With the addition of street lamps and potted plants, the Our Lorong Campaign gives a new lease of life to Lorong Bandar 11.
WITH the addition of street lamps and potted edible plants, the upgrading and beautification work along Lorong Bandar 11, Lebuh Pudu, Kuala Lumpur has given a new lease of life to the back lane.
The beautification project was done under the Our Lorong Campaign, a programme organised by Think City in partnership with Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and supported by Citi Foundation to rejuvenate Lorong Bandar 11.
The campaign also featured a plant adoption programme where stakeholders can choose a herb kit, garnish kit or salad kit to plant near their premises.
DBKL Project Implementation and Building Maintenance Department director Norzaini Noordin said the project served a bigger purpose than just beautifying the back lanes.
Zainal Abidin (fourth from left) giving away potted plants to business and premises owners in the area while Norzaini (second from left) and Izan Satrina (left) look on. — Photos: SHAARI CHEMAT /The Star
“Most importantly, it instils a sense of ownership to the community in taking care of the city.
“Kuala Lumpur land is valuable and priced at about RM4,000 per sq m.
“What we want is to make full use of the public area, redevelop it and bring value back to the community,” she said during the unveiling of the project at Lorong Bandar 11.
“These are bits and pieces of the project that we are doing for other areas in the city such as Bukit Bintang and Kampung Attap,” she said.
Meanwhile, Think City Sdn Bhd Urban Mechanics director Daniel Lim said the project aimed to give a stronger sense of ownership to the stakeholders around the area.
Stakeholders planting their garden kits at the back lane at Lorong Bandar 11, near Petaling Street.
“We want the community to take charge of their surroundings and through participatory processes such as taking care of the plants in the area, they can develop a sense of belonging to their immediate surroundings.
“We have engaged with the stakeholders and the project is something they agreed on.
“So now, they can take care of the plants and maintain the back lane,” he said.
DBKL advisory board member Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Mohd Rafique, who was also present at the event, said DBKL wanted to encourage premises owners to improve their surroundings and bring life to the city.
“Without the street lamps, people might feel unsafe to walk along the back lanes but this will change.
‘’When the surroundings are improved and upgraded, it adds value to the area and drives investment.
“Take Petaling Street, for example. It used to be a red-light district. But after rejuvenation efforts like Kwai Chai Hong, businesses around it started to flourish and we wanted other areas to be like that,” he said.
Also present were DBKL advisory board member Datuk Dr Dolbani Mijan and Think City Partnerships and Creative Sector senior director Izan Satrina Mohd Sallehuddin.
When asked about the vandalism of the facilities at Lorong Bandar 11, Norzaini said the people must come together to curb the social ill.
“The act of vandalising is not a problem of the facilities but of certain irresponsible people.
“If we start loving the city and our surroundings, the people will come together and stop vandals if they see come across them.
“It all goes back to the people and through this campaign, we hope it instils a sense of ownership and responsibility of taking care of their immediate public spaces as if its their own,” she said.
StarMetro had, on May 24, reported that drug addicts were being blamed for the destruction of public facilities and beautification projects in Kuala Lumpur’s side lanes and alleys.
Newly installed bollards placed along side lanes to prevent people from parking their cars were destroyed while still at the construction stage.
The bollards have since been repaired.
