River Rehabilitation in Kaohsiung

When the schedule of visit to Kaohsiung City includes the river cruise of Love River with solar-powered motor boat, I thought the river must be of quality similar to the Theme River of London or at least Singapore River. However, It proved me wrong. The water quality of the river is not that fantastic and if I could made a comparison, it is similar to the Melaka River cruise.

Having said this, if we knew the background of Love River, then perhaps we should think again that great work has been done and really fast. From the sewer line catering to the discharge of waste water from most of the households in Kaohsiung, the intake of waste water to this river has been reduced tremendously. Waste from household was treated at the up stream with biological approach before channelling into Love River. The river bank was landscaped and provided with a comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian lane network. The buildings along the river are lighted up and designed with unique sculture. The community activities are back and bring more life to the river side. It becomes a toursit destination. All these have transformed the once dead sewer line into a river with life flowing through the city centre. I believe the transformation will change the city scape and facade of Kaohsiung City, after all this city was once known as city with seaside.

River rehabilitation is not a project dependent solely on engineering solution. It requires multiple approaches and involvement of various stakeholders. While we have to make the project commercially viable with more economic activities and return, we must also have the active community participation.

NGO in Kaohsiung

Voluntarism in Kaohsiung as shown by the NGO and community members are of no match compared to any cities in Malaysia, I observed. Listening to the volunteers and observing their eagerness in carrying out community acitivities in the parks, stations, public place or even places of interest to tourists is so amazing. It is an instinct response from the heart and passion. I presume the success of many community and environmental initiatives in Kaohsiung is attributed partly by the volunteers.

Having said this, this spirit inculcalation is not possible without the support and encouragement of the City Government and general public. We witnessed how a former brown field site with high economic value at the city centre has been given to Wetland Taiwan to plan and manage as a wetland. We also witnessed how NGO and youth join hand to advocate for the renewal and conservation of Kaohsiung Port area, a dilapilated area due to the degrading of port related activities. Through their efforts and involvement, the existing station building turned into a railway museum and a former warehouse was used as art centre and theatre within the urban renewal site that will transform the port area into a modern inner city area of Kaohsiung. We were briefed by NGO who has been assigned to manage and educate general public on both places. Incentives are also given to fund and to encourage the NGO. I presume, Malaysian Local Authorities should learn how to treat NGO in providing city service as equal partners and to provide sufficient support for them to compliment the urban services. My experience is in most of the time, NGO are not perceived well and treated with suspicious. We always label them as someone trying to advocate different opinion than us and if not, at least to take advantage. For active and efficient contribution of NGO to take place, this perception should first be erased.

I believe urban management requires mutual understanding and cooperation amongst all stakeholders and NGO with the expertise and passion, should be given opportunities and resources for complimenting the works of Local Authorities as provided for under the Chapter 27, Agenda 21.

Waste Management in Kaohsiung

Waste recycling rate in Kaohsiung jumped to 40% in year 2010 compared to 20% six years ago. This figure is very impressive and commendable. It means waste reduction, and hence waste disposal problem is solved at least by half. Knowing that the cost of collecting, transporting and disposal is getting higher, the strategies of getting less rubbish at source to be collected and disposed of is critical.

We were told that community participation is important impetus for a successful waste recycling programme. People must understand and willing to practice 3R as the norm of living. City Government is running various innovative publicity campaign and education programmes to raise public awareness. Apart from that, the low carbon lifestyle is impacted onto the people. Various incentives are given to people to shift to more environmental friendly lifestyle such as using solar heater, planting of trees, reducing the domestic waste, changing the consumption pattern of shopping and eating habit.

The polluter paid policy is also carried out in which polluters have to pay higher for substituting their wrong doing towards environment. For instance, waste generator is charged according to rubbish they produced. The residents are required to purchase plastic beg with size appropriate to their volume. The bigger size you required, the more you have to pay. Similarly, the use of plastic bag is discouraged through other legal and economic instruments such as stricter enforcement on waste generators.

All these happened because of commitment and leadership. Banning the use of plastic bag to some is equipped to political commit suicide, but to Kaohsiung City, the obligation towards environment is much more important than for political survival. I believe this spirit is very much needed if an effective 3R programme is envisioned.

Transportation in Kaohsiung

The number of motorcycle in Kaohsiung City is out numbered the total population. More than 2 million motorcycles are found in the city. The presence of motorcycle is becoming an environmental haphazard and also dampened the efforts of the Government to encourage use of other mode of public transportation such as MRT train. Although the MRT train is networked well, its utilisation is very much well below the target. The company operating the MRT system is losing money. Having said this, the City Government is planning to further reduce the fare to encourage higher usage rather than to increase the fare to cross subsidial the loses. It is simply commendable as investing in public transportation is not as simple as figure shown, but more than a public social and environmental responsibility. It is a right move towards low carbon target.

The plan for cycling is equally impressive. To encourage cycling, the City Government has built well connected, safe and dedicated cycling path for the cyclists. In general, what cyclists are asking for is having a comfortable, safer and connectible route for commuting to work place or shop or study area from their place of living. Kaohsiung City is building a very comprehensive network of cycling path. Apart from that, the renting scheme of bicycle is also of help. Everybody can rent a bicycle at different bicycle station located adjacent to the strategic transportation area and places of interest such as MRT station, parks, schools, bus terminal and others. Anyone can have a free ride for half an hour and would only need to pay if the time excess half an hour. The pay is nominal. The station for returning the bicycle is convenient. The procedure for having the bicycle for temporary use is simple. Even ancilerrary services such as washroom for cyclists to change thier clothes is provided. All these contributed to higher and higher usage of bicycle as another alternative of transportation.

Currently 70% of residents in Kaohsiung is using motorcycle as their main mode of commuting. The City Government is looking at dispersing this percentage to other mode of transportation. These include walking, cycling, MRT and bus. Of course, motorcycle is not to be victimised in which incentive is given for the cyclists to shift their fuel driven motorcycle to the electric motorcycle. Apart from that, buses include the low platform one is plying the city with more route coverage. It is visible and easy to hop on.

On the pipeline also includes the building of LRT system, river transportation and compact city concept to discourage trip generation.

All the above are running now or is going to start. Action is taken. For a good execution, I believe nothing is more than to start it first immediately, and of course integration is important and critical.

Low Carbon City of Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung City of Taiwan is regarded as the emerging green force in amongst the low carbon cities. It has started an ambitious plan in reducing 30% of the carbon emission to 2005 base line by 2010 and further up to 50% by 2030. In doing so, multiple strategies have been formulated which focused on the green transportation, waste management, river rehabilitation, low carbon lifestyle, energy efficiency and green infrastructure. Few things impressed me the most are: -

1) Rehabilitation of Love River from a sewer line back to a river full with life and eclogical system
2) Integrated transportation system which is leaning towards the public mode of commuting
3) Waste reduction through incineration, reducing and recycling
4) Involvement of NGO and community especialy the youth in the environmental protection and community development is simply fantastic
5) Urban renewal on the idle railway station and reserve land which is NOT oriented towards massive redevelopment and building of new buildings
6) Transformation programmes of the city in reviving the dying economy of port activities is marvelous
7) Enthusiame and dedication shown by the city officers in developing the city into a low carbon city is felt strongly and visible.

I will discuss briefly the above one by one in my next blogs.

Technical Tour of Taiwan

I am currently folloed the technical tour organised by the Malaysian Institute of Planners to visit Kaohsiung City of Taiwan. The City is an emerging green force to be recognised as one of the successful low carbon city in the making. Visit to Taipei City is also on the itinerary.

In Taipei, I found that tidiness is the order of the city, be it old or new down town area. I did not see much rubbish on the street and even the trash bin is no way to find. Apart from that, the vetical planting especially for the construction site is very common, perhaps it is mandatory for the project proponets to do so.

The thing impressed me the most is although motorcycle is used everywhere, it did not cause untidiness and uncomfortable to other road users. The parking of motorcycle is done properly on the street or even on the five foot way without obstructing the pedestrian and visitors of the shop. I believe while strict enforcement has to do with this, the culture and value for respecting the law and order of the society is implanted with the citizenry. This is something we, Malaysian should learn.

Definition of Urban Renewal

Recently I attended a briefing and workshop on the proposed urban renewal plan for Section 51, 51A, 52, Section 8, 7 and 14 of Petaling Jaya. About 200 people comprising representatives from the residents groups, individual, land owners, developers, agencies, MBPJ's councillors and staff attended the briefing done by appointed consultants by the State Government. The consultant supposed to present the preliminary findings about the study as well as letting people know the definition and meaning about urban renewal. It was told that urban renewal can be in the form of redevelopment and or rehabilitation and or regeneration. It is multiple approaches of reviving the life of a city or inner city which is experiencing the degradation of quality of services and life. It can be an industrial area which has been out lived its function or a residential area without proper infrastructure and facilities. It can be abandoned area with no economic activities forthcoming. It is not about redevelopment alone or to tear down the low rise building and to replace with the high density and high rise buildings. It is wrong interpretation and definitely not the intention of this exercise.

However, immediately after the briefing, the participants have voiced out their comments in which implied explicitly that they have misunderstood the planning is for redevelopment. They do not want to see their houses being acquired and do not like to have different landuses or activities within the vicinity of their neighbourhood. No matter how tireless the consultants trying to explain, they do not accept the explaination and insist on non further study. At the end, the session became a complaint dialogue and discussion.

I felt sorry about the level of understanding of residents towards planning. I also felt that MBPJ has not done much to educate the public on reading plan holistically. I think while planning is important, planning without the full support and constructive input from the residents and stakeholders will be a planning to failure. I reckon much need to be done. Perhaps focus group discussion, role play and even solving the daily services problem facing the residents will be of help.