Despite its daunting task, the effort will be worth it if things turn out well and the people gets a new city after the construction dust settles down.
Land and building owners have to be duly compensated before they will agree to move away or give up their asset for redevelopment. There are also the existing physical limitations such as buildings, roads and highways that will have to be considered.
Most old cities started out from organic growth and were built on an ad-hoc basis out of the needs of those early years. As with all things, cities also age and decay and some turn into slums.
With time, the people’s needs change and cities have to be revitalised and added with new facilities and features to stay relevant .
Not many cities will get the chance to be redeveloped unless the initiative has the unwavering support from the government, the people, and other stakeholders, especially the asset and landowners.
So, when the government recently announced that a number of the federal assets in Kuala Lumpur and other parts of the Klang Valley would be redeveloped, many feel that this is a chance of a lifetime to “right some of the wrongs” or shortcomings that have been plaguing our cities. It is an opportunity to redesign and rebuild , albeit on a small scale.
The “hard to come by” opportunity should not be wasted and should be given much thought and a cohesive master planning to derive the most optimum result.
With most of the sizeable land in the city already snapped up and privately owned, the opening up of these prime government assets for redevelopment should be treated with utmost reverence to ensure they will offer real value to the people.
The redevelopment initiatives should not be driven just by profit, but should strive to meet other more holistic social, environment and other non-tangible objectives to improve the people’s quality of life and overall wellbeing.
It is a good opportunity for the government to leave behind some memorable legacies for the people. Highest on the list is of course the long overdue overhauling of the public transport system to make it highly efficient and well integrated. It should service the length and breadth of the Klang Valley cities to make it one of the most well utilised and successful public facility.
Kuala Lumpur’s population has grown to more than two million people and the number is increasing by the day. On top of that, there are close to one million foreign workers in the city.
No wonder the city’s infrastructure and facilities including roads, public transport system and open spaces are bursting at their seams. There are also other shortcomings that need to be addressed.
In many parts of the Klang Valley, there is a serious over-built and congestion situation.
It is time to de-congest and ease up the environment with lower density projects.
In view of the glut in the high-rise residential and commercial property sector, developers should plan for more quality low-density developments to raise the quality of the living and working environment.
There are already too many unoccupied apartments and condominiums, from the low-cost range to the very high-end ones in many parts of Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley. Instead of aggravating the over-supply situation, more low-density residences including townhouses and commercial projects can be planned in those new areas, including the new proposed Sungei Buloh township on the 1,200 ha Rubber Research Institute land.
It will be a great if the redevelopment plans incorporate more green and environment-friendly themes with “carbon free” structures and buildings to contribute towards lessening the world’s carbon footprint.
Meanwhile, buildings with heritage value should be restored and protected to ensure the country’s rich history and culture is preserved for the future generations.
Deputy news editor Angie Ng hopes our city authorities will embrace more balanced development models that promote higher quality of life for the people.
By The Star (by Angie Ng)
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