Urban Renewal Should Begin with People — Not Bulldozers

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 — The conversation around urban redevelopment in Kuala Lumpur has often focused on demolition, rebuilding, and densification. But true renewal, as housing advocates argue, should go far deeper than tearing down old walls. It should begin with refurbishment, maintenance, education, and civic responsibility — the human side of city-building.

In the heart of KL, among its high-rises and glimmering towers, stand aging, neglected buildings that tell another story — one of decay, oversight, and forgotten communities. While the proposed Urban Renewal Act (URA) aims to replace these structures with new high-density projects, housing advocates like the National House Buyers Association (HBA) warn that such efforts risk erasing not only old buildings but also the people and histories they hold.

“Redevelopment should not mean destruction,” said HBA honorary secretary-general Datuk Chang Kim Loong. “What Kuala Lumpur needs isn’t another law or large-scale demolition plan — it needs civic consciousness, education, and social care.”

The Missing Ingredient: Maintenance Culture

Malaysia’s weak maintenance culture is a well-known issue. From residential flats to public parks and transport systems, poor upkeep often takes precedence over proactive care. Many buildings are left to deteriorate due to limited funding, fragmented policies, and a “not my job” attitude that passes responsibility from one agency to another.

As a result, urban decay is spreading quietly across KL. The City Hall (DBKL) recently identified 48 abandoned buildings, including both residential and commercial sites in Cheras, Kampung Baru, Setapak, and Bukit Bintang. Even areas surrounded by commercial property in KL’s core zones are dotted with unsafe, unhygienic structures housing low-income or migrant residents.

These cases highlight a growing gap between the city’s glittering façade and its struggling inner layers — a challenge that legislation alone cannot solve.

Refurbishment, Not Razing

The HBA argues that sustainability means repairing before replacing. Demolishing entire buildings to build denser, taller ones creates mountains of waste and strains already burdened infrastructure systems. Instead, older structures should be refurbished, repainted, and structurally strengthened, giving them a new lease on life while preserving community bonds.

The Kuchai Jaya Flats in Jalan Kuchai Lama — plagued by sewage leaks, clogged drains, and unsafe corridors — recently became a test case for this philosophy. Instead of demolition, the HBA mobilised volunteers to repair roofs, clear drains, repaint walls, and restore lighting, proving that rejuvenation doesn’t always require rebuilding.

This approach aligns with the broader sustainability trend seen in Malaysia’s industrial property in Subang area and office space in Bukit Jalil, where refurbishment and adaptive reuse have become key investment strategies. Restoring what exists — rather than replacing it — often offers stronger community and environmental returns.

Legal Limits and Social Realities

While DBKL has authority under the Local Government Act 1976 and Roads, Drainage and Buildings Act 1974 to compel repairs, enforcement remains weak. Out of 48 identified dilapidated building owners, only nine have complied.

Plans in the Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2040 include 139 redevelopment zones, from old PKNS flats to aging mixed-use blocks, but these efforts are frequently delayed by heritage restrictions, layered ownership, and community mistrust.

The proposed URA lowers the consent threshold for redevelopment to 75–80%, but critics fear it could divide communities — pitting residents who want to sell against those who wish to stay. Redevelopment that ignores social realities risks displacing the very people it intends to help.

Revitalisation Through Civic and Social Care

True urban renewal requires a human-centred approach that combines refurbishment with education and civic consciousness. This includes:

• Empowering residents to maintain their surroundings through awareness campaigns and neighbourhood programmes.

• Encouraging community-led cleanliness drives and watch groups to improve safety and hygiene.

• Teaching maintenance responsibility in schools to build a culture of care from an early age.

• Offering training for property managers and landlords to understand preventive maintenance and tenant welfare.

• Ensuring social support for vulnerable groups — the elderly, low-income families, and migrants — through local councils and NGOs.

Where relocation is unavoidable, the process should ensure dignified rehousing and fair compensation, similar to the 1 Razak Mansion redevelopment model, which relocated residents into modern units within the same community after achieving full consensus.

Building a Smarter, Kinder Capital

Urban renewal should not be limited to concrete and glass. It should mean human renewal — restoring dignity, strengthening communities, and fostering accountability. Just as the property market in Selangor’s industrial and commercial zones thrives on sustainable redevelopment — from factories in Puchong to industrial land in Selangor — Kuala Lumpur, too, can evolve by valuing continuity over convenience.

True progress lies not in how fast we build, but in how well we care. Reviving KL’s aging structures through maintenance, civic awareness, and social empathy will create not just a modern capital, but a meaningful one — where buildings reflect the care of the people who inhabit them.