Monday June 23, 2008
  

Participants show concern during a forum on The Future of Kuala Lumpur.

KUALA LUMPUR: Not enough consideraton has been given towards providing a better quality of life in the city in the drafting of the Kuala Lumpur Draft City Plan 2020.

Khairiah Talha says the plan for Kuala Lumpur does not have human scale.

Goh Bok Yen says traffic projections are unrealistic and congestion will result.

This was the main criticism raised at a recent forum on The Future of Kuala Lumpur at which a four-member panel discussed the shortfalls in the plan and why it should not be implemented.

Malaysian Institute of Planners past president Khairiah Talha discussed the fundamentals on which the plan should be based, and said many issues are not properly explained.

This includes the exact nature of the limited land and space within the city, the unrealistic projections of population growth, which in turn relate to the dispersion of the residents, or urban sprawl.

Another is the implementation and phasing of compact development, which means concentrated development along transport nodes.

Certain areas need mixed infill, or brownfield, development to improve the amenities and access to transportation and make them more efficient.

"Human scale" needs to be defined, for example smaller buildings, blocks and roads. More amenities should be included since people experience the landscape up close, as pedestrians.

Transport and land use patterns are needed that allow for various forms of transport like walking, cycling and public transport.

And better management of streets and traffic congestion is needed in case people do not opt to take public transport.

"The objective of the draft plan should be to promote city centre growth and compact transit-oriented urban forms, which means mixed-use development to result in better housing and transport choices," she said.

The city should have a land-use mix that balances housing and employment in which all sectors are clearly addressed and defined.

Khairiah added: "The major critique of the plan stems from the need for maximising the use of existing infrastructure and minimising new infrastructure costs, while revitalising areas with lower commercial value."

Improvements are needed to maintain a working land base for agriculture, rural, forest, and other resource lands, stressing green infrastructure and reducing air pollution by encouraging a mix of services near to homes and employment, reducing the need for cars.

Town planning and traffic management expert Goh Bok Yean said: "The plan has insufficient information on accessibility of transportation to cater for the vision of Kuala Lumpur being a world class city."

He said many of the plan's projections on traffic flow and proposed railway construction are unrealistic, and the terminology used in the plan is inconsistent and not tailored to the layman.

Bukit Bandaraya Residents Association deputy president Mumtaz Ali said traffic congestion will be the result if the plan is implemented, as roads will not be able to handle the increased volume of traffic if more high-rise apartments are built.

"This will affect the living standards of the residents of the city.

"A greener environment has to be created, with better amenities like walkways and parks for recreation, not to mention easier access for the elderly and handicapped," he added.

About 50 people from various non-governmental organisations, state assemblymen and city residents attended the forum jointly organised by Selangor Community Awareness Association (Empower) and the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall socio-economic committee.