Spatial discourses and practices of Petaling Street, Kuala Lumpur

Between the fields of built environment principles and social theory is the emerging scholarship of spatial studies, a body of work that seeks to link the distinct interests of the building professional with that of the social theorist. 

Spatial studies which seek to understand the cultural meanings of the built environment are of value to the building professional, particularly when measuring project success by subjective qualities, for example, the measure of user satisfaction.  User satisfaction, contingent to user expectation, is served when the socio-cultural context of the built environment is understood.  Spatial studies which qualitatively analyse the built environment, with a view to improving user satisfaction, can thus contribute to positive and successful project outcomes. 

To illustrate how complex cultural meanings can be analysed using qualitative spatial approaches, this paper analyses a multi-cultural street in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with ethnographic and discourse analysis.  Using a street market in Chinatown, this paper seeks to understand how an urban street precinct in Kuala Lumpur and its contested spaces are perceived by middle-class residents of the city. 

The implications of this paper are its linking of ethnographic and discourse analysis to performance indicators, to qualitatively study cultural meanings that can underpin user satisfaction.