A picturesque landscape and great arts made Ubud Asia’s best city in 2009, according to the prestigious US magazine Condé Nast Traveller.
Magical Ubud has enchanted many people from around the world to not only visit the place for a vacation, but to live their too.
As US critic and travel writer Jamie James put it, “No place in the world could be greener than Ubud.
Everything here is green: The young rice fields glow a fluorescent shade of emerald, the thick curtains of foliage appear all the greener for the scarlet accents of ginger and hibiscus.”
But Ubud nowadays doesn’t impress eco-friendly architect D.S. Kung as much as it did nearly 13 years ago when the Japanese, affectionately called “The Professor”, came to the city and decided to spend the rest of his life there.
In the eyes of Kung, Ubud nowadays is plagued with air pollution, traffic jams and litter. Another obvious change he has witnessed over the years is the mushrooming of fancy shops and restaurants.
“There were no buses loaded with tourists back then,” he recalled.
“My first impression of this place was that everything was hand-made. It’s truly a heaven for artisans.”
Kung told his audience in the first TEDx forum in Bali, an annual event where some of the world’s thinkers are invited to share their passion.
He said the first thing that came to his mind when thinking about Ubud nowadays was “tourist buses loaded with people, crowding the village’s streets and cause traffic congestion”.
“It’s crowded and polluted. Automobiles are very threatening. And I think this is affront to the beauty of Ubud,” he said.
Kung added that despite Ubud’s great potential, many residents didn’t care much about the growing pollution and mess witnessed over the years.
“They are not aware their lives are actually threatened. They’re too comfortable, and feel they don’t need to make any changes.”
Although the area is “not yet destroyed”, he urged people in Ubud to pay more attention to the environment for their own good.
Born in Mongolia in 1930, Kung grew up in different countries, like the US, Japan, Nepal, the UK, Turkey and Thailand. Then in 1997, he stumbled upon a piece of land with a jungle of trees and a waterfall near Ubud.
Inspired by the energy of the land, he succumbed to the charms of Ubud, and decided to stay.
With a group of local village workers, he built his house and private library. He also designed a few villas for friends and relatives so they could take time out whenever they felt stressed.
As time went by, his building project evolved into a retreat called Michi Retreat Center, concerned with respecting the natural ecosystem while creating a space for people to come and stay.
Collaborating with various eco-friendly architects and artists, Kung created the “Master for Inspiring Architects Program” at the retreat center to inspire eco-architecture and encourage dialogue among a new generation of architects.
Suggesting ways to alleviate environmental pollution, as well as creating a healthy and sustainable sanctuary, Kung came up with what he called “a proposal for Ubud”.
“Ubud can be a great example, it has everything a model city needs. Jakarta could never play that role, it’s simply too big,” he said, highlighting the move to save Ubud should come from the grass-root level.
To address the snarling traffic, Kung suggested a vacant plot of land for tourist buses to park. “Of course buses would still be allowed to come to Ubud, but we have to find a parking lot,” he said, while stressing that “rice fields should not be destroyed for this reason”.
“The solution is to find land where all buses can be parked, and for the administration to provide a minibus service.”
From quaint to crowded: A tourist passes through a handicraft shop on Jl. Monkey Forest, Ubud (photo above and left). Initially a quiet village, Ubud is becoming more and more crowded and filled with many fancy shops and restaurants.
Tourists would be charged for taking the buses, he went on, and the money would go toward schools.
As part of his proposal, he also encouraged people to walk in Ubud. “The city should also organize a regular car-free day, make Ubud a pedestrian heaven, maybe on the weekend. That would be nice.”
A similar initiative was implemented in Kuta, where Sentra Parkir Kuta (Kuta parking center), was established a few kilometers away from tourist hub.
The area a drop off point for tourists, from where they can take minivans to go around Kuta. Yet despite big buses being forbidden to enter Kuta, the area remains heavily congested.
As finding a vacant plot of land in Ubud is proving to be a difficult an expensive task, local administration and communities in Ubud are now working to find open land on the outskirts of Ubud that could be used as parking lot for large buses.
Cok Putra Sukawati, a leader at Puri Ubud, said that as a village, Ubud had not been prepared for the onslaught of tourists.
“If it had been designed as a tourist destination, sufficient parking facilities would have been provided from the start.”
He added that the village administration and locals had been discussing solutions to overcome traffic congestion.
“Ideally, Ubud should be made as a pedestrian zone… Only a few motorized vehicles should be allowed to enter certain areas, and no parking should be allowed along the streets.”
Garbage is also another problem that needs to be addressed. “Ubud should be a clean city, garbage-free. I think we should have our own incinerator,” Kung said.
He estimated the city needed to allocate around US$15 million to build an incinerator.
Garbage from Ubud households is currently taken to a dump site in Gianyar, located 10 kilometers away.
Last but not least, Kung wants to see more emphasis on educating the younger generations, especially about respecting Ubud’s environment.
— Photos by JP/Stanny Angga
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