Kuala Lumpur: 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 highlighted the lack of vacant land in major cities like Kuala Lumpur, which has pushed new developments to suburban areas such as Nilai, Kajang, and Seremban.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, this shift has resulted in uncontrolled urban sprawl, leading to increased private vehicle usage and carbon emissions, affecting residents' quality of life. 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.
Datuk Dr Alias Rameli noted that urban renewal is not a new concept, as countries like South Korea, China, and Poland have already enacted similar laws. Urban development generally follows two approaches: 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.
In Kuala Lumpur, finding three acres or more of land is challenging, except in areas like Bandar Malaysia, which have their own planning strategies. Alias emphasized that a 'do-nothing strategy' is not viable for areas left undeveloped for decades and advocated for sustainable and comfortable developments that benefit the community.
Urban renewal aims to improve property value and living conditions with modern amenities and efficient transport systems, rather than burden existing landowners. He cited Kampung Kerinchi as an example, where redevelopment increased property size and value, with rental rates ranging from RM1,500 to RM2,000 a month.
Alias also pointed out that neighboring cities such as Jakarta, Bangkok, and Manila have undertaken urban renewal to better align development with present-day needs. 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.