Brunei - Garden cities need people, trees and fresh air

BANDAR Seri Begawan as a "City in the Garden" is not just a tidy-up campaign in preparation for next year's ASEAN summit.

It is the foundation of the development masterplan to "upgrade the status of BSB as a city" to become a "dynamic, vibrant and unique 21st century capital".

The masterplan's objectives go on to describe how BSB will become clean, environmentally sustainable, pollution-free, and a "safe, friendly and liveable city".

Living in BSB is already very pleasant but one can see how the masterplan will make things even better once the municipal board publishes the detailed plan and timeline committing to when these developments will be achieved.

The Garden City movement originated in the UK in 1898 by town planner and architect Sir Ebenezer Howard. His vision was a reaction to the pollution and over-crowding seen in the heavily industrialised cities such as London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Manchester.

The flagship developments at that time were Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City but the movement went on to establish itself globally in the first half of the 20th century. However, the idea of environmentally-sustainable town planning has been suggested 400 years earlier!

In Notebook XII, Leonardo da Vinci applied his Rules of Beauty to architectural design, describing what the ideal cityscape would look like. He emphasises "balance", stating that the perfect city is one where "the width of the streets be equal to the height of the buildings"; and that commercial traffic and pedestrians are separated, stating that "by the high streets no vehicles and similar objects should circulate, but they are exclusively for the use of gentlemen.

The carts and burdens for the use and convenience of the inhabitants have to go by the low ones". He goes on to describe the "balance" between building development and public spaces such as parks, lakes and rivers.

I wonder if the municipal board is following Leonardo's recipe?

Both Leonardo and Sir Ebenezer Howard agreed that what really makes a city successful is the use of the space that a "garden city" design makes available.

Thriving cities need people creating the "buzz", as well as well-planned roads, trees and fresh air. A good illustration is the difference between Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. One has impressive buildings, wide boulevards, manicured lawns and lakes; the other has a messy street plan, roads choked with traffic and often high levels of haze - but where would you rather spend a weekend?

There are already many beautiful open spaces in and around BSB, including riverfronts, but sadly, many of them are underused by the public, considering the area used to be called "downtown".

Friends tell me that this was not always the case. Back in the day, downtown BSB and the Abdul Razak precinct were very lively, with folks shopping, dining and relaxing. But Kiulap and then Gadong were developed and drew those same folks away.

What is interesting to note now is that many owners of enterprises in Kiulap and Gadong are aware that their customers are being attracted to new developments such as Times Square, Citis Square and Airport Mall. Some have gone so far as relocate their businesses there.

Downtown BSB cannot really be called the central business district (CBD) because most of the business is conducted in Gadong, Kiulap and Berakas.

This movement of people away from city centres is called a "hollowing out" and is a major problem in the UK, Europe and the US. Cheap, 'green field' sites caused a boom in "out-of-town" mall developments, leaving the former town centres and "high streets" empty.

Reduced foot traffic made generating revenue increasingly difficult. The resulting closure of shops and restaurants made the city centre even less attractive for customers, and in turn, replacement businesses or investors.

However, traditional "downtown" areas or city centres have something very few out-of-town mall commercial areas have character.

Historically, city centres were established for a reason other than cheap site rentals. Communities worldwide are realising this and want to build on the emotional and commercial heritage. As a consequence, the past 10 years have seen major investments in city centre regeneration and renewal worldwide. Clearly, the BSB development masterplan is just one example of this trend.

The municipal board has stated it will balance the development of "emerging new growth centres" with traditional centres such as the capital's central area, Kampong Ayer and so on.

However, that balance must attract and keep people "downtown"; let them enjoy a compelling and fulfilling "BSB Experience"; and not just create more new buildings for them to remain unoccupied, or to offer rent breaks that merely end up moving businesses from their established locations to cheaper new ones.

Whilst the short-term interests of property developers is access to cheap and easily developed sites, the longer-term interests of everyone else is to have a vibrant, exciting and individualistic city centre that not only has a "buzz" but represents the "Best of Brunei".

We need a "Green Heart of Bandar" for "The Green Heart of Borneo" but we want people there to enjoy it too!

The views of the writer are his own and are not necessarily those of The Brunei Times.

The Brunei Times

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