Journal Screenshot

International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2222-6990

Addressing Social Isolation in High-Rise Residential Buildings in Kuala Lumpur

Nur Irdina Lee, Mohd Zairul Mohd Noor, Aini Azeqa Ma’rof

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v14-i12/24002

Open access

As the urban population grows, the construction of high-rise buildings has increased, often prioritizing functionality and aesthetics over community interactions. This study explores how architectural design can mitigate social isolation by fostering social connections among residents. The research identifies the lack of communal spaces and the cultural preference for privacy as significant factors contributing to social isolation. It also examines how integrating green and communal spaces can enhance social interactions. The study employs a mixed-method approach, including spatial analysis and surveys, to identify architectural strategies that promote social cohesion. The findings highlight the importance of designing high-rise buildings that not only optimize space but also create environments that encourage meaningful social interactions, ultimately improving residents' well-being and the overall health of the urban community.

Abdi, F. (2019). Understanding the impact of high-rise buildings on environmental quality and sustainable urban development. Journal of Art and Architecture Studies, 8(2), 13–18. https://doi.org/10.51148/jaas.2019.3
Abed, A., & Al-Jokhadar, A. (2022). Common space as a tool for social sustainability. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 37(1), 399–421. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-021-09843-y
Arab, Y., Hassan, A. S., & Qanaa, B. (2017). Thermal surface analysis on high-rise building façades with neo-minimalist and modern style in Penang, Malaysia. AIP Conference Proceedings, 1892(October 2017). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5005780
Happold, B. (2015). Exploring the psychology of tall buildings. https://www.burohappold.com/articles/exploring-the-psychology-of-tall-buildings/
Chan, J. K. H., & Zhang, Y. (2021). Sharing Space: Urban Sharing, Sharing a Living Space, and Shared Social Spaces. Space and Culture, 24(1), 157–169. https://doi.org/10.1177/1206331218806160
Cudjoe, T. K. M., Roth, D. L., Szanton, S. L., Wolff, J. L., Boyd, C. M., & Thorpe, R. J. (2020). The Epidemiology of Social Isolation: National Health and Aging Trends Study. Journals of Gerontology - Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 75(1), 107–113. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gby037
Olanusi, J. A., & Oluwadepo, O. A. (2023). Behavioural Impact of Interaction Spaces Approach in Architectural Design.
https://ideas.repec.org/a/bcp/journl/v7y2023i7p2067-2079.html
Evers, H.-D. (2013). Urban Property Development in Malaysia: The Impact of Chinese and Malay Conceptions of Space. 381–395. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814452427_0016
Ewen, C., Warner, E., & Andrews, F. J. (2023). Communal spaces in apartment complexes in Melbourne, Australia: designs to foster social connectedness. Cities and Health, 7(3), 363–377. https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2022.2141376
Gifford, R. (2007). The consequences of living in high-rise buildings. Architectural Science Review, 50(1), 2–17. https://doi.org/10.3763/asre.2007.5002
Gifford, R., Steg, L., & Reser, J. P. (2012). Environmental Psychology. IAAP Handbook of Applied Psychology, 440–470. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444395150.ch18
Henssler, J., Stock, F., van Bohemen, J., Walter, H., Heinz, A., & Brandt, L. (2021). Mental health effects of infection containment strategies: quarantine and isolation—a systematic review and meta-analysis. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 271(2), 223–234. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-020-01196-x
Hodgson, S., Watts, I., Fraser, S., Roderick, P., & Dambha-Miller, H. (2020). Loneliness, social isolation, cardiovascular disease and mortality: a synthesis of the literature and conceptual framework. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 113(5), 185–192. https://doi.org/10.1177/0141076820918236
Hommerich, C., & Tiefenbach, T. (2018). Analyzing the Relationship Between Social Capital and Subjective Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Social Affiliation. Journal of Happiness Studies, 19(4), 1091–1114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-017-9859-9
Karami, R., & Keshavarz, M. (2024). The emergence of online social capital during the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on individual coping and community resilience in rural areas. Current Psychology, 43(19), 17787–17800. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05167-y
Kearns, A., Whitley, E., Mason, P., & Bond, L. (2012). “Living the High Life”? Residential, Social and Psychosocial Outcomes for High-Rise Occupants in a Deprived Context. Housing Studies, 27(1), 97–126. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2012.632080
Kim, M. (2023). High-Rise Living: A Luxurious Isolation or a Social Disconnect? Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/high-rise-living-luxurious-isolation-social-disconnect-maru-kim/
Kitteringham, G. (2010). Environmental Crime Control. The Professional Protection Officer: Practical Security Strategies and Emerging Trends, 151–160.
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-85617-746-7.00013-4
Kozlowski, M., Mehan, A., & Nawratek, K. (2020). Kuala Lumpur: Community, infrastructure and urban inclusivity. Kuala Lumpur: Community, Infrastructure and Urban Inclusivity, 1–128. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315462417
Lee, X. L., & Srirangam, S. (2023). Architectural Challenges for Designing Social Interactive Spaces in Luxury High- Rise Residential Buildings in Kuala Lumpur. Handbook of Research on Inclusive and Innovative Architecture and the Built Environment, 297–318. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-8253-7.ch016
Maleki, B., Casanovas-Rubio, M. del M., & Fuente Antequera, A. de la. (2022). Sustainability assessment in residential high-rise building design: state of the art. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 18(6), 927–940.
https://doi.org/10.1080/17452007.2022.2060931
McLane, Y., & Pable, J. (2020). Architectural Design Characteristics, Uses, and Perceptions of Community Spaces in Permanent Supportive Housing. Journal of Interior Design, 45(1), 33–52. https://doi.org/10.1111/joid.12165
Molana, H. H., & Adams, R. E. (2019). Evaluating sense of community in the residential environment from the perspectives of symbolic interactionism and architectural design. Journal of Community Psychology, 47(7), 1591–1602.
https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22214
NASEM. (2020). Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults. https://doi.org/10.17226/25663
Nguyen, L., van den Berg, P., Kemperman, A., & Mohammadi, M. (2020). Where do people interact in high-rise apartment buildings? Exploring the influence of personal and neighborhood characteristics. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(13), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17134619
Ong, A. D., Uchino, B. N., & Wethington, E. (2016). Loneliness and Health in Older Adults: A Mini-Review and Synthesis. Gerontology, 62(4), 443–449.
https://doi.org/10.1159/000441651
Prohaska, T., Burholt, V., Burns, A., Golden, J., Hawkley, L., Lawlor, B., Leavey, G., Lubben, J., O’Sullivan, R., Perissinotto, C., van Tilburg, T., Tully, M., Victor, C., & Fried, L. (2020). Consensus statement: loneliness in older adults, the 21st century social determinant of health? BMJ Open, 10(8), e034967. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034967
Rodgers, J., Valuev, A. V., Hswen, Y., & Subramanian, S. V. (2019). Social capital and physical health: An updated review of the literature for 2007–2018. Social Science and Medicine, 236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112360
Samuel, L. J., Commodore-Mensah, Y., & Dennison Himmelfarb, C. R. (2014). Developing Behavioral Theory With the Systematic Integration of Community Social Capital Concepts. Health Education and Behavior, 41(4), 359–375.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198113504412
Scanlon, K., Hudson, J., Fernandez Arrigoitia, M., Ferreri, M., West, K., & Udagawa, C. (2021). ‘Those little connections’: Community-led housing and loneliness. Report for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. November, 88. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1035018/Loneliness_research_-__Those_little_connections_.pdf
Smith, M. L., Racoosin, J., Wilkerson, R., Ivey, R. M., Hawkley, L., Holt-Lunstad, J., & Cudjoe, T. K. M. (2023). Societal- and community-level strategies to improve social connectedness among older adults. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 15–17.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1176895
The Conversation. (2017). It’s time to recognise how harmful high-rise living can be for residents. https://theconversation.com/its-time-to-recognise-how-harmful-high-rise-living-can-be-for-residents-87209
The Goodheart-Willcox Co., I. (2021). Commercial Interior Design Applications. https://www.g-w.com/assets/files/pdf/sampchap/9781619602427_ch14.pdf
The Malaysian Insider. (2021). More than 60% of Malaysians face work overload, have no time for family, survey reveals.
Timm, P. (2021). Securing your environment. School Security, 69–97.
https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-323-85266-1.00003-7
UN DESA. (2018). 68% of the world population projected to live in urban areas by 2050, says UN. 2018 Revision of World Urbanization Prospects.
https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/2018-revision-of-world-urbanization-prospects.html
Wigfield, A., Turner, R., Alden, S., Green, M., & Karania, V. K. (2022). Developing a New Conceptual Framework of Meaningful Interaction for Understanding Social Isolation and Loneliness. Social Policy and Society, 21(2), 172–193.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S147474642000055X
Zhang, H., Matsuoka, R. H., & Huang, Y. J. (2018). How do community planning features affect the place relationship of residents? An investigation of place attachment, social interaction, and community participation. Sustainability (Switzerland), 10(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/su10082726
Zhdanova, I. V., Kayasova, D. S., & Kuznetsova, A. A. (2022). Principles of the Inclusion Green Spaces in the Public Area of a Residential Building. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 988(4). https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/988/4/042023
Zhu, Y., & Fu, Q. (2017). Deciphering the Civic Virtue of Communal Space: Neighborhood Attachment, Social Capital, and Neighborhood Participation in Urban China. Environment and Behavior, 49(2), 161–191.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916515627308

Lee, N. I., Noor, M. Z. M., & Ma’rof, A. A. (2024). Addressing Social Isolation in High-Rise Residential Buildings in Kuala Lumpur. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(12), 539–551.