Pluralism in Terrace Housing Community Through Ethnic Garden

Abstract

Landskap warisan adalah simbol peradaban dan nilai kepercayaan sesuatu kumpulan etnik dalam satu komuniti. Ia dibentuk oleh ilham dan daya usaha manusia yang menunjukkan perkaitan erat antara kelakuan manusia dengan alam lingkungannya. Landskap ini amat bermakna kepada komuniti rumah teres di Semenanjung Malaysia yang dikomposisi oleh berbilang etnik termasuk Melayu, Cina dan India. Kertas kerja ini membincang peranan landskap warisan kepada komuniti rumah teres yang secara langsung dan tidak langsung mengintegrasi penduduk dan menyumbang rasa kekitaan terhadap komuniti. Ciri–ciri landskap warisan yang diperjelaskan dalam laman–laman etnik rumah teres adalah komposisi tanaman dan pilihan tumbuhan dan aksesori laman. Persamaan dan perbedaan ciri–ciri tersebut menonjolkan bentuk laman sesuatu etnik yang harus diambil kira dalam perancangan landskap komuniti rumah teres. Cultural–ethnic landscape symbolizes the belief and cultural values of an ethnic group living in a community. The landscape is an expression of people´s idea and work, illustrating intrinsic understanding and relationship of people to their fellow beings and environment. Such landscape is significant to the human community development and more challenging to establish it in a multi–ethnic society such as terrace house neighborhood in Peninsular Malaysia than in homogenous society. This paper discusses the role of ethnic gardens created by terrace housing residents towards integration and sense of belonging to their living neighborhood. The making of the residential gardens by Malays, Chinese and Indians are influenced by both cultural values and functional needs. There are few similarities and differences in planting composition, plant selection and garden accessories that reflect the strength of ethnicity and yet allow sharing of garden produce and create a sense of place for the community. This pluralism can be seen as positive phenomena to harmonize multi–ethnic society living in terrace housing neighborhoods in Peninsular Malaysia.