Spatial visibility analysis of stationary activities around digital urban screens in Johor Bahru

Abstract

With the growing dependency on technological advancement, both architecture and media technologies have intertwining functions and application. As most modern buildings are media infrastructures with sculptures of huge and massive facades, they serve as the backdrop of the city fabric. The use of cutting-edge technology as the media facades for buildings portrays a different use of technology on building appearances, unlike in the past where normalcy is prevalent with erection of massive concrete blocks, cladded with glass facades. The amalgamation of digital urban screens has been a successful approach for place-making across numerous metropolitans. As such, this study proposes the use of the digital urban screens as new electronic landscape mediation instead of being used merely as a commercial projection on billboards within the cityscape. Theoretically, the success of public spaces can be determined based on the density of stationary activities (sitting, talking, and waiting) performed by pedestrians or city dwellers. Turning to this study, the physical elements and digital urban screens installed at Jalan Wong Ah Fook were examined. Besides assessing the relationship between human static activities and visibility spatial integration values, this study had identified factors that influenced the successful function of public spaces in the inner city of Johor Bahru. It is imminent to look into the efficacy of digital urban screen as an urban feature for effective actions to be taken by the local authority, stakeholders, and planners.