Intercultural Design
Intercultural Design
Group members:
- 0377010 Amber So Kar Kei (Leader)
- 0370798 Loh Jing Xuan
- 0383405 Siti Yumna Shiba
- 0379395 He Kehua
- 0386601 QinYu Liu
- 0368256 Xinya Lan
Intercultural Design Project Reflection
Designing Urban Futures: Rethinking Pedestrian Safety in Kuala Lumpur
Cities are often designed to support efficiency, movement, and economic growth. However, through this Intercultural Design project, I began to realise that many urban spaces still fail to support one of the most basic human activities — walking. Under the theme “Designing Urban Futures”, our group explored pedestrian safety issues in Kuala Lumpur, focusing on how small and practical design interventions can improve inclusivity and accessibility in everyday urban environments.
Task 1: From Abstract Ideas to Real Urban Context
At the beginning of the project, our group struggled to define a clear direction. Our early ideas were large-scale and architectural, such as building new pedestrian bridges or covering rivers to create walkways. While these ideas seemed innovative at first, feedback from our lecturer helped us understand an important design principle — meaningful urban design must be grounded in real site conditions and realistic implementation.
After revising our approach, we shifted our focus to pedestrian safety and selected the TRX area as our investigation site. Through initial observations and online research, we identified several common issues such as narrow sidewalks, motorcycles illegally parked on pedestrian paths, poor night-time visibility, and the absence of tactile paving for visually impaired users. This stage helped me realise that many urban problems are not caused by the lack of space, but by poor organisation and lack of user-focused planning.
Canva Link:
Task 2: Experiencing the Reality of Urban Walking
Task 2 required us to conduct a field study and collect real data. This was a turning point in the project because it allowed us to move beyond theoretical thinking and experience the urban environment directly. Walking through the TRX site, we observed how pedestrians had to navigate uneven pavements, avoid physical obstacles, and sometimes walk dangerously close to moving traffic due to blocked sidewalks.
We also conducted surveys to understand public perception of pedestrian safety. Many respondents expressed concerns about obstacles, insufficient lighting, and unclear walking paths. These findings reinforced our observations and highlighted how everyday walking spaces can become stressful and unsafe, particularly for vulnerable groups such as the elderly and visually impaired.
This experience gave me a stronger awareness of how urban design decisions affect people’s daily lives. It also showed me that safety is not only about infrastructure, but also about visibility, spatial clarity, and inclusive guidance systems.
Survey Link:
Canva Link:
Task 3: Transforming Research into Design Solutions
In the final stage, our group worked on integrating our research findings into a practical design proposal. One major challenge was combining our three design ideas into one coherent solution. Through continuous discussion and feedback, we developed an integrated pedestrian safety design that addressed multiple issues within a single site.
Our final proposal included designated motorcycle parking areas to prevent sidewalk obstruction, tactile paving and directional guidance lines to support inclusive navigation, and reflective safety elements to improve visibility in low-light conditions. We also redesigned the pedestrian pathway to ensure continuity and clearer spatial zoning between vehicles and pedestrians.
This stage helped me understand how design thinking is a process of refinement, negotiation, and visual communication. It also demonstrated how small-scale interventions can create meaningful improvements in urban safety and accessibility.
Canva Link:
Personal Reflection and Learning Outcomes
Overall, this project changed the way I observe urban spaces. Before this, I rarely noticed how difficult it could be for some people to simply walk through the city. Through field observation and collaborative design development, I became more sensitive to issues of accessibility, inclusivity, and spatial conflict.
The project also strengthened my research, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. Working in a group environment required us to share responsibilities, listen to different perspectives, and continuously improve our ideas. Most importantly, I learned that successful design is not about creating visually impressive solutions, but about responding to real human needs.
In conclusion, this Intercultural Design project helped me develop a deeper understanding of the social role of designers in shaping safer and more inclusive cities. It also showed me that the future of urban design lies not only in large technological advancements, but in thoughtful, human-centred improvements that enhance everyday life.
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