Kuala Lumpur – Where’s our green?
September 22, 2011
From a plane that approaches the runway of KL International Airport, some 50 km away from the city centre, I can see green, endless green. Those are our precious oil palm plantations that stretch for miles and miles into the horizon. This is not as visible from the ground. But along the highway into the city, I can also see some green on both sides of the road. Green is basically everywhere.
Kuala Lumpur has an ambition to be a tropical garden city. Mind you, green as a color of plants must not be confused with “green” as in being environmentally friendly. “Being green” is much more complex than just planting a few trees. Nevertheless, they make the city dwellers believe that they are living in a sustainably green and environmentally friendly city.
In Kuala Lumpur, parks and green spaces are fixed categories in ‘land use planning’, they are called recreational and sports facilities such as golf courses, sports complexes, polo fields, play areas, etc. KL city planners do not distinguish between concrete sports facilities and public parks with trees and lake. They are all considered recreational facilities for everybody. All these spaces combined only represent 6.5 % of the total land use in Kuala Lumpur. After subtracting huge private golf courses, and sports complexes, what’s left for the public is very little indeed. Even with such a tiny percentage, I can still see green everywhere in the city. Is that an illusion?
Perhaps, green can better be measured by looking at the decorative plants along the busy streets in KL. Embracing a green concept by inserting all types of flora to fill spaces between concrete pavements has become a trend in KL. Kuala Lumpur made sure that even concrete pavements have their cubicles for trees. We can still see green even though there may be no soil in sight!
What is this all for? I have to admit that it does make urban living more enjoyable, visually attractive and creates shades that make a congested Kuala Lumpur look and feel much cooler.
Overall, there are two types of green in Kuala Lumpur: the out-of-control green and the controlled green. City management is about control! We reserve designated spots for plants: on the road side, between road dividers, in lavished pots and in gardens. Once we lose that control over nature and when nature tries to come back, we moan, groan, and even cry out in despair. We chant for revolution and renewal. We wish those “green patches” away. Troops of city workers march out and about the city all day every day to put some more fresh plants out or to take some away from unwanted areas.
All these efforts of managing green in the city are not at all cheap. Costs for the upkeep of public parks run into the millions each year. We KLites don’t usually think about the maintenance costs or whether the costs are appropriate, justified, and worth spending.
Yet again: is green in our surroundings enough to make KL a better city? What kind of green are we really looking for? Perhaps, while asking the question “where is the green” we can also ask about places for gardens. Do they still matter to us if they are just purely decorative? Where do they belong? What role do they really play in our lives?
Maybe we have to change our perceptions? There is no lack of “green” in Kuala Lumpur as I see it. But the concept of recreation is not a sustainable concept and sustainability is not limited to green only. Water, energy, pollution, population, transportation, health and many more factors constitute this interconnected ecological system in the city. Planting trees makes good publicity for the press, looks good for the eyes, and feels good for our lungs. But there are other issues at stake.
The trees and gardens should play a much bigger role in our urban development of sustainably green living. Only time can tell what will happen to our green in the future; but we should do more than watch our clocks!
