SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY

Based on the Oxford Dictionaries;

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com

Sustainable means “able to be maintained at a certain rate or level. For example, sustain by conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources.

Community means “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.

On my own words, sustainable community means a group of people who practising similar objective in ensuring they are having better life for every well-being as well as for the next generations. Both present and future are taking into account through holistic view that included different aspects. They conserve the culture, social, economic and environment development from any harmful or destruction with wisely distribute so that we and future are equal to having equitably resources while fulfilling the needs of following components. Below is the components that we should concerning in creating a sustainable community.     

Environment (natural environment and man-made environment):
§  Citizens have high awareness and conservation upon natural resources.
§  Everyone is concern the ecosystem with tend to avoid high ecological footprint while protecting biological diversity.
§  Wisely usage on renewable resources with enhances the quality and quantity of resources.
§  Prevent pollution with utilize appropriate technology.
§  High accessible by using high quality service of public transport.
§  Protecting and re-plant carbon sink to warmth micro temperature.
§  Building green infrastructure such as using solar panels.
§  Highly concern the concept green building and maximize passive energy.
§  Create walkable, self-sustaining small town, human scale infrastructure and small pocket park than in a bigger scale.

Social:
§  Everyone is able to have equal access on clean water, air and food while affordable having their own shelter.
§  Citizens are equitable access to public services, education, infrastructure, health treatment services.
§  Improve a better quality of life with the concept all human are equal.
§  Public participation is important in making decision, where applying bottom up approach than the top down approach.
§  Caring and informed residents with leaded by a leader who are responsible, effective and concern about human right of all citizen members.
§  Wisely re-use and recycle solid waste.

Culture (tangible & intangible culture)
§  Practice, protect and appreciate cultural diversity of community; for example, customs, belief, tradition and so on so that it can be maintained for the next and next generations for the future.
§  Do conservation and preservation on existing tangible culture such as buildings, monuments and paintings for next generations.


Economic:
§  Business enhances public interest more than profit.
§  Local community are equitably to access employment opportunities.
§  Maximize of local businessman and investor participation and ownership than a foreign participant.  
§  Effective using local resources and reduce import input.
§  Applying technology that without harming to the environment. 

GATED COMMUNITIES, socially unsustainable ?

example of gated community; Pelangi Utama, Selangor.
Source: http://1hartanah.com/listing-pelangi-utama-condo,-bandar-utama-678.html

Sack's (2003), gated community which places are ethically evaluated to the degree to which they permit diversity and the visibility of other groups outside particular sites. This approach has much to commend it since it allows a set of criteria to be applied that allow us to understand how gating is not simply about the relative satisfactions or tribulations of residents within. Rather, the invisibility of social problems promoted by gating generates emancipator privacy for affluent residents while amplifying worries about crime and entry. By denying the visibility of life and poverty outside, non-residents are made both more exotic and latent in their threats to the visible gains of these new middle-class fractions. 

with private facilities such as swimming pool and playground.
Source: http://www.thestar.com.my/story.aspx?sec=north&file=%2f2010%2f7%2f16%2fNorth%2f6645062

Nowadays, gated community have become more and more familiar since it gives high profit to developers while high demand from market. Gated community are mainly made up by high end properties, which only affordable by high income group.  

Indeed, the cores objectives of the gated community are providing a safety home in high crime issues urban area. Profitable return project then make developers using this chance in providing a protected homes. 

To the residents, gated community is seen as a filter which can blocked unwanted crime and scene. The gate itself is a response to urban crime. However, it’s also a response that only benefits the residents where shown they are only worrying about themselves. Simultaneously the poorer also need the protection and security just like the rich, they have to depend on the local authority and the local police. But the riches can get extra protection with paying an amount of money. Is the world too realistic?   

Gated community is separated with outside world with concrete walls, guards and their own public facilities. The separation thus provides a private space and the prestige that showing identity of its residents. At the same time, the residents are commonly composed of major high income group with a good education background. So, it’s not a strange thing where their circles of friends are the same class people. 

Why need to segregate with placed riches live within a gate whereas the poorer stay in the open communities? Because they are different level? Different background? Different status? So, can I say that gated communities are barriers that formed a social separation between inside and outside world which is unsustainable concept in term of sociality.  

What it look like? Feel like? When the inside world is combination of all high income groups. Fragment the city by forming a variety of distinct or boundaries between poor and rich communities.  Its mean an urban will form a lot of barrier where there is an area mainly live by riches and an area stay by poorer. The gated community’s residents may become isolated and alienated from the city. Social contracts disruptions keep on occurring day by day. Thus, social inequality happens where this phenomena increase the differences of sociological and geographical within the city itself. 

Inequality wills getting worst when the people live in are disconnect with surrounding but just only concern within their circle. These people are less or would not visit wet market instead of hypermarket. These groups of people will send their son to private school instead of “Sekolah Kebangsaan”. Their children are playing within their private playground and the same level friends. They are only live within their circle; join with same standard people with using their highest to see the world even the small children too.

Public facilities and amenities such as playground that provided by local authority are only the space for poorer children play around. The condition of the facilities might be in obsolete or damaged condition because it’s share among thousand residents of the particular area. Worst, sometimes the children are play around at the road when they do not have any nearest public spaces or courtyard in their house. Why don’t the kids playing together in a same park? Are the scenes shown the reality where it’s cruel and realistically? 

              

The gates and barriers are necessary for protecting them with providing a secure life and private spaces. Or the gates and barriers are necessary against a poorer neighbourhood is the true objective behind the gated communities? 

The life is all about love, about sharing and caring of people and there is no point to measure the level of me and you. 

The development concept of gated communities needs to re-review and re-inspect in term of legislations and planning aspects to make sure that nobody is deprived of their own rights as a citizen of Malaysia.

UNIVERSAL DESIGN (UD); case study in Sg.Dua Pulau Pinang.

what is Universal Design (UD)?

"Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. An environment (or any building, product, or service in that environment) should be designed to meet the needs of all people who wish to use it". (Centre for Excellence in Universal Design 2013)

In order to create a more quality, harmony and high standard planning environment, where not only provide a sustainable planning environment for all residents, but take care on the group of individuals of disabilities (OKU) as well. Here, I do a simple case study in Sungai Dua commercial buildings and inside the building of Tesco Extra by identify their facilities and infrastructure specifically in term of UD. 

ISSUE 1 : Main entry building that did not provide access facilities such as ‘ramp’ to wheel chair users to enter into the building.

figure 1: main entry of a francais restaurant in Sg.Dua.

• If the ‘ramp’ is not provided on the main entrance, height difference with the pedestrian walkways adjacent is maximum 0.01m.
• If the main entrance is not accessible by wheel chair users, the direction sign of the alternative entrance for wheel chair users / OKU shall be provided at the main entrance.
• Guiding blocks / tactile blocks shall be provided at the entrance and exit. Floor shall use materials and color contrast at entrance and exit for the purpose of warning signs for the visually impaired.

ISSUE 2: Design of stairs does not provide guiding blocks/tactile blocks to help the OKU who poor in sight.

• Guiding blocks / tactile blocks shall be provided on the stairs, elevators and escalators in order to guide the physical barrier or warning of potential accidents to persons with disabilities of vision.

figure 2: stair case in Sg.Dua shop lots.

ISSUE 3:  Gradient of ramp slope is too steep, besides the surface are smooth, and does not using different colour to differentiate.

• If the floor level, including at the building entrance not exceeding 0.215 m either above or below the walkway, step ramp / dropped kerb shall be provided.
• The maximum ramp slope is 1:12 and a minimum width of 1.2m. 
• Ramp with no barricades on both sides of kerb shall be provided with a minimum height of 0.1m for the safety of wheel chair users and consumers stick.
• Guiding blocks / tactile blocks shall be provided at the beginning and end of the ramp slope for warning and guidance to the visually impaired.
• The surface of the ramp shall be of material which is smooth and appropriate.
• Minimum of a ramp shall be provided for each row of shop houses /offices.

figure 3: main entry of the computer shop in Sg.Dua.

ISSUE 4: Level height of public phones does not fulfill standards height and inconvenient use for all users includes OKU.

Public phone features to consider:-

• Access public phones area shall not any obstruction of barriers with adequate of lighting.and direction or guided sign board.
• Height of phone design for the slot money, cards is maximum 1m from floor.

figure 4: public phones in Tesco Extra Sg.Dua.

ISSUE 5:  Indoor pedestrian walkways are blocked by physical barriers such as motorcycles and displacement/shift of furniture and trade goods.

• Pedestrian walkways shall be provided without any physical barriers to provide the entrance of each floor in the building to provide access to individuals of the facilities in the building.
• The size of pedestrian walkways shall be suitable for all individuals including wheel chair users. The size of the minimum width is 3m for the commercial area town and city.

figure 5: pedestrian walkways in Sg.Dua shop lots.

In summary, the commercial buildings in study area, Sungai Dua are almost well planning. But for the group of individuals who disabilities (OKU), the infrastructure and the design of utilities, where supposed well planning and provided for OKU are inadequate, does not reached the minimum standard of design, even the pedestrian walkways does not planning an accessibility access for them to reach specify destination. 

The design and layout of commercial premises should giving priority to the unfortunately group, and then considerations follow by the aesthetic value of symbolic image, and enhance an interesting and beautiful environment.

references:
Centre for Excellence in Universal Design 2013.
[Online] http://www.universaldesign.ie/exploreampdiscover

Garis Panduan Perancangan Reka Bentuk Sejagat (Universal Design) 2011. Jabatan Perancangan Bandar Dan Desa Semenanjung Malaysia, Kementerian Perumahan Dan Kerajaan Tempatan.

 

what is Urban Gentrification ?

Urban gentrification is 

 “…the metamorphosis of deprived inner-city neighborhoods into new prestigious residential and consumption areas taken up by a new class of highly skilled and highly paid residents, typically business service professionals living in small-sized, non-familial households – that brings displacement of the neighborhood’s initial population”  (Criekingen and Decroly; 2003)

According to Van Criekingen & Decroly (2003): there are three different types of gentrification which are:

 1.  “Yuppification,” -the process of young professionals moving into urban neighborhoods, and emergence of a new middle-class due to activities of commercial and financially high-end activities.

 2.  “Marginal Gentrification” - transient renters or temporary residents who will eventually return to suburbia after they have a family.

3.  “Upgrading and Incumbent Upgrading” achieved through long term where the moderate income residents try to improve their housing and implies little population change.

Simply says, urban gentrification mean the original residents move out from the neighbourhood due to the unaffordable of high urban living cost. And figure below showed how the urban gentrification takes place.

Figure 1: Urban gentrification process.
Source: Janelle Vandergrift (2006)

 

According Bruce London and J. John (1984), there are five causes of urban gentrification.

1. Demographic ecological

• Gentrification occur through the demographics: population, social organization, environment, and technology.
• For example, worker wanted to live in the inner-city where it's more closer to their job place and thus follow by the technology and administrative activity. 

2. Socio-cultural

• This analysis focuses on the changing attitudes, lifestyles, and values of the middle- and upper-middle-class.
• More and more people moving into the cities and becoming more pro-urban where they refuse to live in rural or even suburban areas.

3. Political-economic

• Traditional approach: The public rights laws decrease the vulnerable group moving to the suburbs and rich people moving to the city.
•  Marxist approach: Powerful group neglect the inner city that stated in the policy until a time they become aware that policy changes could generate income.

4. The community-network

• The community lost perspective: the community activity becoming lesser due to technological advances in transportation and communication. The small-scale community is replaced with large-scale, political and social organizations.
• The community saved perspective: revitalise and upgrading neighborhoods will create gentrification of  neighbourhoods that bring to increasing of community activity

5. Social movements

• Focused on the analysis based movements, usually encouraged by leaders or federal government.

 

Figure 2: Causes and consequences of urban gentrification.
Source:  Kamiar Yazdani 2012.

References:

Kamiar Yazdani 2012. Gentrification and regeneration.

Available on: http://www.slideshare.net/Kamiar_y/gentrification-and-regeneration

Janelle Vandergrift 2006.Gentrification and Displacement. “Urban Altruism” | Calvin College.

Bruce London and J. John Palen 1984. Gentrification, Displacement and Neighborhood Revitalization. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Van Criekingen, M., & Decroly, J. 2003. Revisiting the Diversity of Gentrification: Neighborhood Renewal Processes in Brussels and Montreal. Urban Studies.

.

cREATIVE cITY

http://www.google.com.my

Cities are cauldrons of creativity. They have long been the vehicles for mobilizing, concentrating, and channelling human creative energy. They turn that energy into technical and artistic innovations, new forms of commerce and new industries, and evolving paradigms of community and civilization… with the decline of physical constraints on cities and communities in recent decades, creativity has become the principal driving force in the growth and development of cities, regions, and nations.

                                                                        (Creative Class Group, 2013)

Generally creative city is a concept for urban planning and politics which it's stresses on the important role of culture and arts in solving the urban issues. In other words, the creative city is a city has its own personality by using the culture and art branding their city. 

Creative city is drives and boosts the urban economies by a different ways. 

Firstly, creative city function as an extensive and pervasive force in economic activities which all the industrial need to be think creative and always bring to new, unique and value added products and services.

Secondly, creative city bring economies towards a specific ways where particular focus on creative and cultural industries.

Creative city have two orientation which are :

Culture-centric is placed primary the importance of central values such as the diverse and inclusive art and culture that drive to quality of life, well-being and inclusion of community. And, the importance of urban economic is placed on secondary. Here, artistic work seems as an intangible value.

Econo-centric is enhancing the urban economic development through the innovation, creative talent and also creative industries. the economic is placed primary than followed by the artistic value. Here, artistic value seems as a profitable asset that important in economic exchange. 

Simply, these two orientation is different in its understanding of the usage of "artistic or creativity value".

Creative city is a sustainable way in creating city because it:-

1. Make people think, plan and act out of box with using their imagination and creativities.

2. Highlights and enhances local resources with celebrate the diversity and uniqueness of local culture and creative industries.

3. Clustering all talented people in forming creative classes to solve urban      problems.

 4. City that have its own characteristics which able to create a strong sense of their place, identity and strengths.

5. Increases and enhances the city image by using local cultures and creative industries such as art, hand craft and others.

6. Welcomes new people and new immigrant people as long as they can bring to new ideas. Here, show the city itself is more stresses on the human resources than machinery.

7. It makes the city become a high competition city where every citizen is striving to be part of creative classes. Produce creative human capital thus benefits the country economies.  

8. The local cultures, values resources are being preserve thus they can inherited to nest generations.  

9. Strong city image is thus easily attracting investor such as international companies which benefits the country economic. 

10. Strong local culture based activities play as an important role in tourism because tourists mainly like something that distinct and unique. 

References:

Domain 4- Performance Based Built Environment. The Creative City 2010.  Access on: 12 Oct 2013. Available on: http://www.reading.ac.uk.

Creative Class Group, 2013. Access on: 12 Oct 2013. Available on:

http://www.creativeclass.com/richard_florida/books/cities_and_the_creative_class

Income Inequality affect Housing Affordability

Wikipedia (2013) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_inequality#Inequality_and_housing

Economic inequality described as the gap between rich and poor, income inequality, wealth disparity, or wealth and income differences.  Simply says, there is a difference between individuals of their assets, wealth, or income.

Inequality.org website (2013) http://inequality.org/income-inequality/

Income inequality refers to the extent to which income is distributed in an uneven manner among a population. Income includes the revenue streams from wages, salaries, interest on a savings account, dividends from shares of stock, rent, and profits from selling something for more than you paid for it.

World Bank (2012) http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI

Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income or consumption expenditure among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Lorenz curve plots the cumulative percentages of total income received against the cumulative number of recipients, starting with the poorest individual or household.  The Gini index measures the area between the Lorenz curve and a hypothetical line of absolute equality, expressed as a percentage of the maximum area under the line. Thus a Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality (everyone has same income), while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality (one person has all income, and everyone else has zero income).

                 Malaysia ranks 39th in the WORLD;  

                    3rd most unequal nation in ASIA

figure1: Malaysia World Inequality Ranking
source: http://aafaizli.com/malaysia-income-inequality-world-ranking-and-by-continents/

figure 2: Gini Coefficient by state in Malaysia, 1999-2009.
sources: Economic Planning Unit.

Based on the Economic Planning Unit (EPU), Putrajaya had the lowest 0.342 Gini value where it’s the most equitable state in the country. And the Sabah had the highest with 0.453 Gini value.

But, country Gini index was at 0.431 as at end-2012 which it is “still high” compared with other countries, according to Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah.

In Penang, Gini value had increased from 0.399 in year 1999 to 0.419 by 2009. For my opinion, income inequality will give impact upon people purchase power mainly in purchasing a affordable house.

Penang is a highly urbanised, industrialised and economically important states in Malaysia, as well as a thriving tourist destination. Definitely, developers were grabbed these profit earning opportunities to build up more luxury properties to support the latest market situation. 

Target market of high end projects are mainly focus on high income classes whereas mostly Penang population are in low and middle income group. The prices of houses are high and remains to be moving but local buyer’s purchase power are not afford to own it. An example, a condominium unit in Batu Ferringhi are being sold at astronomical prices, which begin with RM2 million for a 1,000 square feet unit. Are this shown that only rich could live in Penang? The income inequality thus had affected property affordability especially that happen in Penang. There is nothing surprisingly,  if all the Penangites are just property renter. According to the latest news, 60% of Penang's population cannot afford Penang island house price.    

Penang, being an island, is bound to face land scarcity. The wants of people are limited since Penang is not having sufficient resources to produce property that they want. Lands reclamation in north and south of Penang are widely been reclaimed to accommodate human need. Thus this makes the process of construct electrical cables and water pipes more difficulty. As a result, houses value added due to high cost of land reclamation and utilities construction. Local buyer especially low and middle income classes are unable to bear these costs. So, are this mean the rich will become more rich with owning more and more property, however the poor become more poorer with renting rich's property. 

figure 3: Penang property prices.
source: http://penangmonthly.com/statistics-june-2012/

figure 4: Penang's people can't able afford Penang island house. (08.10.2013 online news)
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/08/10/gerakan-60-of-penangites-cannot-afford-homes/

figure 5: 40% middle-income group cannot afford Penang house prices. (24.10.2013 online news)
source: http://www.starproperty.my/index.php/articles/property-news/penang-is-expected-to-face-a-glut-in-high-end-homes/