PurposeFive-footways are an important feature in historical urban centres of tropical South East Asian cities. These colonnades along the rows of commercial shop houses provide comfortable pedestrian walkways. In spite of the decline of the liveability in many historical urban centres, the “kaki-lima” or five-footways in Klang Valley Malaysia are bustling and alive. Many studies have been done on kaki-lima, however it focuses mostly on historical and cultural context. There is lack of understanding on how the physical attributes of kaki-lima facilitate the liveliness of urban life. The paper aims to investigate the five-footway as the generator of public realm and to analyse the physical attributes of the five-footways that contribute to the “stickiness” of the public space.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilized behaviour mapping to identify the sticky activity, then subsequently used Roger Barker's theory of Behaviour Settings to observe different stationary activities along the five-footways of the historical centres of Kuala Lumpur and Klang.FindingsThe findings show that all the identified behaviour settings along the five-footways are strongly characterised by tropical climate and local diverse culture. Additionally, the small architectural detail provides an important physical setting for informal activities to take a place in the five-footways.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited only to two urban heritage districts in Malaysia, namely Kuala Lumpur and Klang.Practical implicationsThe findings have the implication for the public space policy of the local municipalities, specifically for urban design policy of the five-footways. Firstly, the inclusion of five-footways should be encouraged in any new shophouse development and secondly, the policy maker should consider to retain certain physical features of the five-footways that support not only the informal economy activities but also the creation of third places in the neighbourhoods.Originality/valueThis study will contribute to the discourse of urbanism, especially in understanding the public realm in South East Asian cities. Additionally, the outcomes will assist the local municipality in developing urban design policy of the five-footways.

Coworking is defined as people work and share the same facilities; creating social interaction to form a community. Through literature publication in Asia, most of the studies are focusing on market value and revenue; lack study on social interaction topic. This study aims to analyse spaces for user social interaction in coworking space in Common Ground Damansara Heights. To achieve the aim, it identifies types of social interaction in coworking space. Site observation and data are analysed to determine the availability of spaces for social interaction. This conclusion informs suggestion to designers and academics on consideration in coworking spaces for user to socialise.Keywords: Coworking; social interactioneISSN: 2398-4287 © 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v5i13.2068

PurposeThe revitalisation of tangible and intangible urban heritage can foster social cohesion and drive creativity and innovation in a changing global environment. Recognising its potential for economic development, many local municipalities are putting forward efforts to revitalise these areas. However, this has caused these sites to face new pressures, such as gentrification, demographic shifts and commercial exploitation. Therefore, a sustainable redevelopment of urban heritage sites that strikes a balance between the economic, environmental and social dimensions is needed. To plan and manage this balance, a strong and clear indicator to measure the sustainability of urban heritage is required. The study systematically reviewed through Scopus indexed journals the dimensions to develop sustainable indicators of urban heritage sites and highlighted the gaps for future research. It identified the existing studies and explored publications, research methods, challenges and suggestions to develop the indicators.Design/methodology/approachThe study applied Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 Statement. The Boolean search was in Scopus indexed journals for papers related to indicators in sustainable urban heritage sites.FindingsMost of the literature highlighted the interconnected relationships between the indicators for the sustainability of urban heritage sites: social, economic and environmental dimensions. It further revealed that for a more robust management of sustainable monitoring tools, it is crucial to include governance dimensions. Plus, technology is the intertwined aspect for the four dimensions, with culture identified as the centre for sustainability of urban heritage sites.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper only focused on secondary data using literature review papers that recommend gaps for future research. Possible future research includes alternative, niche literature reviews and the implementation of indicators in regional urban heritage sites.Originality/valueIt created a new insight into the dimensions recommended to develop sustainable indicators for urban heritage sites.