The twin prongs of development for the floating village were identified by Marc Emile Shamma'a, national director of Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), one of the consultants involved in the Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) Development Masterplan project.
The undertaking, spearheaded by principal consultant HOK Planning Group, hopes to formulate a blueprint to serve as guide for all development work in the capital over the next 30 years and beyond.
The masterplan is expected to be formulated by July next year.
Meanwhile, during a "visioning workshop" yesterday, aimed at generating ideas and collecting public input for the masterplan, ideas on how Kg Ayer as well as the rest of Bandar Seri Begawan should be developed were discussed.
During the workshop, Shamma'a explained how Kampong Ayer should leverage on handicraft-making and other traditional industries practised in the village, that is over 500 years old, not only to generate income for the residents there, but also to keep tourists flocking to Brunei's "Venice of the East".
He said that these traditional trades needed to be identified and focused upon commercially. "The water village has been around for more than 500 years. We need to find out what makes the 'heart of Bandar' beat," he said.
Shamma'a cited Venice as an example from which Kg Ayer could learn. Venice is renowned for its art of glass-blowing, where visitors pay to see the glass artisans at work and buy their unique creations.
"Tourists come to see the process and buy the product. They also bring back the stories that lie behind the making of the products," he said.
Whether it was boat-making or producing handicrafts, traditional Bruneian crafts needed to be promoted and preserved in the generations to come, he stressed.
Referring to such livelihoods as "heritage industries", Shamma'a said that the community would not only gain revenue from the products sold but also benefit from the tourists the village as an attraction in its own right would bring in.
He also suggested an incentive structure be introduced to keep the residents of Kg Ayer from migrating to the developing mainland and to keep the traditional arts alive.
Fear of these heritage industries becoming extinct, mainly due to the reluctance of the younger generation to take up traditional trades, is an ongoing concern in Brunei.
At present, courses on handicraft-making are taught and promoted at the Brunei Arts and Handicraft Training Centre, located on the mainland opposite the water village, where several private companies and individuals from all over Brunei also sell their Brunei handicrafts.
No comments:
Post a Comment