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Neighbourhoods as source of social relations
Relationship of human happiness
Achieving a step change
‘Homes for the future: more affordable, more sustainable’ - Housing Green Paper. It is about addressing the need for greater partnership working between developers, house builders and local authorities, with a new stress on community management. The partners may include private investors/developers retaining an interest in the property as a means of making new housing more affordable, which is called ‘the investor model’.
Mixed Communities/ Social Mix as regeneration solutions
‘Mixed communities contribute to the promotion of choice and equality, avoiding concentrations of deprivation and help address social exclusion and community cohesion’.
generation in the future.
The challenges in Bandar Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur
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Residents living in Flat Sri Labuan are being segregated by multiple edges, eg. 4-lane Jalan Budiman, Jalan Yaacob Latif and wide access road separating social housing with Permaisuri Lake Garden. They are being excluded from neighbouring low-rise residences. Therefore, those ‘walls’ need to be broken down, so that people no longer feel isolated or trapped within the social housing. Here comes the challenge to mix communities with different income environments. Looking at the opportunity of reconnecting existing residential parks so that they can be shared parks, eliminating the exclusiveness for low-rise neighbourhoods. Park connector system works well in the context of Bandar Tun Razak. Linking all accessible residential parks to city park, Permaisuri Lake Garden will be able to develop more ‘workable’ or ‘sustainable’ communities. Also, to rethink how to ‘bridge’ social capital that builds ties across communities both within a neighbourhood and between neighbourhoods.
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Connectivity and accessibility are up to the satisfaction level of existing communities. However, 96% high reliance on private vehicles has resulted in social exclusion of low income environments. The challenge includes encouraging them to find and share their interests within greater context. Parents love to accompany kids to play at community playground, but they are the ones sitting at one corner. Therefore, there is a certain expectation of parents finding their interests and practicing together with their kids, perhaps within other neighbourhoods as well, eg. Taman Mewah, Jaya, Mulia. Reconnecting and rebalancing neighbourhoods to wider urban areas will help to reduce stigma associated with mono-tenure estates.
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Massey (1994) states that neighbourhoods are overlapping sets of social relationships. Looking into different boundaries of ‘area’ helps to improve relations with neighbours, with local school, with job search, etc. To enhance sense of community and place attachment, increasing social interaction among neighbours who no longer fear public space occupied by anti-social neighbours.
A balanced community
Indeed, this is a real challenge to ensure communities learn from what works, not to hope for what they could get anymore. This could narrow the gaps between the rich and poor. Government will not need to rely solely on the private sector. Partnerships can pay-off. And when communities get stronger, residential turnover rate could reduce. Decreasing the risk of gentrification and the need of urgent regeneration in the future.
I. A mixed and integrated community
Reconnecting all basic amenities with parks via cycling lanes. Promoting parents cycling with kids to different neighbourhoods. Introducing Farmer’s Market with orchard street to “Harvest & Sell” within Flat Sri Labuan neighbourhood. Celebrate Open-Picking day by giving neighbourhood residents fresh-picked fruits as gifts and make friends. Exposing residents to major welfare, public and social services.
II. Fair for everyone, and well-served
Open to neighbourhood residents to join awareness campaigns under one roof. A shared platform to encourage PPR events, communities get to build what they need together. Eliminating the need to expect about facilities that were not met at the beginning. Removing stress of moving to a newly regenerated housing. Working with community organisations help the local community to build self-confidence and employability.
III. Community managed model
Leasing out community plaza to different scale of public and private events. Revenues can contribute to Flat Sri Labuan’s maintenance cost and neighbouring community involvements enable major welfare, public and social services reaching to a wider neighbourhood.
IV. Responsive ongoing management
Gained trust and long-term commitment from the local community to manage private accommodation (student hostel + Airbnb). Successful management depends on engaging communities positively, with changing thinking about everyone has a stake, any community involvement will help setting up effective neighbourhood management with local area agreements.
