Going Local – the illusive suburb in Kuala Lumpur

I lived at the southern edge of Kuala Lumpur city for many years. To me, staying near the edge of the city does not imply a suburban environment…

Three major highways transact this neighbourhood called Sri Petaling; host to the Commonwealth Games of 1998. Kuala Lumpur (KL) has just over 1.6 million inhabitants and the number has not grown significantly for the last ten years. That’s because the administrative boundaries have not grown and spaces available for affordable housing have shrunk. We choose to move away from the city centre as housing prices become unbearable. When we speak of KL, we normally do not exclusively refer to what is inside the administrative boundary of Kuala Lumpur. We loosely include cities and towns that immediately connected with KL such as Petaling Jaya and Subang Jaya to the West, Serdang to the south, Selayang and Gombak to the north. Although they fall within the political boundaries of another state altogether, the citizens of KL hardly notice the difference. Boundaries and city limits are rather meaningless here.

Like many KL dwellers, I was not born here. I have moved about so much that it took me awhile to try to make sense of what is considered my neighbourhood and what it meant. Each time I moved to a new neighbourhood, I have to acquire new lifestyle habits to adapt to the new spaces. Everything is put in place like a jigsaw puzzle, predetermined, and readymade for my consumption.

There is always some form of homogeneity wherever I go. Signs of religious culture permeate into the public domain marking its territory. Sometimes they are prominent and sometimes hidden. Still, they help personalize the space and provide some form of hope for those who believe in them. Playgrounds and parks are yet another form of modern city living. Children’s playground is typified by the stereotypical gaudy bright-coloured modular playhouse structure with combination of climbers and slides. Moulded like a standard issue toy out of a box, they were put in place to govern and define how our children should play. Each housing development I have been to shares the same nightmarish recurring pattern. Perhaps they will provide some meaningful nostalgic memory for the urban children.

I enjoy the anonymity of apartment living. Between my front door, the half-lit corridors, the lift, the parking lot and my car, it has become an enjoyable ritual for me. My memory of the rest of the city is just meaningless fleeting images passing by my car window. Distancing myself helps to keep me sane from the city life’s banality. Does this make me a local who rarely venture out of my suburbs? Perhaps. In reality, it doesn’t matter. I take advantage of what my environment offers. A suburb in the 21st century is a self-sustaining hub of commercial and social activity, not just a collection of homes people retreat to in the evening. I think that’s the direction suburbs should take. To grow and facilitate the growth if its population, regardless of what’s planned as official boundaries and city limits.

The Malaysian government announced the plan last year to create a Greater KL in 2020 encompassing 10 municipalities covering 279,327 hectors. By which time, I wonder if I still be able to find the suburb and the edge of KL or would I ever need to.

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