WELCOME TO PLACE RESEARCHER!

I am Khalilah Zakariya, an Associate Professor and a researcher from International Islamic University Malaysia. I am a Landscape Architect, with an academic background in landscape architecture and tourism planning. My research area is a cross-discipline between these two fields. One of my main interest is the urban area, where I study cities, public spaces, streets, markets, public arts and urban tourism. In the recent years, I became drawn to explore the rural areas and the regional landscape at a larger scale, especially tourism routes. My studies are mostly conducted through methods of observation, mapping and interviews. Sometimes I explore rather unconventional methods of mapping that allow me to understand a place from different perspectives.

This site is a personal blog where I share about my on-going research, personal observation and experience of the places that I have visited, thoughts about the built environment, design ideas, my notes and scribbles, and any contents that I feel would benefit others. If you would like to cite me in your writing, please cite as: Zakariya, K. (Year, Month Date Published). Article/Post Title. Retrieved from https://placeresearcher.com.

To stay in touch, email me at  k h a l i l a h { a t } i i u m . e d u . m y.

BRIEF BACKGROUND

Current Post: 
Associate Professor
Dept. of Landscape Architecture, Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design,
International Islamic University Malaysia

Education:
PhD (Architecture & Design)
     RMIT University Australia
Master of Science (Tourism Planning)
     Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (Hons.)
     International Islamic University Malaysia

Professional:
Corporate Member, LAr.
Institute of Landscape Architects Malaysia (ILAM)

Membership:
Institute of Landscape Architects Malaysia (ILAM)
World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage (WTACH)
Landscape Research Group

Work:
Dept. of Landscape Architecture
Kulliyyah of Architecture & Environmental Design
International Islamic University Malaysia
https://www.iium.edu.my/kulliyyah/kaed

WHY PLACE?

We call a place by its name, but we remember a place by its character.

The Oxford Dictionary defines “place” as ‘a particular position or location’. In Bahasa Malaysia, it is called “tempat“, which is defined as ‘ruang yang digunakan untuk sesuatu’, translated as ‘a space that is used for something’.

In the context of the built environment, places play a significant role in our life. There is a place where we call home, a place where we go to learn, a place where we work, a place where we meet our friends, a place where we seek calmness, a place where we go to challenge ourselves, and the list goes on. Some of these places are in their most natural state, while some have been altered and designed. Whatever these places are and where ever these place may be, they are made of layers of characters.

I became interested in the concept of ‘place’ during my undergraduate year as a landscape architecture student. In my journey of learning about design, I realised that what makes any design great is when it responds to the place and people around it. I found that what a place means to a person, may not necessarily be the same to another person. But, there are some common needs that we all share as humans, regardless of age, gender and cultural background. As I expanded my postgraduate study in tourism planning, I learned that how a tourist perceive and experience a place may also be different than how a local feels about that same place. Yet, we still share and appreciate certain fundamental qualities of a place. My PhD research later had allowed me to rediscover places as having such rich ingredients that are sometimes too fine to be seen but can be sensed. Places begin to reveal the processes and systems that make them fluid and not static. They are dynamic and complex.

PLACE refers to my interest in the relationships between People, Landscape, Architecture, Culture and Environment. This site is a place where I share about my work, thoughts and explorations of places. I invite you to join me on my journey to learn about places, and hopefully, help to create meaningful and sustainable places.

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PLACE AND DESIGN?

Design is as much about the process, as it is about the outcome. In teaching landscape architecture design studios and supervising postgraduate research, I facilitate students to examine places in multiple scales. Places possess layers of characters that derive from the existing natural processes, the history and its people, the changes that have accumulated over time, and all other ingredients that make the place what it is today. The process of understanding a place and connecting it to its environment, people and time is important in guiding how we solve built environment issues through design and planning. At the same time, places need to be able to adapt to the future without compromising their characteristics and qualities. A multi-method approach in gathering data is helpful in aiding us to see a place through multiple lenses. Some of the methods that I use in the design studios and my research are observation, mapping, photo analysis, diagrams and annotated sketches, supported by interviews and surveys. The dissections and reflections across these multi-methods are aimed at widening our understanding of the places and for us to be better informed upon making design and planning decisions for the place. In the design processes that follow, the idea of ‘connections’ is used again to strategise how the place can be better connected physically, environmentally, socially, economically and even emotionally.