Lovely backlanes lift spirits
DUE to rapid urbanisation, we need to keep our city liveable and sustainable. As everybody can see, as our towns grow more crowded, there is a dire need to deal with more and more environmental issues.
One issue that is raised time and again is the problem of unsightly backlanes which remains a big challenge for regulatory authorities.
To be fair, the relevant authorities have launched various initiatives to get to the bottom of it, including coming up with a New
Urban Agenda but it is still a worrying reality if perpetrators continue to look the other way. Obviously, the authorities have a huge task ahead which is compounded by people discarding food into the drains, lack of oil filters, rat infestation and the like.
Whilst walking through a once isolated backlane in Puchong Jaya recently, I was taken by the splash of bright colours from a wall mural. The painting of iconic images of the KL cityscape transformed the drab location into a breathtaking sight.
Even from a distance, it gave a sense of spaciousness and depth to the backlane. It really surprised me that a creative piece like that had such a big impact on the surrounding environment. We are most thankful to the initiators of such a project and hope that more will be forthcoming as a corporate social responsibility activity from interested parties.
Strolling down the streets of Penang, the most obvious sights that catch the eye are the street art and wall murals that never fail to generate lots of attention. At the centre of it all is the “Little Children on a Bicycle” painting along Armenian Street, which has sort of become Penang’s poster boy.
Another significant township development is the Melaka River Cruise. A recent trip there gave me an opportunity to see the various attractions as well as have a good insight into our diverse cultures as depicted by the paintings along the river, such as our festivals and everyday happenings taking place in our cosmopolitan population.
It really raises a deeper awareness of our racial origins which, in my view, can do quite a bit in enhancing our racial integration. Clearly the project is a big success. Sad to say, our much anticipated Klang River riverside project has fallen short of our expectations but hopefully, it will hit the ground fast, taking a leaf from our Melaka counterpart.
As our country is blessed with such a rich heritage with its wide array of Unesco heritage buildings and sites, we should by all means showcase them in order to bring us on par with a world-class tourist destination.
We are most appreciative that DBKL is very much in the thick of it by coming up with environmental programmes towards this direction, as with the numerous other initiatives from other regulatory authorities.
In today’s call for a liveable environment, it would appear that wall landscape paintings can provide the answer simply by drawing attention away from our rather monotonous city life. In this context, backlane projects in my opinion have lots of potential to alter its negative perception as being a dumping ground.
Let’s hope residential associations are given a stronger voice in its calls to improve the quality of public spaces in our country so as to create a more conducive living environment.
EDDY NG SOON HOH Puchong