URBAN RENEWAL BILL TO DRIVE MORE PLANNED CITY DEVELOPMENT - PLANMALAYSIA

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 23 (Bernama) -- The Urban Renewal Bill (URB) is seen as a crucial approach to replicating development in mature cities, ensuring more sustainable and structured urban planning.

Housing and Local Government Ministry’s Town and Country Planning Department (PLANMalaysia) director-general Datuk Dr Alias Rameli said the lack of vacant land in major cities like Kuala Lumpur has pushed new developments to suburban areas such as Nilai, Kajang and Seremban.

“This has resulted in uncontrolled urban sprawl, leading to increased private vehicle usage and carbon emissions and affecting residents’ quality of life.

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“The URB seeks to rejuvenate existing urban areas, making them more livable while enabling residents to work and commute more conveniently using public transport such as LRT and MRT,” he told Bernama.

He added that urban renewal is not a new concept, as many countries, including South Korea, China and Poland, have already enacted similar laws.

According to Alias, urban development generally follows two approaches, namely redevelopment within existing urban areas (infill development) and new area development (greenfield development). However, due to limited land availability in the federal capital, redevelopment is the more practical choice.

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“In Kuala Lumpur, finding three acres or more of land is challenging, except in areas like Bandar Malaysia, which have their own planning strategies.

“We cannot adopt a ‘do-nothing strategy’ by leaving areas undeveloped for 30 or 40 years. Instead, we must plan for more sustainable and comfortable developments that benefit the surrounding community,” he said.

Alias stressed that urban renewal is not meant to burden existing landowners but to improve property value and living conditions with modern amenities and an efficient transport system.

“For example, a residential unit that was previously 400 square feet could be expanded to 800 square feet through redevelopment, increasing residents’ comfort. Property values also increase, as seen in Kampung Kerinchi, where rental rates range from RM1,500 to RM2,000 a month,” he explained.

He pointed out that neighbouring cities such as Jakarta, Bangkok and Manila have also undertaken urban renewal to better align development with present-day needs.

Alias added that engagement sessions on the URB have involved 74 discussions with universities, state governments, local authorities, government agencies and developers to gather comprehensive feedback prior to its implementation.

-- BERNAMA