#10MP* Plan to make Kuala Lumpur a world class city under 10 MP

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur and the Greater Kuala Lumpur (Greater KL) conurbation will become a world class city with a vibrant environment for people to live, work and play. This is a priority of the Tenth Malaysia Plan (10MP) tabled in Dewan Rakyat here on Thursday June 10.

The report said liveability of cities will be an important driver in positioning our cities to compete for high-skilled talent on the global stage. "Today, people not only gravitate to places having employment opportunities,
they also gravitate to places that are vibrant and liveable," the report said.

Major initiatives under 10MP include;
* An international financial district, redevelopment of Sungai Besi airport, township development in Sungai Buloh, establishig world class convention facilities at Jalan Duta and a Malaysia Truly Asia Centre.
* Major investments in public transport include expansion of the Kuala Lumpur Light Rail Transit (LRT) coverage and implementation of a high capacity Mass Rapid Transit system (MRT).
* Urban rejuvenation efforts to restore and protect heritage buildings and to unlock development value of land such as Kampung Baru urban redevelopment in Kuala Lumpur.

The report said Kuala Lumpur being Asia's 11th most liveable city has potential to become among the top five as it is a comfortable and cosmopolitan city.To attract skilled human capital from overseas, Kuala Lumpur will be
promoted as a city for those seeking quality and a varied lifestyle based on the environment, rich culture and a modern metropolis with sophisticated infrastructure.

Other cities like Georgetown, Johor Bahru, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu will be made more attractive and liveable with the development of parks, public squares, walkways and waterfronts. It has been forecast that urban areas in Peninsula Malaysia cannot accommodate the additional six million population from 2010 to 2020 while the
development of Greater KL is limited and cannot meet rising demand. As such, efforts will be made to ensure that satellite towns (towns surrounding main towns) become vibrant for people to live, work and play.
-- Bernama


Kuala Lumpur and Greater Kuala Lumpur aiming for world class city status (picture by Reuters)