Pudu Jail Demolished – are we any smarter?

You have read the news. Amidst the public backlash for not preserving a historical site is the need to solve a different public need – road widening – that I’m sure people who drive through that road knows very well (I pull my hair every time I am forced to use that road).

But are we really still that primitive?

Take a look at this video.

[kml_flashembed publishmethod=”static” fversion=”8.0.0″ movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/9RC_ok-NxWw” width=”550″ height=”340″ targetclass=”flashmovie”/]

Kudos to whoever made it – it clearly articulates the populist sentiment of preserving a piece of the nation’s history. Is that enough? No it doesn’t solve the problem of road congestion.

Turn it around, will widening roads solve a traffic issue? Maybe, since it worked before in other parts of the city, let’s give the traffic planners some credit. But can the road be widened WITHOUT touching those walls, perhaps building over it? or building around it? or building underneath it?

Of course it’s no small task to make modern architectural wonders around fragile colonial brick walls. But I’m sure it can be done.

The one example I always share after staying in Seattle for a while is the Seattle Underground City which I’ve became a big fan of. The Seattle Underground Tour has come to be the city’s most unusual attraction. As part of the tour, you will learn that actually what you see as first floor for the older part of the city are actually second floors of the buildings, while the original first floors, its walk ways, are all submerged underground (read story here). They will also tell you all sorts of stories of the pioneers of the city (same goes with tours to Alcatraz Prison, which Malaysians have not hesitated to compare with during the demolition, forget the fact that Alcatraz plays no part in the traffic jam in San Francisco) This frozen 100 year old environment just one floor below the hustle bustle of a modern city is really an eye opener for any new residents or tourist alike, and tells the story of the city.

Let’s hope what’s said on mainstream papers hold true, that at least the gate will be kept.

Most importantly, we need to get smarter about this preservation versus development thing.

Let’s see what happens to Tanjong Pagar Railway Station next. Btw, some of us are gathering at the station for a cam-whore session this Saturday morning. Ping me if you’re interested.

Pictures from SV in KL.