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COLLAGES OF BETTERMENT 217proved advantageous in increasing trading activities. Atpresent, Bangkok’s sois are defined as areas where peoplelive. They recreate a village (Pichard-Bertaux 1999) andstill serve as a communication venue wherein a veryrich street life culture can be observed. Within Manila’sbarangays, alleys serve as living spaces, common spacesfor socialization and spillover spaces where they servevarious functions such a place to relax and sit and enjoyrecreational activities.Figure 1: The above photos show pathways along the differentenclaves: in Kampung Ciumbuleuit, Bandung where onlypedestrians are allowed access (left), in Manila which featureselevated wooden planks along esteros (right) and in Bangkok’ssoi where pedestrians are usually greeted with food stalls (center).The typical inner city dwellings are still present in thethree cities. Figure 1 shows three typical access pathswithin these settlements.Street culture in Bandung, Bangkok and ManilaThe historic parts of the cities of Bandung, Bangkokand Manila reflect strong traditional knowledgesystems, especially in the morphological developmentof their street space. These systems may providealternative insights that would reconnect urban designproposals with the cultural context so as to be able tospatially express localism. The section reiterates thatunderstanding the socio-cultural history and indigenousknowledge of a group is a prerequisite to improvingpedestrian transport policy and provision given that adifferent culture requires a different treatment of spaceto be able to match it with users’ needs and desires.History of walkingThe walking culture in Asia has a long history andan overview of transport development will prove itspresence. The walking period in Asian cities may bedefined as the period prior to motorization. The precolonialera and the early colonial period in bothIndonesia and the Philippines were characterizedby a predominantly walking society while the premodernizationperiod of Bangkok was a combination ofwater-based transport and walking, which influenced theurban pattern of the area. There was a limited numberof roads, which were usually narrow and unpaved.Town centers had compact urban structures with verydense, intensively mixed land use. The structures werelow-rise (two to three levels), dictating a pedestrianscale urban form. Building materials were made upof impermanent products such as wood, bamboo andpalm leaves, illustrating the impermanence of Asiantraditional structures. Residences in special quarterswere close to each other, located either along the towncenter or waterways. Travel distances were short. In the1970s, walking was still a major mode of transport formost of Asia (Barter and Raad 2000). The percent ofnon-motorized trips in select cities during the last twodecades of the 20th century shows that walking stillconstituted a large percentage of the overall trips inAsia (e.g., 40 percent in Jakarta, 20 percent in Manila)(Barter 2000). However, this percentage is slowlydecreasing because of efforts to increase motor vehicletraffic, a lack of pedestrian facilities and a worseningenvironment.Purpose of walkingWalking is considered the most basic mode oftransportation given that all travels usually start andend with a walking segment. However, similar toother modes, walking is a derived demand given thatthe decision to walk is highly motivated by achievinga purpose such as to get to a destination or to realizea goal.Walking may also be considered as a spiritual exercise.In some countries, such as Edo-period Japan, travelingwas only allowed if it was for the purpose of spiritualexercise, such as going on a pilgrimage to visit holyplaces, shrines and temples, oftentimes located inoutlying areas. In contemporary Manila, a tradition thathas been passed on is the religious procession, which isconducted through walking. The slow pace of walkingrelative to other modes (i.e., inside a vehicle) providestime to meditate, absorb and commune with one’ssurrounding environment. This increases the intimacyand involvement of the individual in relation to his/herenvirons and allows a person to become attuned to his/her humanity.Street space consumptionStreet users may be considered consumers of spaceas they undergo certain activities. Some of the mainmotivations to use streets include: (1) utilitarian—toAsian Transformations in ActionThe Work of the 2006/2007 API Fellows