a green environment friendly park…… on the rooftop?

penang’s CM, lim guan eng (LGE) proudly announced the setting up of a RM300 million international convention centre.

the sub-terranean centre, to be known as the penang international convention and exhibition centre or sPICE in short, will be at bayan baru, where PISA (the penang international sports arena ) now stands.

well, he has a number of reasons to be proud. firstly, it is a good investment from the council (MPPP), being that MPPP will be investing only RM11.5 million for the RM300 million project. secondly, the sPICE will be a ‘first’ in penang.

well, as a penangite,  i’m proud too (and the sPICE will be only about 400 metres from where i stays).  i’m glad too, to learn that PISA will be refurbished and upgraded, including the under-utilised in bad shape aquatic centre. however the other reason that he was proud of – a 7 acre public park on the rooftop… er… er… park on rooftop? according to him:

“Not only is the design exciting, but [it also has] green features because we are bringing back something natural for the people of Penang.

“The centre will benefit everyone because the people gain a park… a unique park. Just imagine, you can have your kids running around this park. It is good for the environment.

“[Environmentalism] is not about just reducing the use of plastic bags but also in providing more green spaces for our future generations,” he said.

er… excuse me, mr CM, natural? good for environment? green spaces? natural, did you say? it will be a man-made park and goodness!… on the rooftop!! what is so natural about that? does the CM understand what is a natural park?

penang does have one natural park – the municipal council park at jalan utama (near to the botanical gardens  – say the botanical gardens is also a park).  i can’t understand how a park on the rooftop will be seen as natural and good for the environment.  children running round the park and parents jogging round the park… BUT to the sound of vehicles moving up down on the road… and if there are conventions, exhibitions going on, to the sound of the noisy crowd.  that’s not how a park is suppose to be.

i don’t know with the other but to me a park on the rooftop of a huge busy building is not my idea of a natural, environment friendly park! perhaps LGE’s idea of the park is not like what i envisioned?

will the park be something like this? well, it looks so un-natural, right? (taken from here)