The soft edge

Soft edge is defined as strips of waterfront land occupied by bushes consist of trees and thick understorey. The area can be either untouched natural forest or disturbed landscape (replanted backyard area of village houses or naturally regrown, occasionally with weeds). In Kuching's context, it is part natural landscape, part cultural landscape. Seen from the river it is a beautiful landscape. From the land, villagers can get glimpses of the modern city along the opposite bank through framed views.

This strip of meandering landscape, visible from the urban area of the southern side it seems like a thick bold line drawn between the water and the land. It is a beautiful gesture that forms the most beautiful natural setting Kuching city possess for centuries, while on the south bank the city developed and urbanised over the last hundred years.

See how this beautiful landscape of Kuching being captured by photographers:


Kuching, Sarawak (Borneo), East Malaysia - Kuching Waterfront Pier ~ Sunset
Originally uploaded by YYZDez


Sunny Day At Sarawak River
Originally uploaded by thienzieyung



Once Upon A Time In Kuching
Originally uploaded by onggon ~ im back


Perahu Tambang
Originally uploaded by Roslan Tangah (aka Rasso)



Aerial map below shows the existing soft edge along the Sarawak River. You can see the soft edge along the northern bank is almost unbroken continuously running as far as your eyes can see, perhaps the full length of the river from the river mouth to the upper tributaries where the jungles and mountains are. At the city the line is only punctuated at jetties and most obvious at the Astana where the clearing allows un-disrupt views from the Governor's residence

Over the last few years there are changes along the edge opposite the city centre. I noticed the first change during my last visit in 2006 and it was recorded as the following shot. On the map the effected areas are marked in blue lines.

Published at around same time, the Sarawak Sketch also documented the changes. As below

Sarawak sketchbook, Illustrations by A. Kasim Abas ; text by Peter Kedit

"The north bank of Kuching in the late 19th Century. Malay villages surrounded by orchards and small gardens nestled under the shelter of the fort. One hundred years later, some of the idyllic village scenes have made way for riverside improvements. The administrative buildings of Sarawak now dominate the skyline. One thing, however, has not changed : the 'sampan' of ferries, still carry much of the cross-river traffic."

The lines marked as red on the map below indicate the most important stretch of the soft edge that contributes to the unique image of the city but it is in danger of being vanished forever. The line marked as purple shown the fast disappearing section of soft edge due to the development of the State Assembly Building. See related post and link of the developments. See pics below for the extent of clearing at the moment:


Dark Force Approaching
Originally uploaded by Jieja


Sarawak Reggata 2008 #03
Originally uploaded by Roslan Tangah (aka Rasso)


I must stress that the soft edge is an important asset to Kuching and any city and town dotted in Borneo island as well as South East Asia. It truly represents the unique image of this region.

However, the actual condition of the soft edge may not be in line with the picturesque quality seen from the river, it shouldn't be perceived as a bad unwanted place - just a stretch of unused land along the river edge infested with weeds, or in the poor state of maintenance or cleanliness; or even dumping ground for garbage.

There isn't any field study of the soft edge. It is hope that this post will stimulate interest to specialist groups such as ecologists and environmental planners.

In the developed and fast developing cities around the world, most of the waterfront edge along the urban area has been concreted or rebuilt into marina hence destroying the character of the city. The homogeneity of cities is a common mistake Kuching city must avoid. Read related news article 'Cement wall destroying Spain's coast' posted on November 25, 2008