Enough with malls, let’s have some parks

With condos, shopping malls and commercial centres popping up every year, the space for green lungs shrinks ever further.

COMMENT

Studying in Melbourne, I spent much of my time in both its parks and its pubs. Both were public, accessible and well-needed afternoon reliefs.

It was in the parks that I spent much of my time, sitting under a tree with a book in hand, and a half-eaten sandwich in the other.

Sometimes I would sit by the grass with a pipe to smoke, or lie down and watch the clouds go by, all the while keeping an eye on my university schedule.

Picnics were a common order some days, especially during the weekends. Families would lay out mats, bring out their baskets and toss their frisbees at each other.

Kids would frequent these places as well, bringing along their skateboards and BMX bikes. Some parks even had electric-operated barbecue pits. It was not uncommon to see construction workers huddled around one, armed with onions and sausages on a cold winter afternoon.

Drinking fountains also lined the beaten path in many of these parks, despite scarce water sources. It was a joy to drink from many of these, especially after an evening jog.

Some played at cricket, kicked around the footy, shot balls at hoops or ran with their dogs.

And most, if not all of the time, the parks were well-maintained. The grass was trimmed, fallen branches were removed, and the occasional dog owner rebuked by a park ranger for letting his hound poop at random.

Malaysia, what parks?

Coming back home to Malaysia, I found myself seeing very little of the above.

Never mind that we are a tropical nation, where rain in the morning means soggy mud in the evening. Or lying down on the grass, means feeding yourself to ants (especially the painful red buggers).

Much of these are slight irritations at best, easily cured by moving somewhere else, that is, if there was a park to sit in, in the first place.

Playgrounds, basketball courts and football fields don’t count, even if they are useful in their own right. I’m talking about wide open spaces to walk around in. Dozens of trees to sit under, or climb, if you’re limber enough. Benches for people to sit, and listen to birds sing as they have their lunch.

KL does have its share of parks, such as the Lake Gardens and the Titiwangsa Park. But they are few and far in between. The KLCC Park is one of the few that is within walking distance of offices, apartments and public transport.

Then there are the private parks, which are only accessible to the rich, and are out of bounds for many city folk.

The Sentul Park surrounding the KL Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) is one such place. Hidden from the capital’s chaos, it has dense woods on all sides, with well-tended pathways. Its ponds are teeming with fish and terrapins, and on good days, you might even see cranes drinking here.

But ironically, Sentul Park is fenced up to much of Sentul’s local population. While KLPAC is open to visitors, its nearby grounds aren’t, as a lady friend and I once found out.

Security guards stopped us from walking in to see more, pointing to a sign that clearly said: “Private park, for residents only.” They also gestured to a set of high-rise, upmarket condos to the north, implying that the park was open only to the benefit of KL’s wealthier denizens.

It didn’t matter that few else were seen using the park that Saturday afternoon. We were the city’s riffraff. We were not wanted.

Council and over-development

It doesn’t help that local council seems to have a very narrow view when it comes to parks. Many open spaces are eventually bulldozed over, making way for development, development, and if I forget, more development.

A middle-aged friend staying in one of PJ’s many Damansaras recently told me that he used to frequent a green lung near his housing area.

“It’s so quiet in the morning,” he said, remarking on the cool breeze that swept through his doors just before sunrise.

There were also sounds there that took him back to his childhood days in the kampung. “You could hear wild chickens running around,” he said with a laugh.

But that green lung is no more. Developers have rammed their way in, and put up zinc sheets, shielding the public eye from construction. Signboards have been tacked up, with pictures of fancy apartments and slogans promising “Modern Living”.

Though annoyed, my friend could do nothing as he watched excavators turn trees into woodchips. “Of course I prefer green lungs, but when developers want to take the land, what can you do?” he said.

As for playgrounds, and smaller parks in some residential areas, the signs of poor maintenance is more than readily available.

Broken bottles, plastic bags and styrofoam packets are everywhere. Lalang and month-old ankle-deep grass is abundant. Swings, see-saws and monkey-bars are rusted beyond the point of no return.

I even saw a stone chess table once, ripped out of its pedestal and abandoned by the sidewalk.

It definitely shows the public disregard for green lungs, especially if there’s a “Dilarang Membuang Sampah” sign nearby.

But it also shows the lack of will by local council to green cities, even though evidence has shown that parks don’t just beautify surroundings.

They also clean the air, control stormwater runoff, encourage exercise, increase property values and boost tourism. In some cases, they have even been known to reduce crime, with the help of the police and local communities.

Hence, local council has to do a lot more than just cutting grass and clearing litter. It also has to free open spaces or abandoned buildings, and deny them to greedy developers. They also have to make them accessible to locals, especially through walkways and public transport.

But with condos, shopping malls and commercial centres popping up like mushrooms every year, suffice to say, I’m not holding my breath over seeing more parks. - FMT