The planning and development of the National Arboretum Taman Kiara

Abstract

The paper is primarily informative. It will give an account of the efforts undertaken by the Federal Territory Ministry to create more open space for the city. Presently Kuala Lumpur has an open space area of approximately 170 hectares, which works out to be at a ratio of 0.202 hectares per thousand head of population. The plan will increase the ratio to 1.214 hectares per thousand. With the aid of slides, the author will give an overview of the overall concept and the methodology adopted by the design team for the development of the masterplan for the Arboretum. The plan will be described in some details. The paper will also touch on project costs, economic implications, the organisation setup required to manage the Arboretum, etc. The Arboretum/Park to be known as, Taman Kiara, is part of a magnificent 607.3 hectares open space preserve within the Bukit Kiara Estate. The site, covered almost exclusively by rubber trees, is situated at 11.3 km to 14.5 km Jalan Damansara and surrounded by housing estates. Generally, the plan is laid out in three areas. An Arboretum area (161.9 hectares) which contains the majority of the land in the northern, western and central areas of the project and includes most of the hilltops, ridges and steep slopes. Park areas (101 hectares) which contain the level and flatter terrain areas include most of the valleys. Common areas which serve both the Arboretum and Parks. When completed the plan will provide an Arboretum/Park which will serve all the people of Malaysia. It will provide facilities for education, public service, research on plant material, recreation opportunities and tourist interest. It will also provide an Arboretum of national and international stature acceptable to the scientific and educational community. An Arboretum of this stature does not now exist in Malaysia.