LOCATED IN THE northeast quadrant of Kuala Lumpur, Titiwangsa Lake Gardens attracts hordes of visitors especially on weekends and public holidays. Although it boasts many recreational facilities, its popularity is due in part to its inclusiveness – it provides a space for the differently abled by catering to the physically challenged as well as to children with cerebral palsy, autism, Asperger’s syndrome and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
At the heart of the park is a lake. Unbeknown to most of its visitors, this lake harbours a tin dredge, which lurks deep in the lake’s waters, a silent guardian of its tin-mining past. An abandoned mining pool was filled with water and a small park developed around it. Known originally as Kuantan Road Park on account of the nearby Jalan Kuantan, the park received its first major facelift in 1975 when an ambitious project was launched by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to upgrade its facilities and provide the park with additional amenities for the enjoyment of the public. A small artificial lake was dug and connected to the original mining lake with a canal; the large original lake became known as ‘West Lake’ and the small ‘East Lake’.
Taman Tasik Titiwangsa
The upgraded park was opened on 1 February 1980 in conjunction with Kuala Lumpur’s sixth Federal Territory day celebrations. During the launch ceremony, the Prime Minister, Tun Hussein Onn, announced that the park was henceforth called Taman Tasik Titiwangsa (Titiwangsa Lake Gardens), named after the Titiwangsa Mountain Range, which forms the backbone of Peninsula Malaysia. It was hoped that the Gardens would form the backbone of the communities around it.
The Bunus River runs close to the park and as this river is under the purview of the River of Life project, the park was included in the project. The park’s facilities deteriorated over time and the ROL project team proposed a major upgrade that would connect neighbourhood communities through a vibrant recreational space. The park closed on 1 June 2018 for the upgrading works and the exercise was completed by 30 October 2019. It reopened to the public on 15 December 2019.
A key design principal, apart from inclusivity and practicality, is ‘Instagrammable’ and the visitor will find the park a haven for photos with many beautiful spots. It is thus not surprising that the Titiwangsa Lake Gardens received second place gold in the International Awards for Liveable Communities 2021 under Technology and Solution Project.
Playground
The equipment in the playground caters to different age groups, and it is suitable for differently abled children. On 25 October 2019, after the park was completed but before it was opened to the public, the project team invited a number of families with children to test out the playground. Feedback received was incorporated, e.g. the seats on swings were made curved.
Maze Garden
This maze is known as Laman Kerawang because it is designed in the filigree motif traditionally employed in Malay woodcarving, architecture and textiles. The maze’s hedges are formed by the 1.2-metre tall orange jessmine trees (Murraya paniculata). Handkerchief trees (Maniltoa browneoides), have been planted in between the hedges to provide shade. At night, the maze is lit by sixteen LED butterfly lights.
Banjaran Walkway
The highest point at Titiwangsa Lake Gardens is known as Titiwangsa Range, paying homage to the famous range in Peninsula Malaysia. Some vegetation unique to the highlands including forest trees, tree ferns, spike moss and grasses, have been planted in this area giving this corner of the park an identity of its own. An artificial stream cascades into three small pools . A fogging system shrouds the area with artificial mist, imitating the cool mistiness of the highlands. The landscape can be better appreciated from an overhead canopy walkway known as Banjaran Walkway.
EPILOGUE
With its beautifully landscaped riverbanks lined with wide broadwalks, the ROL spaces have gained a lot of traction with the public, especially exercise enthusiasts. This traction continues to grow, as the ROL project team actively engages with the public through its numerous Public Outreach Programs aimed at educating the public on protecting our rivers.
The ROL project has received international acclaim, bagging both the gold awards in the Technology and Solution Project Awards category within the International Awards for Liveable Communities 2021. The first gold medal was awarded to ROL Precint 7, which covers the riverfront and streetscapes between Dataran Merdeka and Dayabumi, and the upgrading works for Titiwangsa Lake Gardens received the second gold medal.
Unhappy
Neutral
Satisfied