102 Nor Akmar et al.: Greenspace Planning and Management in Klang Valley, Peninsular Malaysia plans should be referred together with the Structure Plan and Local Plan in any proposed development in the city. The management of the environment in urban areas is obviously related to and very much influenced by the envi- ronmental management policies at the national level. At this level, the Environmental Quality Act of 1974 with its vari- ous environment-related legislation, bylaws, and guidelines administered by different government agencies and local government, is of particular importance. Despite these regu- latory measures, myriad outstanding concerns remain, for ex- ample, in relation to the management of land degradation, air, noise and water pollution, and depletion of urban greenspace. Changing greenspace discourse The Malaysian government’s growing concern for the provi- sion of proper recreational space and particularly public parks has led to the adoption of various policies and establishment of a range of institutions. The development of public parks in Malaysia started at the end of the 19th century, during the co- lonial era. Greenspaces such as KL’s Lake Garden Park (from 1888) were primarily meant to cater to the needs of British co- lonial society. The greenspace discourse changed when Malay- sia gained independence in 1957. The new government started focusing on urban greening and beautification efforts as an in- strument for nation building. Obviously, KL as new capital was given special attention, resulting in a number of new public parks. However, it was not before the 1990s that urban greening really became a matter of state concern in Malaysia’s effort to become a Garden Nation by 2020. The national-level discourse changed further, seeing greenspace as part of the social and en- vironmental infrastructure of cities, as for example described comprehensively by Jamil (2002) and Sreetheran et al. (2006). As described above, the changing greenspace discourse was reflected in the work of e.g. the National Landscape Department, with the greening of cities and development of public parks and recreational areas featured as important elements of the Na- tional Landscape Policy (Kuala Lumpur Landscape Master Plan 2002). The notion of green infrastructure is clearly present in the plan, e.g. to the stressing of establishing greenway linkages. Municipal Greenspace Planning and Management Case study cities and their greenspaces Key data about the six case study cities and their greenspaces are provided in Table 2. KL has the largest population (almost two million inhabitants), while Shah Alam covers the larg- est land area (more than 29,000 ha). In terms of greenspace provision, major differences can be noted, with Putrajaya hav- ing the highest share of greenspace (37%), while Subang Jaya has the lowest share (7.3%). There are large differences in greenspace provision per inhabitant, with Putrajaya offer- ing almost 1000 m2 per inhabitant, as compared to KL’s 13 m2 . The differences obviously relate to the respective history and development of the cities. Kuala Lumpur’s mining history, for example, is linked to the bold efforts of local authorities to trans- form a disused tin mining lake into the Titiwangsa Public Park. Moreover, as the capital of a young nation it has been the forerun- ner in greening efforts. Putrajaya was founded only in 1995 as ©2011 International Society of Arboriculture Kuala Lumpur 1,887,674 Putrajaya Petaling Jaya 50,000 Subang Jaya 1,000,000 Shah Alam Klang 631,212 584,340 1,004,194 Malaysia’s new administrative capital, with an extensive green infrastructure at its base (Perbadanan Putrajaya 2006). As a gov- ernment center, it has a rather low permanent population, with many people commuting to the city to work. Among the other four towns, Subang Jaya’s green infrastructure includes a large natural forest reserve, although this area is owned by the federal government. Klang has a much longer history than most other case study cities, having been a historical royal town and seat of the sultans. Present greenspaces partly date from royal times. Functions and benefits of greenspace Table 3 shows that prioritized functions and benefits of greens- pace are similar for the case study cities, i.e. the discourse focuses on similar roles of greenspace. All cities put empha- sis on environmental services such as cooling of the air, wa- ter regulation, and pollution reduction. Biodiversity and of- fering a habitat to flora and fauna are also seen as important. The social services offered by greenspace, such as provid- ing opportunities for recreation, relaxation, and sports, are also emphasised by all cities. Subang Jaya is one of the cit- ies where social and community services are explicitly seen as the first priority. Occasionally, greenspaces are booked for sport days by local kindergartens and for wedding ceremo- nies. To date, the municipality has not charged for this. People in Klang do need to pay for this type of service, for example when renting a field for field hockey, badminton, or football. Only three cities, namely KL, Putrajaya, and Klang, mention economic benefits of greenspace, such as renting out (parts of) greenspaces for events and commercial activities. The issue of con- tributing to a good, green city image was mentioned by respondents in KL and Klang. Kuala Lumpur promotes the role of its green infra- structure in its vision to become a Tropical Garden City. The green image in Klang refers mostly to giving local residents a feeling of being surrounded by green areas, thus generating positive feelings. Interestingly, Putrajaya placed particular emphasis on the educational role of greenspace in terms of raising pub- lic awareness and research. However, the educational func- tion still ranks after environmental and social functions. Table 2. Data on greenspace, total area, and population for the case study cities in the Klang Valley, peninsular Malaysia (based on information provided by the cities/respondents). Cities Inhabitants Area of 4,931 9,720 16,180 29,030 5,730 Legislative and policy framework Information about main greenspace policies, legislation, and actors in the six case cities is offered in Table 3. Most of the selected cities fall under the national Town and Country Plan- ning Act 1976 and Local Government Act 1976. The cities have applied these as guidelines when planning local areas, with the aim of conserving and improving the physical environment. Planning is also aimed at promoting health, safety, order, ame- nity, convenience, and general welfare, as well as efficiency % of total m2 greenspace (ha) city area 2,436 15.5 37 8 7.3 12.9 16.1 of greenspace per inhabitant 12.9 986.2 154.0 161.8 496.8 57.1
May 2011
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