Design competition to revive unused space below highways

PETALING JAYA: Think you can do something about those unused spaces under highways? If you have any idea, please take part in Malaysia’s first design competition that seeks to rejuvenate these dead spaces.

Launched by Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai (MPSP) and urban rejuvenation organisation Think City, the competition is part of efforts to revitalise and optimise unused spaces in Seberang Perai.

The first site for this competition has a collective space of 4,338 sq m, formed by three traffic islands near Jalan Bagan Dalam located under the elevated Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR) — about 250m from Penang Sentral.

The 14km six-lane BORR is a coastal highway that connects Sungai Dua in the north to Perai in the south.

It was constructed in 2006 to relieve traffic congestion on the North-South Expressway (Sungai Dua – Juru), especially during rush hours.

However, the convenience of the BORR has inadvertently cut Butterworth off from the coastline and has affected the business and population growth of the town.

To address this, Think City and MPSP has signed a memorandum of understanding in 2015 to draw up a framework to revitalise Butterworth in an initiative called the Butterworth Baharu programme.

Under this programme, focus areas for rejuvenation include the Butterworth Waterfront, Sungai Perai, Pekan Lama and the Harbourfront. These sites were identified for rejuvenation as high potential locations that would improve the liveability of Butterworth.

“For more than a decade, residents have been denied safe access to the coast which represents a significant loss of a valuable public asset. There is a pressing need to address the loss of community space by introducing new ones,” said Hamdan Abdul Majeed, managing director of Think City in a recent press release.

Co-organising partner the Institute of Landscape Architects Malaysia (ILAM) has been given the task of managing the competition.

ILAM President Assoc Prof LAr Dr Suhardi Maulan said the collaboration with Think City allowed ILAM to get more involved with the community and use their members’ expertise to solve problems and turn vision into reality.

“It is our dream to see the dead spaces under the BORR transformed into a beacon of greenery and community resiliency. We hope through the competition, the participants could come up with holistic solutions which could be a catalyst for future landscaping and developments in Butterworth,” he added.

Meanwhile, MPSP president Datuk Rozali Mohamud said by establishing attractive and functional open spaces for community gatherings and healthy recreational use, the project will maximise the potential of these inefficiently used spaces to improve liveability in Butterworth.

According to Hamdan, Think City is on the lookout for project sponsors and partners for the construction of more pocket parks beyond Butterworth.

“We are open to new collaborations as there are just so many possibilities for the spaces under elevated structures. In this regard, we act as the facilitator and lead organiser for all things related to reimagining spaces with a view of catalysing urban rejuvenation.’’

The organising committee had held a site briefing for close to 180 interested participants on Dec 11, to provide them a better understanding of the site context.

The competition is open to all Malaysians until Jan 25, 2019. Foreigners can participate as a member of a group led by Malaysians. Details can be found at ilamalaysia.org.

This story first appeared in the EdgeProp.my pullout on Dec 14, 2018. You can access back issues here.