I was in Germany when I first heard about Taman Tugu. I was quite excited, as finally, we might have our own version of Central Park, New York; or Tiergarten, Berlin.

Recently many criticisms have surfaced from the public domain - most deemed that the cost for the project is too high. I am glad that Khazanah has already held two public dialogues, with more under way, to share pertinent details about the project and also to solicit feedback from the public.

A successful park

I still remember in one of many lectures that I attended during my university days, one of the lecturers asked us, students of parks and recreation management, “what makes a park successful?”

We didn’t really have a clue. We tried to offer some answers. Most are reasonable, from modernisation, activities, design, views, etc., but those still didn’t satisfy him. In the end, he gave us quite a simple answer - a successful park is one that is well-visited.

I wasn’t fully satisfied with the answer. I believe many can agree with me that some parks are not entirely well-maintained but people would still pay a visit, as they are not many choices to begin with. Perhaps there are better parks, but these are too crowded or located too far from their place.

There are various reasons why people choose to go or not to go to a park. From the user side, there are six phases of experiences for them to consider - anticipation, planning, travel to the site, on-site experience, travel back and recollection.

Park planning

This is why the first stage of planning should begin with needs assessment. However, I understand that it can also bring us to frustration, or sometimes confusion, as different user might have different perceptions, expectations, preferences, etc. That, too, may evolve from time to time. Furthermore, it can be time consuming and involve greater costs.

Nevertheless, this process can assist the planner, and subsequently the management of the park, by having a better understanding about what is in the mind of people when they think about a park. But this should not be a sole factor in decision-making.

Several other factors requiring due consideration includes: accessibilities, history of the area, existing facilities and available natural resources in the area covered by Taman Tugu, capacity to finance it, past and current participation levels in other parks and future demands and trends.

Yes, designing a park is not as easy as we might think. It is more than just having an area of land set aside for public use.

There are many types of parks such as a large city park, heritage park, neighborhood park, and pocket park. As it is named, the differences are usually indicated by area sizes, themes, type of users etc.

We can also have ‘parks in a park’, where different sites in a bigger park can be developed for different types of users. I believe that this is best suited for Taman Tugu.

To me, one of the key themes that should be considered in designing Taman Tugu is ‘patriotism’. For this, we must ensure that most of the historical sites in the area are well preserved. Details of this aspect should be well-researched, documented and communicated to the wider public.

Khazanah should also consider highlighting issues of sustainability and climate change, among key megatrends of our time, as the project clearly aspires to preserve the environment and geographic landscape in the city area.

Users’ experiences

As Taman Tugu will attract many people to come, the planner must have clear ideas about accessibility, connectivity, carrying capacity, and also cultural sensitivity.

The park should not be planned solely based on what has been done elsewhere. Developing a park should not be just another facilities installation. We must adapt specifically to local needs and context.

There might be activities that will need a quiet place - like bird watching or reading. The planner must try to minimise risks, not just to human, but also to wildlife habitat and other natural resources, including trees and soils. Park design should also avoid having spaces that can trigger conflict among users.

The planner and management of the park have an important role to connect user with resources, where there is a diverse range of opportunities from which user can derive various and meaningful experiences when they use the parks.

Inspiration

Then I understand, it is not enough for a park to be considered successful just because it is well-visited. We must observe and ask whether the user is satisfied with their whole experience, and whether the design and service at the park contributed to that. Higher users’ satisfaction can be achieved when their experiences exceed their expectations.

With this, they will have good memorable recollection about Taman Tugu, and surely be a repeated user in the future, and also ‘free agents’ to promote the park to others.

I hope when it is done, our prime minister can make an announcement about National Park Day or National Park Week, so that people will begin to appreciate many beautiful parks throughout the country and contribute to conserve and use it meaningfully.

I know it is still too early to say be excited, but let’s hope it is not a wishful thinking. It is a good time to debate about our vision of urban planning. Cherish the opportunity.

AMIN AHMAD is executive director at Institute for Leadership and Development Studies (LEAD) and a consultant at Forest Learning Consultant Services.