paragraph 9::Proposed Landscape Conservation and Revitalization of Kuala Linggi Cultural Heritage Village, Alor Gajah, Malacca

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How is it going?

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Sorry been busy these days since I've been working out for design of projects in India and China. Working as a landscape architect (I would rather call my self as junior landscape architect anyway)is enjoyable so far. 

It is all back to you whether you wanna be a truly landscape architect or you wanna rich easier. That's the question you have to answer. As far as my concern, I am passionate into design and wanna see the thing that have been drawn by us being constructed on site. So I am enjoying the experience right now, and hopefully I would gain even more experience soon! Yeahh!

 Anyway, I was on my way back to Johore from City Hall to Jurong East interchange to get my bus there. So keep calm and be ready to enjoy this issue! Paragraph 9th would reveal my final year project on my proposal of landscape conservation and revitalization of Kuala Linggi Cultural Heritage Village, Malacca, Malaysia.

Brainstorming Trip at Cherating, Pahang. We are visiting a peat swamp forest.

Brainstorming trip ended here in Perhentian Island, where we were distributed to few small groups to discuss about our design intent and issues.

I would like to start 9th paragraph by enter-phasing my current project for my Bachelor in Landscape Architecture at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia! Considering this as my recent project, I would have to put my highest gratitude to The Almighty Lord for giving such a miracle to complete this studio with distinction! Alhamdulillah, I managed to get few awards and small recognition nationally and internationally beside of deriving an A for my final year project. 

So basically, we were required to select sites and send our studio coordinator the initial design intent together with client brief and site photos. Once we received a green light from them then only we can meet the client for design brief and so forth for the stage of inventory and analysis...

I went to Kuala Linggi several times to do field study, either by myself or accompanied by some of my colleagues. This field studies are important in order to identify site issues and condition so that the data that we received from client could be verified accordingly. Then we will analysis and synthesize all the data to meet a conclusion on how are we going to design the site. Those boards shown below is my inventory, analysis and synthesis.    

SITE BRIEF : Landuses & Community Profile Inventory & Analysis (A1)

SITE APPRAISAL : Natural Resources Biodiversity Inventory & Analysis (A1)

SITE APPRAISAL : Cultural Resources Diversity Inventory & Analysis (A1)

SITE APPRAISAL : Accessibility and Visual Quality Inventory & Analysis (A1)

Over-layering site synthesis (A0)

 The site was located in Melaka in border with Negeri Sembilan province, Kuala Linggi village has been notified as one of the earliest villages occupied by the Bugis  and Dutch that recently facing degradation in terms of its heritage significance as well as cultural resources biodiversity. 

Located at the higher right bank of Linggi River mouth, near the Straits of Malacca. The fort was also known as Supai Hill Fort because when it was established, the Dutch stationed a regiment of mercenaries there called as Supoi. Kuala Linggi Fort was built as a monument of peace between Bugis  and Dutch. Fort Supai was gazette as a historical monument under the Antiques Act of 1976. Basically there are few historic remnants were commonly found on ground of the village such as traditional malay houses with distinctive architectural features, Pagar Ruyung Sultanate throne tombs as well  as Supai Fort Hill or well known as the Dutch Fort. 

Recently the site appears to be abandoned and less in maintenance, accessibility, permeability as well as promotion in terms of heritage tourism. It is magnificent landscape resources that need to be conserved , revitalized and integrated with surrounding contextual site as to evoke the site as cultural tourism spot for Alor Gajah district.

These intervention suggestions have been aligned with intervention suggestion by UNESCO (1992), where by the ranking of conservation action plan are; Conservation for low intervention, Restoration for moderate intervention and Enhancement for high intervention;

(i) Conservation or Low intervention
It is aimed at conserving the existing character but incorporating proper management or enhancement of certain features of importance that contribute to the character.

(ii) Restoration or Moderate intervention
Emphasis is given on restoring a positive and coherent character to areas of degraded existing landscape.

(iii) Enhancement or High intervention
A new landscape character will be created for the degraded poor condition of the landscape where the former identity is totally lost.

In accordance to Garnham, Launce and Harry (1985), there are several factors contributing to the image making of a site. The factors are; i) physical characteristic such as vegetation and building typology; ii) distinctive cultural and daily activities and iii) symbolism and metaphor. As for the whole information gathered, we can clearly declare that cultural heritage village is an essential resource as to promote cultural tourism activities. There are major concerns before every development can get started. 

A distinctive study must be done in order to consider the villagers will be able to sustain themselves doing their daily activities as part of exhibitory for tourism activities happen. The conservation action must seriously be occupied to reveal the identity and true images of Kuala Linggi as a cultural village that contains historical remnants. We should manage the resources wisely in terms of the heritage interpretation plan as well as the design program for a village that contain both cultural activities and historic sites.

Then we came up to a stage to idealize our design intent in accordance to the synthesis plan by proposing a conceptual plan and preliminary landscape plan. In relation with site context the concept development 'Patches of Remembrances' had been chosen. 'Patches of Remembrance' symbolizes the diligence of old women in Kuala Linggi Village that previously create the ceiling of traditional house using patches with high workmanship. The concept of patches is used to represent several methodologies of integrating the degraded cultural remnants, forgotten tradition and natural resources in Kuala Linggi as one of scrambled occupation spot in previous time.

Conceptual Boards (A0)

The development of master plan for Kuala Linggi Cultural Heritage Village consists of few major components such as Fort Supai Archaeological Park, Supoi Jetty, Sepetang Kail Jetty, Belat Restaurant, Phinisi Walk, Mengkuang House, Laman Peringatan Madrasah An-Nur, Kubang Kerbau Farmland, Pagar Ruyung Royal Throne Memorial Park and adaptive reuse of traditional houses.

1. (i)  Fort Supai Archaeological Park
   Fort Supai Archaeological Park will be the highest valued elements in inviting cultural tourism activities because Fort Supai remnants are still visible as tangible cultural landscape resources.
   
   
2. (ii)  Supoi Jetty
   Supoi Jetty will be the economic patches which accommodate visitor with transit for boat cruise for crocodile sanctuary and mangrove trail in the upper Linggi river.
   
   
3. (iii)  Sepetang Kail Jetty
   Sepetang Kail Jetty will be used as fishing port that will also transit visitor who may want to fish in the upper stream of Linggi River.
   
   
4. (iv)  Belat Restaurant
   Belat restaurant will be part of economic patches that adopt belat ( a type of fishing engine used by the Bugis tribe when they first arrived in Kuala Linggi. Belat restaurant will be restored with mangrove that allow for shades and occupy light day operation.
   
   
5. (v)  Phinisi Boardwalk
   Phinisi Boardwalk will be a part of the War Museum that exhibits Bugis war equipment being used during their occupation in Kuala Linggi. This museum will be part of Heritage Interpretation Trail.
   
   
6. 
   
   (vi)  Mengkuang House
   Mengkuang House is the harvesting and producing workshop for 
   
   
   Pandanus product in Kuala Linggi.
   
   
7. (vii)  Laman Peringatan Madrasah An-Nur
   Laman Peringatan Madrasah An-Nur will be the trail that reveal history of Hang Tuah and the 5 warriors who were raised in this village. 

8. (viii)  Kubang Kerbau Farmland
   Kubang Kerbau farmland will be another patch that created in sustaining the economic activities of Kuala Linggi Village that also sustain the cultural landscape character of Kuala Linggi.
   
   
9. (ix)  Pagar Ruyung Royal Throne Memorial Park
   Located in the highest point in the village, this site have a big potential to reveal history of Raja Melawar descendant from Pagar Ruyung throne that still remain on site.
   
   
10. (x)  Kuala Linggi Museum
    Laman Melayu Kuala Linggi will introduce the earliest occupants of Kuala Linggi which is native Melaka Malay people. The representation would be in series of sculptures and ethnobotany plants. Kuala Linggi Museum will be the center of Laman Melayu Kuala Linggi that help defining unique Malay Architecture in Kuala Linggi traditional house. This area will be inculcated with stage for cultural performances.
    
    
11. (xi)  Adaptive Reuse Homestay Program
    Few selected houses will be used in occupying traditional workshop activities and classes that also incorporate homestay activities with foster family. The houses are;
    
    
    1. a)  Wan Dara Traditional Music House
    2. b)  Tengku Yam Traditional Cooking house
    3. c)  Wan Man Silat House
    4. d)  Wan Rahman Traditional Carpenter House
    5. e)  Wan Hasmah Traditional Cooking House 

Master Plan of Kuala Linggi Cultural Heritage Village

Section A-A, B-B and Perspectives (2 A1/Landscape)

Aerial View and Interpretation Plan (2xA1/Landscape)

For detailed area plan, Fort Supai Archaeological Park is selected and it covers Kuala Linggi Museum, Anjong Kota Chalet, Laman Peringatan Madrasah An-Nur, Fort Supai, Phinisi boardwalk and Belat restaurant. The concept for detailed area plan is an extension from the concept of Patches of Remembrance but will be specific on heritage which result in the concept of Patches of Heritage Remembrance. This area was chosen because of the major elements in Kuala Linggi Cultural Heritage Village. 

In considering the site location, this site will cover few main approaches in the whole development scheme such as eco-heritage hem-stich, self- sustaining economic patches, cultural heritage patches as an active communal spaces as well as few other minor elements suggested throughout the study. The major concern is  the fort which act as remaining and historical element of the village that is recognized as the major patches to attract cultural tourism activities on site. 

Fort Supai Archaeological Park's Conceptual Plan 

Fort Supai Archaeological Park's Detail Landscape Plan

Section-Elevations C-C. D-D and Perspectives (2xA1/Landscape)

Elevations E-E, Aerial View and Perspectives (2xA1/Landscape)

 The rich natural and cultural biodiversity of Kuala Linggi have much potential as economic sources to prolong the occupation of the villagers. Therefore landscape conservation and revitalization of Kuala Linggi Cultural Heritage Village need to consider the cultural and heritage interpretation of the site concurrently to recent development direction of the village as a cultural tourism spot activity. There are a lot of sensitivities to be in concern with as to evoke the image and identity of site.

Appropriate designation interventions must goes in accordance with the cultural and natural resources diversity that will slowly established socio-economic activities which will help to sustain the community to occupy the village as a tourism spot.

Development of Kuala Linggi as a cultural heritage village has few significances in terms of securing the valuable tangible heritage resources which are remaining forts and old Malay Melaka house. 

Brochure

Brochure

The implementation concept; Patches of Remembrance will help to sustain all historical remnants (tangible) while sustaining the villagers to stay and occupy the village that will concurrently embrace degraded value of intangible cultural resources. It has been said that, at its best, preservation engages the past in conversation with the present over a mutual concern for the future J. Murtagh, 1988). I was supervised by LAr. Dr Hamidah Ahmad and supervised by LAr. Assoc. Prof. Zainul Hakim Mohd Zain, LAr. Dr Sapura Mohamad, Dr Mohd Hisyam Rasidi and assisted by Mr Mohd Najib Waheed. 

Through this projects I had received numerous recognition such as; 
i) ILAM (Institute of Landscape Architects Malaysia) Academic Awards

ii) Documented as proceedings paper in International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA APR) Cultural Landscape Symposium 2012.

iii) Special graphic exemption for ACLA 2013 (Asian Cultural Landscape Association which will be held in Seoul National University, Korea this coming October!

  
All right reserved to Department of Landscape Architecture, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. 

paragraph 8::Sustainable Intervention of Maritime Urban Village

Hello there .sustainablesenipeople.readers!

I was in the mrt way to the office when writing this issue! Anyway how was the previous issue; paragraph7th? Hoped that you enjoy reading it as I enjoyed writing! Haha.

This picture was taken during our Brainstorming trip to Penang. 

I am basically retrieving back all memories while doing my final year project. I started my final year with a semester exercising on a thesis writing named as topical study studio. We were split into 2 studio bases which regard to different studio's master. 

My work base at one Siamese Temple in Kedah. This was during our Brainstorming Trip.

Initially, I was being conducted by a lecturer from Thailand, named as Dr Sirima Nasongkhla. She was formerly a lecturer in Melbourne University. Concise on the way of teaching and learning would not happen with singular spoon-feeding way of teaching, she taught us in a series of overwhelming discussions which lead us to present our ideas and formulas in out-sourcing a win-win decision. She was very good in doing it. 

Topical study was actually a studio base semester particularly helps student to develop and generate scope of studies base on one fundamental issue. My topic was regard to demolishing issuance of the authentic and pristine fishing village located within a town of Malaysia.

Considering the pattern of evolvement most of towns (urban morphology0 in world, it normally starts either in remote forested areas which were rich in various types of staple plants and edible natural sources or along a riverine even a shoreline. If we are about to refer back to the conventional definition of cultural landscape, it is an interaction between human and nature whereby if we cross-referenced these two elaborative definitions, actually those small fishing villages scattered along the shore and riverine of world should be define as a cultural heritage where it lasts for decades without valuable significance by the government of most countries including Malaysia! Dushh am not gonna elaborate further on that.. hahaha

Anyway as I deliberate the site issues with the governance policies there were some diplomatic rationalization depicting the Malaysia as a developing country where the development scenarios today also need to consider the heritage value of this particular type of site. There are a lot of traditional maritime village and maritime township with distinctive architectural model and potential economic value that need to be revitalized in terms of the development direction and sustainable intervention. 

There are several ways to collect the data in heritage site. First is the archival document study, there are a lot of information can be obtained from this archival document study such as the governance acts that manage to sustain the maritime village up until today. Secondly the master plans studies. The objective is to identify the development movement and urban morphology of the town including the heritage site. From this we will manage to know the human concentration and how the urban sprawl does begin. Thirdly, it is to do field observation on human dispersal and concentration that will shows the dynamism of the particular maritime village. There will be few interviews which will be conducted with native and outsiders as to identify people awareness of the development and disturbance for certain activities and how do they react to the disturbance. GIS application is the last method to be used as to collect data and analyze data base on landscape architecture concern.

Key Plan

Location Plan

Pontian Besar Maritime Village was chosen because of its significance as the old town part of Pontian District Township as for the whole. The place was previously known as the piracy port of Bugis, Siak, Sulu and Siantan sea pirate (Rozita M.L,1998), where the indigenous Duano Tribe Settlement found today was a proof that they have been working for Johor Sultanate Empire to secure the particular port from the sea pirate. The uniqueness of Duano Indigenous Tribe is the informal and organic composition of traditional stilt house along the river mouth of Pontian Besar River. The usages of natural surrounding resources in daily life also portray their dependence on the water bodies till today. This study perhaps would reveal the reasons and rationales of physical design that will suits the community demand as well as evoking the community life style by providing enough economic and ecological substances at the same time sustaining the unique of culture and genus loci of the place through sustainable intervention.

Problems Statement

1. Why most of traditional maritime villages being left and abandoned as an isolation area within a townscape development?

Planning of Pontian district as for the whole only concentrated on economic growth of new reclaimed land town and noticeable landmark such as Tanjung Piai and Kukup. The authenticity of maritime villages ambiance along the coastal never be revealed and some might say that these traditional maritime villages as a threat of developing the region with coastal corridor. The essence of these kind of areas should be promoted with sufficient facilities and accommodations through sustainable interventions which will help to evoke economic opportunities and ecological senses that will improvise the community lifestyle (M Yusri O., 2002).

2. Why the policies of governance in a certain developing town did not considered the traditional maritime village as a part of potential development to evoke economic activities?

Although local planning authority has identify the potential area that need to be preserved and conserved but some development direction previously have destroy the identity and images of the townscape as a maritime base townscape. The disturbances on unplanned development have fading the authenticity and heritage interpretation on site. This have been supported by a research by Kadaruddin Ayub (Akademika-Jan 1997), the uncontrolled development were cause the changing of the lifestyles, landuses and the decrease of the natural resources and also pollution along the coast around the fishermen village in West Coast Peninsular Malaysia.

3. How the government reacts through the development of a certain area, which some did not consider the interpretation of the site as a heritage site and genus loci?

Local planning authority only noticed the gazette of Pontian as a southernmost tip of Asian continent through the attraction of mangrove area named Tanjung Piai, but still there is certain development which failed to respect and evoke the context of site as a heritage site during the late Johor Sultanate. The development should consider the community sense of belongings as well as respective site previously. The over development of a certain area will reduce the authenticity of the area as well as the sense of a place. The fishermen villages in Peninsular Malaysia were the attractive place for tourism because of natural uniqueness and high cultural value of community lifestyles, but the uncontrolled of the tourism development mostly ruin the natural image of the fishermen village settlement (Shamsul M, 2000).

4. What kind of development intervention that suits the heritage fishing village in an urban area?

The development intervention will be base on three domains which are; sociology, ecology and economic substances. We have to identify the level and distinctive intervention of a certain limitation and planning guideline. The conservation and preservation of main natural resources along the river of Pontian Besar will help to sustain the traditional maritime activities of the community such as Nypha, Nibong, Rasau, Rhizophora, and Bamboo for craft making and soon. The changing of technology affect the cultural and community lifestyles and create a gap between fishermen community and the others community with different socio economy (Raymond F., 1996). The enhancement will include facilities that promote the product of the community to generate economic and lifestyle standards. Perhaps there will be a certain physical development interventions that will help to enhance the economic growth of site. In this case we will be guided by sustainability concept and intervention guidelines and acts by UNESCO and local authority.

Significance of Study

Sustainable Interventions of Traditional Maritime Urban Village is a study on how the cultural landscape elements in a traditional maritime village like Kampung Nelayan, Pontian Besar, Johor would be preserved and conserved in such away to promote sustainable maritime village as a unique potential area to be valued and appreciated as a tourism spot. This study will be beneficial for us to really know about the strategies and policies on how the government could manage to sustain the buildings and landscape features as the time evolves (dynamic landscape). Furthermore the study will suggest the limitation on intervention that could be make in terms of development direction through the sustainability concern which really need to be considered as to sustain the spirit of the place for people to appreciate the city. 

This project had attained A grade for this subject. Department of Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia had awarded me overall 4th year best student and designer.