How public spaces make cities work

 “You can measure the health of a city by the vitality and energy of its streets and public open spaces.”
– William H. Whyte

KUALA LUMPUR is ranked the 16th most liveable city in Asia although we have been given the dubious distinction of having the worst taxi drivers in the world. In asking myself what would enable a city like KL to move up in the rankings, I arrived at the conclusion that one aspect of what makes great cities comes down to the city’s ability to provide its citizens with amazing public spaces that will complement our great architecture.

There is no denying that Kuala Lumpur has its very own amazing green lung – our Lake Garden’s. This legacy from colonial times is really beautiful but remains far away from the working population in the Golden Triangle and the business district.

Unlike Central Park in New York or the many parks in the middle of the city in London, which interact with their business and residential districts, Kuala Lumpur is bereft of any great spaces near to where people actually work. The only public space within the commercial district of Kuala Lumpur is KLCC Park.

The KLCC Park is a public park located in the vicinity of Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur. The park has been designed to provide greenery to Petronas Twin Towers and the areas surrounding it.

KLCC Park.

Public spaces should be designedThe park was designed to showcase a heritage of tropical greenery by integrating man’s creation with nature. The park itself contrasts as a calm environment in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the city. The park features many combinations of man-made designs to add plural connotation such as water features and also natural features such as trees, shrubs, stones and wood. Elements of shape and topography were created to give an illusion of space. The combination of trees, shrubs and sculptures were arranged to provide colour and form to the park.

Conservation and bio-diversity was a major influence in the creation of the park. Twenty three of the mature and rarer specimens were saved from the old Selangor Turf Club and transplanted into the park grounds. One thousand nine hundred indigenous trees and 66 species of palms were planted in the park to promote bio-diversity. The trees were deliberately selected to attract local and migratory birds.

However it appears that it was not designed for people and it shows as there is nowhere to sit!

Public spaces should be designed to attract people to them. They should have an incredible attention to detail and be created for the common good of the city. These spaces need not be large but rather frequently interspaced within the concrete jungle where we spend a disproportionate of our lives every day.

As living accommodation in the city shrinks there is an urgent need for its citizens to have places where they can bond with nature. Great public spaces are the living room of a city – where people can come together and enjoy the city and each other. Public spaces make high-quality life in the city possible. They range from grand central plazas to small squares and neighbourhood parks.

Feel of a city and its neighbourhoodsParks are complex elements of a city. They can serve scores of different uses, may be specialised in their function, or can simply provide visual appeal for residents. However they work, they act to define the shape and feel of a city and its neighbourhoods. They also function as a conscious tool for revitalisation.

Central Park New York.

Parks can stem the downturn of a commercial area, support the stabilisation of faltering neighbourhoods, and provide a landmark element and a point of pride for constituents. For all these things to happen, the city needs to be open and aware of parks’ potential to spur revival, and support the elements that are needed to make that happen.

For these reasons, parks need as much thoughtful attention to design, location and surrounding uses as every other constructed element in the city, from housing to retail to commercial to entertainment. When careful attention is given to selective park creation or improvement, it will likely have a great impact.

Parks are good financial investment for communitiesParks provide intrinsic environmental, aesthetic and recreation benefits to our cities. They are also a source of positive economic benefits. They enhance property values, increase municipal revenue, bring in homebuyers and workers, and attract retirees.

At the bottom line, parks are a good financial investment for a community. Understanding the economic impacts of parks can help decision makers better evaluate the creation and maintenance of urban parks.

Wouldn’t it be a wonderful experience if we could wonder out of our offices and enter a park for lunch and read a book or meet with some friends for a chat? Some others may just like to pick up a cup of coffee and do some work in private.

However, we have witnessed the disappearance of our public spaces at an alarming rate in our cities across Malaysia as developers work hard to change the zoning to build new developments on green spaces or playing fields without consultation with the constituents.

Berkeley Square London W1.

The problem is further aggravated by the fact that many public spaces are poorly maintained and are in a terrible state of repair. Local authorities just don’t have a good culture of maintenance or have the required skill sets to ensure that public spaces are kept in a pristine condition. This has to change.

Claiming public spaces is very difficult – losing them is very easy. There is a need for local planners to take a lead and be vigilant champions in the design, creation and maintenance of our public spaces. Every park should be a key element in any city or town and cherished and nurtured for the benefit of their citizens.

It reminds me of the song Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell in which she sings the following verses:

“They paved paradise 
And put up a parking lot 
With a pink hotel, a boutique 
And a swinging hot spot

Don’t it always seem to go 
That you don’t know what you’ve got 
Till it’s gone 
They paved paradise 
And put up a parking lot

They took all the trees 
Put them in a tree museum 
And they charged the people 
A dollar and a half just to see them 
Don’t it always seem to go 
That you don’t know what you’ve got

Till it’s gone 
They paved paradise 
And put up a parking lot”

>> Datuk Stewart LaBrooy is the Chairman of Malaysian REIT Managers.

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