Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Problems Faced by Contemporary Malaysian Cities

Introduction
Gone were the days when everybody in the kampungs knows each other, different races live together in harmony, and they cooperate with one another in unison through activities such as ‘gotong-royong’. Nowadays children can no longer play freely in the streets, people can no longer feel safe while walking along the streets. High crime rate is a disturbing trend nowadays. Modern city life now became part and parcel of most Malaysians’ way of life, often conforms their social realm within the household. Property developers nowadays build new townships and housing schemes at the urban fringe of many major city conurbations. These developers often rake in profits by selling their residential units, disregarding any proper urban planning that may benefit the residents.


1.   No priority for pedestrians and cyclists
Among the aspects developers and planners should consider are to provide more space for pedestrian walkways and make it far away from busy streets. Many major streets and laneways in Malaysia do not provide ample space dedicated to pedestrians and bicycles. In many residential areas kerbs are used by residents as private gardens, while five-foot ways in shop lots are used to park motorcycles, furniture or displaying goods, so people frequently walk or jog along road shoulders. To make matters worse, cars were often parked at road shoulders, jeopardizing resident’s safety to vehicle accidents and snatch thefts. Even when there are pedestrian walkways that is narrow, often there is illegal parking of motorcycles which obstruct pedestrian movement. Instead, the authorities should encourage developer to plant more trees so as to provide shade to walkways.  This in turn will reduce the reliance on cars and motorcycles for travelling to nearby destinations, thus inculcate healthy lifestyle and increased chance of social interaction among neighbours.

2.    Lack of civic centres
Aside from that, urban planners should accentuate mixed use of development while planning new townships. As a resident of a new residential area, I have to drive my car as far as 10-minute journey for running errands such as grocery shopping, dining-out and banking, therefore it is inconvenient for residents like me to walk or cycle. Shops, commercial centres, public buildings and transportation hubs developed within a 2km radius and within walking distance are laudable.

3.   Lack of public spaces
Many contemporary cities in Malaysia has lack of public open space. Developers and urban planners should create more public space for recreation, games, communal activities, festive gatherings and flea markets. These will not only ameliorate robustness of the neighbourhood, but also encourage more productive and beneficial activities, and in turn instill family values, building camaraderie and sense of comfort in the neighbourhood community as in traditional kampongs. Various recreational activities and community centres may deter the young from indulging in social ills such as illegal racing. Besides that, public spaces would also provide a more safe and secure realm for the residents, especially for children who would use it as a play space.

4.   Inefficient public transportation
In addition, townships should be built along major transportation corridors to ensure residents have easy access to public transport. Major landmarks such as shopping centre and public parks, and key districts should be planned in close proximity to the public transportation hubs. In many new residential areas much is focused on travelling by private vehicles, mainly cars and motorcycles. It is suggested that towns may have a dedicated bus lane or bicycle lane to reduce reliance on private transport. In that way, traffic congestion and environmental pollution is alleviated.

A public park may be developed at the centre of a residential area with people conducting business by setting up warungs, mamak stalls or hawker stalls. This is because these hawkers tend to occupy parking space which lead to double parking by vehicles, which in turn cause traffic congestion. Maximizing functions of public space may increase liveability of the neighbourhood. Cities should provide ample open space for hawkers selling food. In that way, this would become a popular public space for residents to converge. Food streets should be celebrated as one of the key elements of Malaysian culture.

5.    Insufficient variety
Building arrangements should have a distinctive layout and variety, rather than continuous street layouts parallel to one another as in many typical terrace housing. Developers and planners should also promote mixed use of space in these new urban areas, instead of vast specific zoning of residential areas. An urban area should have different types of buildings to provide visual cues and create a sense of meaning to the place. This would also increase legibility for people to locate places.

6.    Lack of local character and cultural richness
Planners of contemporary cities should not discard the good qualities of a local kampongs and old towns. These kampungs consists of fine grains of intense social activities that enlivens the city. Many modern Malaysian cities today are looking more like Western cities and their distinctive urban characteristics are diminishing. This is due to increasing globalization that seems to be more economically expedient in Malaysia, but this is however a major threat to the maintenance to the urban cultural heritage. 

Modern buildings that may be suitable for cold climates may not be suitable for Malaysia which has a tropical climate. These cities have isolated glass skyscrapers that are unsustainable and out of local context. In some traditional heritage buildings and kampong houses, they are built to adapt with the local tropical climate.   

These contemporary cities should have a certain human scale. Putrajaya and Cyberjaya may have been planned with wide boulevards, monumental plazas and governmental institutions are mainly for vehicles with disregard to human scale. The buildings are located too far apart to accommodate wide streets and this makes people feel uncomfortable while walking through the streets in the scorching afternoon. The buildings in these newly planned cities should be designed with different architectural styles, i.e. Malay, Chinese, Indian etc. to reflect the multiculturalism in Malaysia.

Conclusion
I vehemently believe that developers, planners and authorities should not be nonchalant in solving the prevalent issues in our cities and considering the needs and future of the local community to achieve the objective of a city with a clear vision. 

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Focus on Urban Growth in Penang

Originally published in the The Star newspaper on January 6, 2011: http://www.thestar.com.my/story.aspx/?file=%2f2011%2f1%2f6%2ffocus%2f7741164&sec=focus 

Malaysia is currently a developing nation. Infrastructural development is required to cope with the ever increasing population. It does not take a genius to predict that Malaysia has to develop to achieve a developed nation status. Particularly in Penang, development is crucial as it needs to vie with different parts of the region to become a top tourist destination.

As a Penangite, I certainly feel that Penang certainly needs an alternative mode of development to cope with prevalent problems that lead to environmental issues such as traffic congestion and flash floods.

Rapid development does not necessarily hinders protection of environment. One should not stereotype building construction and development as means of destruction of the pristine natural landscape of Penang Island.

Residents of Penang are void of living standards of a developed urban living such as efficient public transportation. Penangites are currently more car-dependent as there is no high-capacity mass rapid transportation system unlike Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Malacca and any other mega cities of the world. Proposals of constructing a monorail train system in Penang were recently scrapped due to political and economical reasons.

Without proper urban planning, housing development would become decentralized. With increased usage of private transportation, decreased efficiency of the city due to traffic congestion may occur and more pollution, which in turn increased consumption of energy and emission of greenhouse gases.

While preserving its natural landscape, the Penang Government should develop the urban conurbation by implementing key development zones by phases to control from extension into the urban fringe. This includes identifying, managing and preserving heritage zones and ecological zones.

Development should comprise balancing population growth between Penang Island and Seberang Perai. Residents moving from Penang Island to Seberang Perai should be encouraged to reduce congestion.

Increase green lungs and parks in inner urban areas to reduce fragmentation; in other words, prevent isolation of habitat of flora and fauna.
Increase population density by introducing transportation corridors, whereby development concentrates along these corridors to have easy access to public transport.

Proper management concerning urban development by co-operation between Penang state government, Penang Municipal Council, Seberang Perai Municipal Council, NGOs and citizens would achieve higher standards of living, public transport accessibility, housing affordability and environmental sustainability.

I reiterate that development does not really inhibit environmental sustainability. The ban of plastic bags is a lauded move by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng as a first step towards a cleaner and greener Penang. 

Bukit Mertajam


View of Bukit Mertajam Hill from a paddy field in Permatang Pauh

I had always been living in Bukit Mertajam until my family moved to Simpang Ampat when I was at the age of thirteen. Located in Seberang Perai in the state of Penang, Bukit Mertajam has always been a quaint little town that has its old world charm. It is a hidden gem that keeps drawing me back. The town has always been a part and parcel of my childhood days and it exudes my sense of home and belonging. Even though I no longer live there, I sensed that I have a personal connection with it.

What you may have not known is that this town produces many national personalities such as national badminton player Lee Chong Wei and former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was also born here.


Front courtyard of the Tua Pek Kong Temple in Jalan Pasar, Bukit Mertajam

The main feature of the town is a monstrous hill that gave the town its name, looming over the town below. Bukit Mertajam is a thriving town with bustling of business and trade. Lining the streets are quaint shops and small stalls selling groceries and local items. A Tua Pek Kong Temple lies in the heart of the town in which its temple courtyard becomes a public open space and cultural centre of the town. This temple is built to serve as a local guardian deity to the local community. Surrounding the temple there are roadside stalls selling popular hawker fare and tasty snacks. This temple is also a venue for many Chinese opera and musical shows where residents from all walks of life converge to enjoy the performance. Sundry shops, coffee shops, markets, bazaars, supermarkets and other enterprises surround the temple. Shops along the market street and the nearby railway station is the place where most of the business activities comes in full swing, especially in the morning. Bukit Mertajam Supermarket used to be located above the town’s market.

A few miles away out in the country side there are farmhouses where vegetables are cultivated. Nearby there are fruit orchards and paddy fields which is the town’s main agricultural produce.

This town is also never too far away from nature sites. A stone’s throw away from the hustle and bustle of the town is the Bukit Mertajam Recrational Forest, which transports me to greenery and serenity. The nature reserve’s lush vegetation is one of the hidden gem. Here, I visit the teahouses where I can enjoy various types of Chinese tea as well as herbal eggs, strolling under the rainforest canopy, hike up the hill via a forest track, or take a dip at the cascading streams.  At the summit of the hill, a scenic view of the town below and Penang Island in which I find it to be rewarding.

Perched on a hill slope there is a Buddhist monastery. Its pavilions, meditation huts and monks dwellings offer a scenic view of the hills and the town below, not to mention being surrounded by durian orchards. Its built environment augurs well with the local tropical climate, the work of nature high above in the hills provide cooling. It is an ideal place for those who want to seek compassion and wisdom.

In the valley below lies St. Anne’s Church which is home to the largest Catholic pilgrimage in the country. Another highlight of this church is the life-sized figures at Stations of the Cross. I would hike up to the nearby hillock next to the church where the grottoes are located.

Bukit Mertajam is a home to a melting pot of cultures, it is the centre of cultural exchange, not to mention the wide array of food and festivals you get to indulge in. Roadside stalls selling Hokkien Mee, Char Koay Teow, Yam Rice, Jawa Mee, Laksa, Koay Teow Soup, Mee Goreng Loh Shee Fun and Wanton Mee which are the popular hawker fare here. This town is also home to old school style Teochew cuisine. Different types of festivals are celebrate here, namely Chinese New Year, Wesak Day, St. Anne’s Feast and Hungry Ghost Festival.

I vividly remembered playing football with my friends from my neighbourhood by the river during my childhood days. Whenever there was a heavy downpour, the river burst its banks, causing the area to be flooded. My house was often inundated by foot-deep flood waters during the monsoon season, which compelled my family to move out of the town. Each time during the monsoon season my sisters and I would tuck up in the sitting room upstairs watching movies while eating instant noodles.


I also vividly remembered two secondary schools in Bukit Mertajam where I used to study, namely SMK Berapit and Bukit Mertajam High School. SMK Berapit is the alma mater of Datuk Lee Chong Wei while Bukit Mertajam High School is the alma mater of Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Bukit Mertajam High School sits on a hillock and there is a large school field which is known as Jacobs Green. Behind the school is a bungalow owned by a man who was once the richest man in the town by the name of Teh Cheok Sah. Behind the bungalow there is another hillock filled with lush vegetation where residents of the town go there for fitness and recreation. There used to be a community library atop the hill. 

These fun experiences and rich tapestry of lifestyle in this town has been deeply etched in my memories.