REimage Place: Pudu Market Redevelopment

Pudu, locally known as “half jungle”, and was spelled “Pudu ''. During 1900 the British Colonial era, as Petaling Street became overpopulated, the British government shifted the residents to Pudu in the south, shophouses were built rapidly to accommodate the high demand and also the prosperity of Pudu was enlightened by the brick industry. Therefore, Pudu is an area that carries high historical value and distinctive architectural characteristics. Over time, due to the rapid growth of the Kuala Lumpur city area, Pudu has become an area that is losing its identity and lack of sense of place. Modernization is the factor of elimination of traditional culture in Pudu and caused the vanishing of the historical fabric and thus, Pudu gotten the name - ”The Backlane of KL”

Urban marketplaces in Pudu have aged and are vulnerable to the threats of modernization due to rapid development. As the marketplace is the soul of a city, hence Pudu Market redevelopment is proposed. At some point in time, the existing urban marketplaces will eventually be redeveloped and remembrance of the sense of place and identity of Pudu in the course of the city's growth. The proposal Pudu Market redevelopment is to create a dynamic experiential quality with diverse market experience by reimagining its culture dimension between PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE, which is able to fulfil contemporary needs, reactivate the vibrancy and reimage Pudu.

Chan Jian Jin (Nigel)

University of Malaya