected, ownership or the topic is related to the performance too. However, social loafing is not related to performance or group brainstorming. The results are of potential interest to educators, and researchers. This study responds 10 a call for further brainstorming research
A Special Introduction: A New Journal for the Challenge of Environment-Behaviour Research
Get PDFA special introduction by Emeritus Professor Christopher Peter Spencer, co-founder of the Journal of Environmental Psychology
Pre-School Children's Play Behaviour Influenced by Classroom's Spatial Definitions?
Get PDFQuality education is one of Malaysia's six KRAs (Key Result Areas) which has been accorded priority in the 2010 Budget and in the planning of the 10'" Malaysia Plan 2011-2015. 0/ interest is the RMlOO million allocation under the 2010 budget to the Permata Negara programme which focuses on early childcare education. Despite this huge allocation, there currently appears to be a lot of emphasis on just the non-physical aspects of preschools. In more developed countries, the qualities of both the physical and non-physical aspects of preschool classrooms are given the equal emphasis on providing quality education. Earlier research has established that the physical environment impacts children's behaviour and their progressive development. Has the physical environment 0/ Malaysian pre-schools attained a standard of quality on par with developed nations? Based on an ongoing research project which investigated the relationship between the physical environment of public pre-schools and children's play behaviour, this paper focused on the influence of the spatial definitions of the classrooms upon the children's play behaviour. Three types of spatial definitions in existing pre-school classrooms and the children's five types of play behaviours were investigated. The research design strategised on surveys, while the methodology involved a pilot study, the use of questionnaire surveys, natural unobtrusive observations with video recordings, structured interviews and Moore's (2008) Children's Physical Environment Rating Scale (CPERS). Overall, the data collected involved observations of 494 children in 20 classroom settings from the 10 public pre-schools located at both urban and non-urban locations within the Klang Valley in Malaysia. Data were analysed using the SPSS statistical analysis. The findings revealed that the spatial definition of the classrooms had a significant effect on the children's behaviours. Implications in the design of future preschool classrooms were discussed
Preserve Urban Heritage District based on Place Identity
Get PDFThe necessity to preserve the architectural heritage of historical and cultural value is getting more necessary for maintaining a place's identity. Place identity indicates place uniqueness which is the attractiveness of heritage tourism. This research seeks to identify the preservation strategies in Maimoon Palace Heritage District, Medan City based on place identity. It contributes to better planning for Medan City in improving the quality of life. By employing mixed methods, the result demonstrates that preservation should include both tangible and intangible elements. The elements of historic buildings, historical stories, nostalgia, and availability of additional elements must be well-maintained to support the place's identity