Life in the five-foot ways of downtown Kuala Lumpur
In tropical Southeast Asian cities with historical urban centers, five-foot ways or ‘kaki-lima’ are common features. These colonnades are built along the commercial shophouses and offer pedestrians comfortable walkways in the hot and humid urban centers. These pathways are often used for transit activities in Malaysian urban settings. The book explores the richness, diversity, and beauty of life on Kuala Lumpur’s five-footway.
The book starts by sharing Kaki Lima stories from Southeast Asia, specifically from countries near the Malacca Strait. The book explores how the 31 Kaki Lima sticky activities contribute to the liveliness of downtown Kuala Lumpur by examining how the physical characteristics of the five-footway generate the public realm. Before that, the book reviews how Kaki Lima sticky activities are important for the city’s liveliness. These activities may cause traffic to slow down, but they grab pedestrians’ attention to shop displays, making public space more attractive.
