There is only so much frustration urban dwellers can take. Protests are forcing governments back to the drawing board. But what needs doing is not just the tweaking of plans or procedures but a proper revamp of the country’s town planning system.
THE TANJUNG BUNGAH Residents’ Association in Penang has been campaigning against development on hill slopes in the vicinity. In Kuala Lumpur, Damansara 21, a project to build houses that sell between RM10mil and RM15mil each, is stuck in a quagmire as a result of unrelenting protests by nearby residents.
According to the Minister of Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing, Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin, the matter will be brought to the Cabinet for a decision! These are two examples of how frustrated Malaysians have become about urban development.
In fact, there is much that Malaysians are not happy about, such as traffic jams, flash floods, unsynchronised development, poor urban forms, massive development on hill slopes and projects that inhibit access to scenic areas, including sea shores. A visitor may be forgiven for thinking that this country has no town planning.
There is town planning, believe it or not.
