Surayyn Selvan 0309818

PROJECT 1 PART 2PRECINCT 2, PUTRAJAYA[ 500 Word Summary ]

On a macro scale, Putrajaya fulfills all the requirements of a Garden City and satisfies most of the requirements listed by Jane Jacobs in her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities [refer to Diagram 1]. However, upon closer inspection, within its precincts, there are some issues that need to be resolved in order for Putrajaya to achieve its target population of 300,000. By applying Jane Jacobs theory in regards to the functions of sidewalks and parks in creating an effective neighborhood, Precinct 2 in Putrajaya could draw in more attention from visitors. Precinct 2 is located in the core of Putrajaya and is the Mixed Development Precinct, housing Putrajaya Boulevard as well as a residential area, commercial building blocks and government buildings.

Jane Jacobs stresses the importance of neighborhood parks and how constant pedestrian movement brings life into the area. In Precinct 2, the parks (open spaces) are located on the border of the Precinct [refer to Diagram 2]. This focuses pedestrian movement in the center of the precinct. Besides that, main roads divide the residential areas from the parks. This is a form of inconvenience to the residents of Precinct 2. However, the implementation of a centralized park will allow for more movements through the open spaces especially for those working and living within the precinct [refer to Diagram 3].

Although ample allocated parking zones are provided, many still prefer illegally parking on the roadsides obstructing pedestrian movement across sidewalks. This may be due to the fact that parking spaces are located away from the main office buildings. Another reason could be because of the weather and comfort levels of the environment that drives the people to illegally park by the roadsides [ refer to Diagrams 5 & 7 ]. By moving these parking spaces closer, the travel time and distance is reduced, decreasing the number of illegal roadside parking. This in turn will provide pedestrians with a clear access to sidewalks allowing for a more comfortable circulation environment [ refer to Diagrams 6 & 8 ].

In the chapter, The Peculiar Nature of Cities, Jane Jacobs describes an effective neighborhood as having a continuous network of circulation and spaces, which Precinct 2 has. However, Precinct 2 does not have lively and interesting streets for users, which also plays an important role in drawing attention from visitors. Triangulation is the key especially in Putrajaya Boulevard. It has so much potential to attract visitors but because of the lack of fascination, it is empty. The main idea of the boulevard is to draw focus to the Prime Ministers office located on the northern end of the Precinct and thus it is a stretch of non-obstructiveness [ refer to Diagram 9 ]. However, by providing services such as food kiosks or entertainment spaces, the boulevard could achieve its full potential [ refer to Diagram 10 ]. In addition to that, ample shading devices should be provided to increase the comfort of the users not only on the boulevard but the sidewalks as well [ refer to Diagram 11 & 12 ].

By implementing some of these ideas from Jane Jacobs, Putrajaya could achieve its target population and in turn become the self-sustaining city it aims to be.