The characteristic of spatial pattern

2.3.1 Building

1) The phase before 1970: building characteristic can be observed from the land use and story height. The land use in the villages contained houses, temples, workshops and jetties. Most of the buildings maintained as open area or one story. The houses were narrow and long in order to access both to the path and to sea. It created as well high enclosure to the private space. All the commercial shops, public facilities such as school and administration offices were built along Kukup Road except the school in Ayer Masin due to the buildings was built before the construction of path.

2) The phase after 1970: land use became diverse. In Kukup Laut, the resorts were concentrated at the south where the open water provided better landscape. From Figure 2.14, it apparently showed that the area for tourist is separated from the houses which fit the resistance to outsider even at the current time. Besides, it can be found that the resorts are partly over one story which was rarely in previous phase. Furthermore, some of the houses were evolved to mix-use which operates small business on the front porch of house.

This kind of mix-use house was found gather along the main entrance of village and also the path nodes. Also, temples are usually set at the path nodes as well.

Figure 2.14 Resort and mix-use of house Source: photographed by the study

In the case of Ayer Masin, it appeared different situation both the tourism and religious area. The resorts are usually altered houses and the later built buildings which can be identified by their location close to Kukup Road. Due to the houses built along the

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single path, the temples were not built on the nodes where people usually gathered but depend on spacing apart. It can be found that the distance to approach each temple is similar to coordinate with the settlement’s linear pattern.

In both cases, the resorts are located at the later layer of village and the earliest pattern of settlement remained similar land use to houses and workshops.

Figure 2.15 Earliest layer of Kukup Laut and Ayer Masin remained similar function Source: photographed by the study

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Figure 2.16 Land use before 1970 Source: Base map from JUPEM

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Figure 2.17 Land use after 1970 Source: Base map from JUPEM

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Figure 2.18 Story height before 1970 Source: Base map from JUPEM

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Figure 2.19 Story height after 1970 Source: Base map from JUPEM

61 2.3.2 Street and village path

The settlement had totally isolated by mangrove forest from inland before Kukup Road built in 1920s. The construction of Kukup Road acted as the connection to the district, boundary between district and local, as well as between Kukup Laut and Ayer Masin.

Separated by Kukup Road, two villages’ living area tends to develop inwards the village.

Kukup Road plays the role majorly for passing through. The function and facilities of Kukup Road mostly set to serve tourists and foreigners arriving from harbor, such as restaurant, souvenir shop, information center, immigration office, etc.

The road was installed infrastructure of lights, running water on 1970s when was also the period of sightseeing tourism bloomed. More shops were opened and gradually covered along entire road.

Figure 2.20 Kukup Road as boundary between district and local, and between villages Source: photographed by the study

The main gate way of both villages is hidden in the alley entrance from Kukup Road. In Ayer Masin, there is only one gate way which has two signboards. The signboard of temple entrance is more gorgeous than the village signboard. And in the case of Kukup Laut, the main signboard is more undisclosed. Kukup Laut has three gate ways to connect Kukup Road and only the main gate way has signboard. The other gate ways are almost hidden at the back alley of shops and usually used only by villagers. The signboards were set around 1990s while the resort tourism started to bloom in order to serve tourists as distinction between two villages, which prove the strong identity consciousness of the villages.

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Figure 2.21 Main gate way of Kukup Laut and Ayer Masin Source: photographed by the study

Figure 2.22 Other entrances of Kukup Laut that mainly used by villagers Source: photographed by the study

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Figure 2.23 Road sequence before 1970 Source: Base map from JUPEM

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Figure 2.24 Road sequence after 1970 Source: Base map from JUPEM

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Before 1940s, the paths in the villages were rarely organized and built by individual household to link workshop and house. The demand of path construction was from the government due to chaos of newly independent country after World War II. The paths acted as important element to observe pattern of water village. In history, the settlement on open water had hardly generated recognition and common pattern language. The paths offered opportunity to build settlement identity and gradually became the reference line to building construction and at thus way brought impact to settlement pattern. Also, the nodes of path became the spot where people meet and gather, where to generate community activities, and some of them evolved to public space after then.

The paths was constructed by wood at the first and only be replaced by concrete in 1990s. There was the period when infrastructure of lights and in-house electric, running water be installed in the house. Concrete path is usually 8 feet width which allowed only pedestrian, trolley, motorcycle and bicycle to pass through. Besides, motorcycle is restricted to pass through the paths after midnight. The width and local effort help maintain living quality of village even in current state of comparative high density.

Figure 2.25 Paths in 1980s and 2010s Source: personal communication, 2013

According to Figure 2.23, it can be found that the paths before 1970 were spreading like network in organic growth pattern. After that, the path only expanded from the original paths in Ayer Masin which allowed remaining almost same pattern in current time. In the case of Kukup Laut, the paths built after 1970 are very obvious to identify due to the planned result. The path is expanded accompanying by additional building construction.

While the path is too long in length, a cross path will be built to connect two parallel paths

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for easy access and evacuation consideration after the disaster like mudslide and fire happened.

2.3.3 Public space and facilities

Public space is one of the essential elements of spatial pattern. In the case of Kukup settlement, public space can be classified according to the definition of Hsia (1994). Public space consists of imagined space, lived space and real space. Real public space includes physical public facilities and services. Imagined space and lived area where tend to a symbolic or conceptual living space that community activities are conducted and not necessary accompanied by public facilities.

Real public space in the site contained school, temples, recreational facilities, parking area, bus terminal, administration offices, harbors and fishing port. Recreational facilities, bus terminal and parking area were constructed in 1990s.

The public fishing port along Kukup Road used to be lived space where villagers, especially fishermen, gathered. However, fishing port nowadays is more crowded for catches loading, tourist sightseeing and heavy loaded automobiles. The port is no longer the preferred meeting place for villagers. Gathering place replaced by private jetty or workshop in the village’s quiet back.

Figure 2.26 Fishing port in 1990s and current state Source: personal communication, 2013

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Figure 2.27 Private jetty and workshop become semi-private area to gather Source: photographed by the study

Figure 2.28 Public facilities in the villages Source: photographed by the study

As real public space was not as common as current under villagers’ perception, there are some other shared spaces where generate activities in observation. In previous time, riverside and mudflats were major open area for villagers. The area displays different landscape following to tidal cycle that stimulated activities to enjoy public space. However, the village’s density is getting higher and reduces open area. In addition, water pollution and domestic garbage threw to the sea made the area unsuitable for leisure use. The contact between people and water is getting estranged. It loaded in elder’s childhood memory but is no longer to be seen in current time.

Another shared space is the area extended from every house’s front porch. A narrower passage (comparative to village path) to connect buildings and village path is considered as boundary between private and public space. However, buildings are getting clustered and the passages of every building become denser and later link together to create an artificial space which is neither belonged to any private individual nor public. These semi-private spaces gradually become stop by spot of pedestrians.

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Figure 2.29 Cross passage gradually become semi-private space Source: photographed by the study

2.3.4 Additional sequence of development

Additional sequence helps identify the process of pattern development at community scale, the influence of each pattern to another, and the essential patterns existing at community scale. It is to describe spatial pattern in dynamic temporal scale and to understand the perception of inhabitants to manage the community and gradually shaped a unique pattern.

It is found that additional sequence of development is similar to both villages. From partial simulation of 3D model and description shown as Table 2.1, the first layer of settlement contains houses, jetties and workshop (or working platform). It shows that the settlement was originally built up with the intention of livelihood advantage. The paths were built in the second layer of pattern. The convenient accessibility stimulated higher frequency of contact, and gradually raised demand of public facilities. Temples, school and shops were built and that created the third layer of settlement. The fourth layer was added due to the construction of fishing facilities included kelong and floating fish farm. The most current layer increased tourist facilities such as resort, bus terminal and information center, etc.

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Table 2.1 Additional sequence of development 1. Introductory consideration of an accessible

port, where sheltered by the mangrove island, was of underlying reasons for the existence on the site of settlement.

2. While the settlement was formed, the first layer contained houses, jetties and workshop surrounded by mangrove. All the artificial spaces were isolated from each other and contacted only by sea route.

3. In the second layer, the paths were added.

In 1950s, wooden paths were constructed in the settlement and increased the contact frequency between villagers.

70 4. The closer link led to the demand of public

space, which was the third layer of the settlement, and temple as the religious and gathering center was first built.

5. The later houses and workshop take village path as reference line to construction and built as closer as possible to the path. It became a way to distinguish the houses built in first or second layer. Besides, the consideration to build along the existing path also made the distribution of settlement more cluster and the direction of houses became random. Natural habitat vegetation is replaced by high density artificial space.

71 6. School-age population increased, primary

school was built that provides public facility and public space to villagers.

7. Increased population and also the travelers came across the sea led to the construction of commercial shops and more public space on shopping street.

72 8. The fourth layer brought in fishing

facilities kelong, a traditional fish trap on the sea and isolated from the settlement path.

9. Due to sea pollution and encouragement policy to fish farming launched by local government, it was replaced by floating fish farm.

10. The latest layer was tourist facilities especially resort. This layer is not only adding artificial space to the settlement, but also alters original space. Resorts have demand of sightseeing and seek to extend from village to open area. Workshops and houses where originally facing the mangrove island was altered to resorts due to high economic value.

Some resorts were built to two or three story which was rarely seen in the previous layers.

Source: illustrated by the study

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