6.2 CirCulaTinG drivers of spaTial TransformaTion

6.2 Circulating drivers of spatial transformation

6.2.1 Waterbody and Canals

The Klang river begins in Ampang Jaya, Selangor, then deviates and runs along Ampang–Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway till the city centre. The Gombak River flows through Selangor and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. It is a tributary of the Klang River. The confluence of these 2 rivers gave rise to the name of Kuala Lumpur. This confluence is located behind Masjid Jamek.

The post-independence era has witnessed rapid developments in Kuala Lumpur. The uncontrolled developments scarred the heritage and the natural resources specifically the rivers that were once the

0 0.75km 1.5km Left to right Top to bottom

Merdeka square, (Source: Shutterstock)

River confluence, (Source: Google images) Map of Blue Infrastructure in Downtown Kuala Lumpur (Source: Author, Mariette Robin)

lifeline of the city in the past. Kuala Lumpur has reached a point where dramatic intervention is required to reconnect the community and river. The concerned Ministry in early 2012 imposed a ROL Project for the cleaning, beautification, and development of the Kuala Lumpur River (Othman and Abdul Majid, 2018). This was proposed to orient the city back to its roots along the Klang and Gombak Rivers by rehabilitating the water quality and revamping the riverbanks with a variety of developments. The proposed master plan maximised the social and economic potential of the river by connecting, activating, regenerating, and enlivening the people in Kuala Lumpur through the waterfront (Othman and Abdul Majid, 2018).

Klang and Gombak river’s primary function today is to mitigate floods as the Malaysian climate is well known for its rains. Therefore, flood control is vital for the city’s drainage system. The beautification strategies are vital to change the mentality of the people who have been disposing of trash into the rivers and have converted it into a huge sewerage disposal area.

The rivers would not be revived for human consumption but for daily chores and leisure activities along with flood mitigation. Due to the small dimension and size of the Gombak and Klang River, it is not suitable for water transportation mode. Also, the bridges crossing the river are too low for boats to pass through.

6.2.2 Towers and skyscrapers

The burgeoning rapid physical development ever since Malaysia’s rapid industrialization in the 1970s and 1980s has never seemed to recede. Kuala Lumpur has joined the fray of rapid growth competition with other cities worldwide and has witnessed an increase in the number of high–rise buildings. The use of highrise architecture has been a well-trodden symbolic path to the modern world. The skyscraper is a celebration of modern building technology, “a marker of modernity worldwide”. A supposedly positive public response to the KLCC project, therefore, is interpreted as a sign of the national will to change, to accept the

0 0.75km 1.5km

Top to bottom

Map of Skyscrapers in Downtown Singapore (Source: Author, Mariette Robin) Skyscrapers details in Downtown Singapore (Source: skyscrapers. com) Aerial view of skyscrapers in Downtown Kuala Lumpur (Source: Google Images)

new, to embrace, perhaps, modernity itself (Bunnel, 1999). In pursuit of becoming the “world city image”, impressive urban image and managed skyline consequently become very vital in planning and design (Yusoff, Noor and Ghazali, 2014).

The skyscrapers are what each city is known by, be it Burj Khalifa in Dubai, Petronas towers in Kuala Lumpur, or the entire complex of skyscrapers in Singapore’s downtown core. This branding was necessary to market the city on a global platform and to attract international investments. What Burj Khalifa (2010) is to Dubai, Petrona towers (1998) are to Kuala Lumpur. The list of tall towers built in Singapore before the 1990s is endless.

Petronas Towers (452-meter) in Kuala Lumpur City Centre built in 1998 and KL Tower (421 meter) in Bukit Nanas built in 1996 are two landmarks in the heart of the Golden Triangle of Kuala Lumpur; the iconic symbols that are synonymous with the city of Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia. These landmarks are in the most strategic commercial district and have become an important symbol of pride and achievement.

The Petronas Tower’s role in national development is not merely aesthetic but envisioning a global architecture that would mould the true Malaysian urbanity. Petronas towers promote a new sense of “viewing” among the citizens. Also, the sky bridge is symbolic of a gateway of new opportunities of the developed world, trying to bridge the gap between the first and third worlds. The architecture of Petronas tower is a powerful representation of Islam and Melayu Baru (“new Malay”), the modern Muslim, that has entered a new world of commerce and development.

KLCC itself hosts about 10 skyscrapers that are around 200-300 meters high including the Petronas towers (452 meters), four seasons palace (343 meters), IIham tower (274 meters) and Petronas towers 3 (267 meters), Felda tower (216 meters), Naza tower 1 (216 meters), Menara maxis (212 meters), the troika tower (204 meters), Citibank tower (190 meters).

6.2.3 Shopping malls

Suria KLCC was developed into a shopping mall in 1998 as a part of the Kuala Lumpur City Centre project and was constructed as the base for the Petronas Twin Towers. It has a total retail floor area of 140,00 sq.m. The mall overlooks the KLCC Park and Lake Symphony. Kuala Lumpur has followed the trails of Singapore in terms of public green spaces. Roberto Burle Marx who designed the space appears to have ensured the tall towers of KLCC are perfectly balanced by a 50-acre garden very close to the KLCC shopping centre. The Suria KLCC mall is curated with a combination of luxury goods, high-street labels and mid-range retail chains,

0 0.75km 1.5km

Top to bottom

Map of shopping and retail facilities in Downtown Singapore (Source: Author, Mariette Robin)

Suria KLCC with Petronas towers in the backdrop (Source: Shutterstock)

along with cafes and restaurants. In addition to retail spaces, the mall includes the Petrosains Science Discovery Centre and an art gallery. Shopping centres in the Kuala Lumpur region have undergone a transformation from small shops to department stores, to large shopping malls often located near expressways and interchanges.

6.2.4 Parks, Gardens and Sanctuaries

Parks traditionally played a variety of roles, the most significant one being to provide an open space to unwind from city life. Over half of the KLCC is a sixty-acre landscaped public park designed by world-famous landscape artist, the late Roberto Burle Marx. He was a great admirer of natural gardening and consistently sought to recreate the illusion of nature in urban green spaces. The KLCC Park which is a large park in between the Suria Shopping Mall and the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre located within the KLCC complex comprises many features including a mosque, a children’s playground, a splash pond, bicycle paths, jogging tracks, and walking paths. It covers half of the area of the complex and was designed to be the lungs of the downtown core. It surrounds the Petronas towers with a heritage of tropical greenery making it a contrasting calm environment amid the hustle and bustle of the city. Not only does the park provide green open space for the benefit of the public in an otherwise concrete jungle, but it also is an open space that provides opportunities for leisure and social activities, as well as showcases the Malaysian flora and fauna to the visitors. Conservation and biodiversity were a major influence in the creation of the park. 23 of the mature and rarer specimens were saved from the old Selangor Turf Club and transplanted into the park grounds. 1900 indigenous trees and 66 species of palms were planted in the park to promote biodiversity (KLCC Tourism). The trees were deliberately selected to attract local and migratory birds. It also features a combination of natural features such as trees, shrubs, stones and wood with man-made designs such as a lake symphony in the middle of the park with an 18-metre-high water fountain. A 4.3-metre elevated bridge that cut across the lake provides a vantage view of the park and the twin towers (KLCC Tourism). The second large green space in the downtown core is the Perdana

Botanical Gardens, a recreational park that sits within the Abdul Razak heritage park near the central railway station. Built in the year 1888, Perdana Botanical Gardens, also known as Perdana Lake Gardens, consist of Deer Park, Hibiscus Park, Orchid Parks, is Kuala Lumpur’s first large-scale recreational park with many amazing natural beauties flaunting their tropical glories within these 226 acres of land.

0 0.75km 1.5km

Top to bottom

Map of green infrastructure in Downtown Kuala Lumpur (Source: Author, Mariette Robin)

Aerial photo of KLCC Park

(Source: SuriaKLCC website)

6.2.5 Hotels

Since Kuala Lumpur is rated as an alpha city in the world and is the only global city in Malaysia, it is also certainly the centre for finance, real estate, insurance, media, and the arts of Malaysia. Therefore, finding luxurious hotels next to the city centre becomes fundamental to accommodate as well as attract tourists from across all disciplines. The downtown proves to be an ideal location for tourists and business travellers as it hosts the world’s tallest twin towers with a luxury 5-star hotel, “The Mandarin Oriental” along with a large shopping mall attached to it.

Kuala Lumpur is home to many international groups of hotels. Next to the twin towers is a 343-meter tall Four seasons palace in Kuala Lumpur, which again comprises of hotel, apartments, and a shopping mall. Hilton Kuala Lumpur, a 5-star business hotel, is situated in the heart of the vibrant KL Sentral area, towering 35 floors and 154m in height. Next thereto is the same building that houses a hotel of the French chain Le Meridien. The Renaissance Hotel encompasses a tributary of the Gombak River running through it. The Berjaya city district, 203 meters high, has been tagged because the world’s largest building ever inbuilt in one phase. It’s a twin tower with a hotel, condominium, indoor amusement park and a shopping centre. Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur, JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur and several other famous names also contribute to the hotel industry located in the city centre of Kuala Lumpur.

Map of Hotels in Downtown Kuala Lumpur (Source: Author, Mariette Robin)

0 0.75km 1.5km

6.3 Focus on uses and users: The example of Central Market

The area covering approximately 60.54 acres is located adjacent to the convergence of River Gombak and River Klang, where Kuala Lumpur was founded (Abidin, 2016). The neighbourhood retains the character of Kuala Lumpur‘s older urban areas even it has undergone many commercial developments over the past forty years. With housing moving further away from the downtown, the land that used to be a wet market was transformed into a more relevant mixed-use complex and came to be called the central

0 0.75km 1.5km

Top to bottom

Map of Central Market, a mixeduse development in Downtown Kuala Lumpur (Source: Author, Mariette Robin and Google earth)

Kasturi Walk, a Pedestrian Street in Central Market, Kuala Lumpur. (Source: edgeprop. com/central market and its evolving heritage)

market. Despite its new use, it continues to adapt and remain as a gathering space for the older community.

Its strategic location is just a few minutes from Petaling Street and its heritage status also brings in many tourists annually. Now the central market is an iconic attraction and landmark for Malaysian heritage. Its easy accessibility to public transportation and ability to foster a greater appreciation for racial tolerance and integration make it a huge success among younger generations as well. It has a pedestrian-only area that is now covered with a roof and consists of 55 units of kiosks selling arts with Malay concepts, handicrafts, apparel, food and beverages much like a City Walk in Dubai.

Rapid urban development in the neighbourhood has brought about housing decline as many dwellings are converted into commercial uses. There are only a few members of existing communities who are still living in shophouses within the neighbourhood. Despite this, the government has taken the initiative to redevelop and regenerate dilapidated areas and privatise the project to attract people and investment into the neighbourhood.

An emerging model of this kind of development is also seen in Dubai and discussed in detail in the Chapter 7.1.