Sensory Garden for an Inclusive Society

Abstract

This paper introduces a joint program between the University of Malaya and Kuala Lumpur City Hall undertaking the Therapeutic Sensory Stimulation Garden at University of Malaya Medical Centre to promote an inclusive society through sensory therapy. Good universal design practices of sensory gardens visited in the UK, Singapore, and Hong Kong is highlighted. Outcomes showed that users’ engagement with the landscape features promotes positive developments in social behaviours. In contrary, it proved a limited partnership between practitioners, researchers, authorities and users as well as non-availability of design guidelines for these gardens. Both outcomes are a significant argument in the conclusion.2398-4295 © 2016. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK.. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.Keywords: Inclusive society; sensory garden; sensory therapy; universal design