Tropical urban parks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Challenging the attitudes of park management teams towards a more environmentally sustainable approach

Abstract

In some western cultures, landscape practitioners are adapting the design, management and maintenance of urban parks in response to climate change and other pressures. The aim is to provide more robust and resilient solutions that expand the contribution of parks to ecosystem service delivery and give greater economic efficiency. However, urban parks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are still maintained, through traditional ‘high-intensity’ horticulture, which consumes significant resources and imposes a growing financial burden on the City. This paper draws on data from interviews with urban park management teams across different tiers from selected urban parks in Kuala Lumpur. Through photo simulation of alternative design and management regimes it investigates their response to a more environmentally sustainable approach, which reduces intensive maintenance and increases planting complexity. Results suggest that whilst there is an appetite for change, parks in tropical climates present different challenges to those in temperate climates where these ideas have typically been developed and applied. The seasonal change in the tropics between wet and dry seasons may be profound but is arguably less visually dramatic than temperate climates in terms of seasonal colour, changing visual permeability and amount of leaf litter. Increasing planting density and complexity in the tropics may also have unanticipated implications for personal safety when compared to temperate latitudes because of the consistent but much shorter seasonal daylight hours and absence of any extended twilight. This paper explores what appetite exists for park staff to move towards a more environmentally sensitive design approach. Attitudes are compared across different management levels, including those of ground staff who will be tasked with implementing this change and communicating it to the public directly. The data suggests that whilst there is some enthusiasm for more environmental approaches, especially amongst senior management, there are also significant reservations across all levels of park management.