I once tolerated Kuala Lumpur. Now, I love it
Growing up, I saw little beauty in Malaysia's capital city. It was a city I tolerated, not loved. But, over the years, KL has blossomed into something special.
I never drive to Kuala Lumpur. The car I bought in 2015 has only 41,000 km on it. That’s how much I dislike driving to “KL”, as we locals call it. I rather battle the heat and rain, being squished in public transport, than endure her infamous jams or unpredictable floods. (Yes, floods! If it rains around 5pm, most office workers would brace themselves for a flash flood in the city.)
When I was a young student, I attended a college deep in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. The only way to get there was via the unpredictable, maybe once-an-hour trains from my town to a stop about 5km from the college.
From that stop I’d have to take a “mini bus” to another bus stop where I’d take yet another bus to finally arrive at my college. A lot of times I’d have to stand on the steps of the bus as it whipped through town, with its doors open to let in the air in the stuffy, non-air conditioned bus.
There was no light rail transit (LRT), no proper pedestrian paths, and the traffic was an utter nightmare.
Back then, I was a slim bunny because I’d prefer to walk 2-3km to my train stop rather than take a bus to it. I was often there much faster than if I’d taken the bus. There’s nothing worse than sitting in a non-airconditioned bus breathing in exhaust fumes.
My memories of KL then was of a hot, grimy, dusty city with barely any trees. I’d have to avoid being hit by cars and motorbikes as I walk on road side as there were no proper pedestrian paths. Frankly, I’m surprised that I didn’t end up with a deep loathing for public transportation and become a car junkie.
A few weeks ago, I accidentally booked a hotel apartment at a price that would make anyone’s eyes pop. (This is a long story but the booking app I use shows total cost while the desktop version shows a per night stay. Welp, I used the desktop version.)
The hotel apartment, The Ascott, was opposite Kuala Lumpur’s iconic Petronas “twin towers”.
This is not the first time I’ve had a staycation in the heart of KL, but you can say this was the first time I took stock of the changes that have taken place in the city.
I like taking walks in the morning, and I certainly took a walk around 7am, first heading towards KL’s “Central Park” – the KLCC park, and then walked around the area around KLCC.
I love Melbourne. When I lived in Australia, I’d visit it often because I loved walking around the small, lively city (yes, it’s small in comparison to KL). I enjoyed finding secret cafes in alleys and admiring the art and parks from their orderly pedestrian walkways.
I used to wish our cities were as pretty and pedestrian-friendly as Melbourne.
I realised during this most recent staycation that we already have this city. Kuala Lumpur, dare I say it, is as good as Melbourne these days. And it’s not just the city centre. Further down in the grimier, more “down-to-earth” areas of Masjid Jamek and Chinatown, you can enjoy the same walks. (Here’s a post on my blog about the River of Life area.)
Here are some developments that I love:
Pedestrian walk ways and walking paths
Malaysia used to be that place where they’d rather bulldoze over pedestrian walkways to widen the roads due to our ever increasing jams. My walk around the KL city centre was seamless because of the pedestrian pathways. No more evading cars or motorbikes like I did in the past!
Walkways are lo-fi structures, but so underrated. It’s an efficient mover of humans, which brings life and income to various parts of the city. I’m glad, however, that they’ve taken to planting trees alongside these walkways, making it a nice, shady stroll around the city.
One of my favourite walkways is the 1.17km walkway bridge connecting the KLCC area to the Golden Triangle.
I got on the bridge at Impiana Hotel, opposite KLCC, and walked all the way to the Pavilion where I had dinner, and then back to my hotel. I allowed myself a frozen yogurt treat because I knew I had a long walk home and could burn off the glucose! (Here’s my video of walking on the walkway. Warning: You may barf after watching this video.)
Upgraded public transportation
While I do have semi-horrified yet fond memories of the tyrannical yet highly efficient mini buses, I am lucky I got out alive despite travelling around KL practically hanging out of a bus! They were chaos creators with their aggressive ways, and the non-air conditioned interiors were killers.
Now public buses in KL are air-conditioned. Many people now depend on the LRT, MRT and monorail that snakes around the city and out into far flung suburbs in the state. My township, once a nightmare traffic zone, now has an LRT snaking through it, and my family lucked out because the family home is just a walk away from the LRT station. This has brought a lot of joy and independence to my elderly parents, who utilise the senior rates aggressively.
Since I remember the days without the LRT, I am ever so thankful for them and am a regular patroniser. It has made driving to KL pretty unnecessary, at least for me. I work in an area in KL where there is plenty of transportation available, and work is just a train ride away from my apartment. Despite the hot weather making it unpleasant (I’m always a sweaty mess when I get to the office), I’d still take the LRT over the car any day.
Malaysia’s public transportation isn’t perfect. We still have a last mile problem which prevents many from leaving their cars at home, and far too many places still need LRT connections, but we’re getting there.
For one, I was really psyched when Penang announced its LRT plans. It’s about due time, and this will really, really, really improve Penang’s economy and marketability in a big way. (Though it is already doing quite well.)
I hope that this emphasis on infrastructure will continue for years to come until every state will have LRTs or public transportation they would be proud of.
Now, if only Malaysia would make it mandatory to have a shower room at work…
The greening of the city
Like most Malaysians, I bitch about our declining green spaces … only to be surprised when tourists say that KL is so green.
Parks dot the city, with the KLCC park being one of the most popular ones. It has a swimming area, lots of paths that wind about old rain trees and there are plenty of sitting areas around fountains. I’m glad the authorities took pains to build this rather than plop a high-end condo right next to the twin towers.
That said, KL city centre isn’t the only place with parks. In the other satellite cities such as Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya and Ara Damansara you can find really beautiful parks too. I just wish they were accessible via public transportation, however.
An emphasis on mixed developments
It used to amaze me that Adelaide, Australia, the city I lived in for 2 years, would be like a post-apocalyptic landscape at night. Around 5pm, there’s a rush to get out of the city quick because there’s this idea that you’ll “get in trouble” if you don’t.
Kuala Lumpur really only comes to life at night, with KL city centre’s buildings awash with light and the people walking to and from their eating and shopping destinations. On the weekends, its impossible to walk around the shopping malls without getting squished!
There are not many mixed developments in Adelaide city, and if there is, it’s prohibitively expensive. (I suppose there’s also a cultural element as most Australians prefer to live out in the suburbs.)
But this is just the way of life in KL, with low and high-cost apartments existing in the same area, temples sit next to parks, condos sit on top shopping malls. This creates an ever-vibrant source of life (not to mention income) for the city.
Each time I travel to KL, I’m amazed at the changing skyline. As an urbanist nerd, I’m really gratified to see that Kuala Lumpur is following the principles outlined in books like Happy Cities. I hope they continue to improve the infrastructure of other cities.
Please tell me about what you love about your cities, and have you visited Kuala Lumpur?
Additional stuff
Old photos of Kuala Lumpur: https://says.com/my/lifestyle/old-photos-of-kl
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Makes me think me and my family should detour to Malaysia on our next trip to China. Living in Europe, it more and more feels that the future is happening elsewhere, that Asia is where change is happening.
European big cities are neglected, with crumbling infrastructure and growing rates of poverty - great to see that other places are going in the opposite direction!
As someone with no personal history in KL, I've always enjoyed my brief visits to the city -- must be 3 or 4 by now? -- and often thought how liveable, and yes, green, it seems.