my LANDSCAPING Story ...2nd Ed.

Hello 2008

2007-12-31T03:19:00.000-08:00

At the point of writing, we are just about five hours to midnight and a new year shall then begin.

Being a positive thinker, I can't think but better things for this landscaping story.

For one thing, I really need to get down to the bolts -and- nuts of the Malaysian garden we call 'Laman Kambatik"'

Thus, I will blog more on the philosophy of 'Laman Kambatik", to give the idea a strong fundamental.

Then , I shall travel around the towns of Sarawak to comment on our missed opportunities, little successes or major triumphs , if any.

A good question to pose as a guiding perspective is " How could our LAMAN KAMBATIK help in sustainable culture and the promotion of a healthy, safe and balanced lifestyle?"

I will of course continue with my series of Kambatik favourite species.

In that note, I am really looking forward to 2008.

Kuching City Landscaping

2007-11-24T06:13:00.000-08:00

The city landscapers of this moderately paced city has taken great pains in beautifying the protocol roads, say 50% done. However this concern for roadside landscaping does not seem to invade into private housing estates, government buildings or institutional areas especially schools and federal institutional buildings compounds. What is surprising is that the kind of landscaping practised here does not promote bio-diversity and sustainable wildlife thresholds.

Let me explain briefly here. Urban landscapes should be viewed in a larger ecological perspective. Our towns were once jungle areas cleared to make way for human habitation, infrastructural development and industrial land uses. As the town or city expands, the 'kampungs' become a `fringe' zone of greenery. From the kampung limit to the heart of the city, there is hardly any green corridor that connects the two elements. This I feel particularly lacking or shall I say absent from cities like Kuching and Miri. To stimulate, preserve and promote wildlife and bio-diversity, green corridors from the kampung fringes should flow into urban scapes. This network of green corridors will assume green structural architectures for nature to creep back into urban life.

This idea sounds revolutionary. Yes , it does. This is in stark contrast to the present practices of only making national parks as biodiversity `museums' pieces, scattered all over Sarawak. The new ecological ethos should be to bring nature and bio-diversity back into urban living as a first step to making its way into future eco-cities. I think this can be done in newer and up and coming cities like Bintulu and Mukah. For other older towns and cities like Miri, Sibu and Kuching, the town administrators and planners need to have an overall turntable thinking for this to happen. The saving grace for Sarawak generally is that there is limitless greenery over its landscapes and terrains as one journeys from Kuching to Miri by air.

Then while your helicopter lands you at the city centre, there is unnecessary pollution ( industrial and traffic),and concrete jungles right in the heart of the city AND housing estates. It is apparent that more than political will is required for any paradigmatic shift in landscaping that should ultimately target the survival of other creatures, not necessarily human. For who are we without its pollen, seeds, honey, herbs and leaves?

The Satok flyover. Bougainvillea used to break concrete jungle

And the Story goes on....2nd edition

2007-11-22T08:43:00.000-08:00

Well, this is a new version of my landscaping story website. The first was fine in the beginning, then I got into all sorts of problems accessing the site and for weeks I wasn't able to post anything in the blogsite. Thus I created this second edition. Hopefully no more jinxs !! Because the story needs to go on...people.