Reimagining KL’s urban future on FT Day

FT minister Hannah Yeoh’s task list must include resolving the Bukit Kiara longstanding redevelopment issue, affordable housing, flash floods, and tackling traffic congestion.

Hannah Yeoh, the current federal territories minister, once stood firmly on the side of the marginalised.

As Segambut MP since 2018, she has been a vocal opponent of Bukit Kiara’s redevelopment and a key figure in the campaign to protect the longhouse residents and the adjacent Taman Rimba Kiara from high-density development.

At the time, her stance was widely seen as principled and courageous.

She championed the rights of the homeless and the underprivileged, arguing that development should not come at the cost of displacing communities or destroying vital green spaces.

Today, as federal territories minister, she is in a position of far greater influence.

It may be time for her to revisit Bukit Kiara, not only as a policymaker, but as someone once closely connected to the people who lived there.

Much has changed.

The Bukit Kiara recreational forest has been repeatedly encroached upon, and its character significantly diminished.

However, the long house dwellers are still there in the same temporary wooden houses that have lasted more than 30 years now, with no proper new houses in sight.

How long more are these staunch Hannah Yeoh supporters supposed to wait?

Even before her ministerial appointment, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had approved several upmarket condominium projects in the area.

This reflects a broader pattern in KL’s development trajectory: growth that consistently favours the affluent, while the needs of lower-income communities are sidelined.

This outdated approach has to change. Our urban planning has indeed become trapped in a vicious cycle.

Affordable housing: where are you?

Affordable housing should be a central priority of the federal territories ministry. At least in KL and perhaps, in Putrajaya and Labuan, too.

Raising living standards for the urban poor through better housing, facilities and environments, is not a peripheral issue; it lies at the heart of responsible urban governance.

Much has been said about transit oriented development, but so far nothing has materialised.

When MRT1 was conceived it was meant to provide transit opportunities primarily for those without their own private transport.

Later, it was suggested that urban housing models from other countries be adopted, so that low-cost housing is built around mass transit systems.

MRT2 came and went, but stations in KL and other parts of the Klang Valley didn’t answer that call. Instead, many stations straddle the highway’s central median where no low cost houses can ever be built.

Too many elevated highways

Beyond housing, there are other urgent challenges.

Elevated highways have consumed enormous swathes of urban land, leaving little space for low-cost developments.

Mega highway projects such as DUKE 1, 2 and 3, EKVE, and SUKE were promoted as solutions to traffic congestion, yet daily experience suggests otherwise. Indeed, the congestion index has worsened, not improved.

Districts such as Bangsar South, Kepong and Cheras, supposed to be oases for affordable homes, now struggle to cope with the presence of dense high-rise development clusters, most of which are priced far beyond the reach of local residents.

Roads remain inadequate despite the proliferation of highways around it – and now, even wealthier residents are complaining.

Will the new FT minister consider congestion charges as a deterrent to our deteriorating urban crawl?

The unchecked growth of high-rise developments has intensified the strain on infrastructure: more residents, more cars, and greater pressure on public services.

Flash flooding

Poor drainage systems have left areas such as Segambut, Cheras, Kampung Baru, Jalan Tun Razak and many others increasingly vulnerable to flash floods.

When floods occur, they disrupt lives and businesses indiscriminately. Urban failure does not respect income brackets.

The consequences are becoming increasingly visible. Property values in some areas are stagnating or declining, while KL’s reputation as a liveable city is taking a hit.

Congested streets, overstretched public transport, and deteriorating infrastructure are eroding the quality of urban life, but perhaps tackling that is beyond the minister’s power.

But what about looking at small pockets in certain neighbourhoods, where rapid demographic changes appear to be accelerating?

Try Jalan Silang and the Pudu area, which have undergone rapid changes and are now classified as blighted urban zones in Kuala Lumpur.

In this context, the decision to put the proposed Urban Renewal Act on hold is a welcome one. As currently conceived, it risks exacerbating existing problems rather than resolving them.

What KL needs is not sophistication but rather a fundamental approach to urban development.

The following should be some of its key priorities:

• More affordable housing for a sustainable future: if at all possible, build them near existing LRT and MRT stations.
• Effective drainage systems: address flood mitigation comprehensively and permanently.
• Public transport reform: build a network that is high in capacity, extensive, efficient, reliable, and truly accessible by all – but please, no more urban highways.
• Manage development: ensure new high-rise projects include affordable housing and do not overwhelm existing neighbourhoods with high plot ratios only for luxury condos.
• Community-focused design: promote walkability, preserve green spaces, pedestrianised zones, and encourage localised living to reduce long-distance commuting.

KL has immense potential to be a world class city.

With thoughtful planning and political will, it can become a city that works for everyone – not just those at the top of the economic ladder.

Happy Federal Territories Day. - FMT

The author can be reached at: rosli@mdsconsultancy.com.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.