Turning Green Space into Concrete – Kuala Lumpur’s Expansion Mania Jem Golden

Special thanks to editor, Gráinne Cumbers

In an earlier post in this series I examined spatial justice and access to urban green spaces (UGS) ,with Helsinki as a case study, focusing on the importance of accessibility for all citizens wherever in the city they reside and using all main modes of transport available to them.

The second post looked at Seoul and potential environmental injustice issues related to access to parks due to factors such as social class and deprivation in Seoul. I referenced a study showing that there was no strong pattern indicating that urban parks were more accessible for socioeconomically affluent groups in Seoul. The main problem in Seoul (and other cities in South Korea) is less an equity justice issue but rather the poor condition of many of the smaller, local parks.

Malaysia’s challenge, like many South East Asian countries, has traditionally struggled finding an equilibrium between economic growth and the preservation of its lush natural environment. It is a difficult balancing act and Malaysia is now ranked a very lowly 56th out of 61 countries in this year's Climate Change Performance Index in 2021. Reflecting and accelerating this ‘ecology-hostile’ trend, is the capital city Kuala Lumpur (KL).

KL with around two million citizens is a regional powerhouse with annual GDP equivalent to US$50 billion growing 6-7% per year, outpacing the national GDP average of 5%.

However, urban green spaces (UGS) in KL have shrunk alarmingly since 2010 giving way to residential, commercial, and industrial development. Three senior researchers at Department of Landscape Architecture and Department of Civil Engineering, University Putra Malaysia (UPM) led by Junainah Abu Kasim using high resolution aerial imagery analysis have exhaustively monitored the ‘alteration’ of UGS in Kuala Lumpur by developers incorporating all elements of greening area including for example, reserved forests, recreational areas, green corridors. They also included water areas that provide greenways that enable people to connect with nature.

The loss in UGS size in the city has been calculated by Abu Kasim et al to be equivalent to a total of 2,843 football fields or 12% of the city area transformed forever in just 10 years.

Aerial imagery above shows net loss four large parks in Kuala Lumpur to commercial development - Abu Kasim, J et al. Science and Technology journal

Most of the net green space loss was located at the northeast and spreading out to the west and south of the city’s boundary areas situated near or within zones that had been officially ‘gazetted’ or legally declared as ‘prohibited development areas’. KL has around 8 square metres per capita of urban green space.

According to the WHO every city is recommended to provide a minimum of 9 square metres of urban green space for each person and that UGS must be accessible, safe and functional.

Singapore, Malaysia’s closest ‘neighbour’, a city-state with the third highest population density in the world, provides 66 square metres of green space per inhabitant.

Singapore has long been a global pioneer in urban green spaces despite its population density. For example, all new construction in Singapore must include plant life in the form of green roofs and vertical gardens before they’re approved. Greenery that is lost on the ground is 'replaced in the sky', as developments must comply with a 100% greenery replacement policy.

Kuala Lumpur skyline - copyright - Straits Times, Malaysia

The outcome generated from this spatial analysis in Kuala Lumpur provides meticulous up-to-date information that can support city planners and urban designers to accurately identify the location where natural preservation areas are threatened. Furthermore, this spatial form analysis can contribute to planning the protection of green space across KL’s boundary and prioritising specific regulation in dealing with infringements to UGS.

The necessity to prioritise and protect UGS has been given urgent impetus by a recently published study in Malaysia undertaken by Think City showing a significant increase in peak land surface temperatures in Kuala Lumpur city centre (and other cities) over the last thirty years. The study utilised satellite imagery to map the extent of the urban heat island effect. Firstly, Malaysian cities are getting hotter due to the increasing intensity of development, which is compounded by the effects of climate change. Secondly, the mapping showed that urban greening had beneficial impacts with the ability to lower urban temperatures between two and eight degrees Celsius.

In August 2021, Malaysia launched a National Low Carbon Cities Master Plan (NLCCM) under the Green Technology Application for the Development of Low Carbon Cities (GTALCC) initiative.

The GTALCC 5-year programme is intended to “remove barriers to projects related to low-carbon planning and development”. It is unclear at this very early stage what commitment the NLCCM really means in practice to preservation (and new development for) of UGS. Can Malaysia finally strike a more equitable balance between urbanisation and spatial and environmental justice? This remains to be seen.

Sources for article

Monitoring Urban Green Space (UGS) Changes by Using High Resolution Aerial Imagery: A Case Study of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, by Abu Kasim, J. et al

Science and Technology journal

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336709799_SCIENCE_TECHNOLOGY_Monitoring_Urban_Green_Space_UGS_Changes_by_Using_High_Resolution_Aerial_Imagery_A_Case_Study_of_Kuala_Lumpur_Malaysia

Environmental Justice in Urban Spaces of Southeast Asia by Ooi Juin Yan

https://leclab.wixsite.com/spatial/post/environmental-justice-in-urban-spaces-of-southeast-asia

Malaysian cities are getting hotter by Farah Solhi

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/03/671506/malaysian-cities-are-getting-hotter-study

National Low Carbon Cities Master Plan Launched by Malaysia

https://iins.org/national-low-carbon-cities-master-plan-launched-by-malaysia

New and existing buildings required to be more energy efficient under revised BCA standards by Cheryl Lin

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/bca-minimum-energy-performance-requirement-raised-building-257456

The urban green space provision using the standards approach: issues and challenges of its implementation in Malaysia by Maryanti, M.R. published in Sustainable Development and Planning journal

https://www.witpress.com/elibrary/wit-transactions-on-ecology-and-the-environment/210/35953