As Malaysia is heading towards a developed nation, transformation follows in the form of innovative developments and infrastructure upgrades. However, the major cities and towns in Malaysia started experiencing scarcity of land which caused developments to move to the suburbs, a place which was once a kampung (village) and the place Gen Xs used to grow up in and adore.
Such villages used to remain the same for many years, despite massive developments in their surroundings. However, failing to resist much longer, these villages were then transformed into developed townships as an extension to the already developed city.
Let’s look at some of the former villages which were turned into prominent cities, or are in the process of becoming one.
1. Kampung Kerinchi (now known as Bangsar South)
The development in Kampung Kerinchi was supposedly an extension to Bangsar, a highly sought after area in Kuala Lumpur with many residential and commercial projects. Due to the scarcity of land in Bangsar, the developments were extended to nearby places; and in this case, Kampung Kerinchi.
This was due to Kampung Kerinchi’s strategic location, adjacent to the Federal Highway, and just minutes away from the famed Mid Valley Megamall. There are universities, office towers and hospitals, all located within a 10km radius.
In terms of public transportation, there are the University LRT station and Kerinchi LRT station. Not forgetting to mention the bus and taxi services available here.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s best performing government institute, University Malaya, is also located within a stone’s throw away.
Bangsar South started developing several years ago as the developments such as The Horizon, Capri, Nexus @ Connexion and The Vertical came into the picture. As this place got the developers’ and buyers’ attention, more developments started pouring in.
At the moment, a massive township project dubbed Pantai Sentral Park by IJM Land next to a reserve forest and few other prominent projects are in the pipeline. However, the on-going developments have already started taking a toll in this vicinity as the traffic congestion is increasing day by day.
Even though Bangsar South is seen as a part of Bangsar now, yet scarcity of land has not been an issue until now as it still offers an abundance of land for developments.
Now, the Gen Y-natives of Kampung Kerinchi are proud of its new look and takes much pride in addressing it as Bangsar South.
2. Kampung Attap
Contrary to Kampung Kerinchi which adopts a new name after transformation, the name for Kampung Attap remains despite its on-going transformation.
This village remains moderate with a certain amount of development, even though it was located in between the prominent areas of Kuala Lumpur. The current tallest building of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, is located just minutes away from this area.
However, the future of Kampung Attap seems bright as it will house the next tallest building of Malaysia, KL118 (Warisan Mereka). Now this area is already on every developer’s watch-out list as each wants to have their projects close to the upcoming tallest building.
This place is already becoming a prominent city with room for developments and it is going to get more interesting once the tallest building is completed in the year 2020. One can also expect a name change, as to further promote the place as an affluent city – following the footsteps of KLCC’s success.
Meanwhile, this place is also well connected by public transportations and major highways.
Located next to this village is Malaysia’s historical Stadium Merdeka. The place where the independence of Malaysia was declared on the 31st August 1957, by Tengku Abdul Rahman – Malaysia’s first Prime Minister.
3. Kampung Segambut Dalam
The third village to make it into the list is Kampung Segambut Dalam, a rural village which is being swallowed by the modern Kuala Lumpur.
Kampung Segambut Dalam is strategically located next to the affluent Mont Kiara, a place which houses many luxury high-rises and is packed with expatriates. Hence, this village serves as an extension to the wholly developed Mont Kiara.
Since the area is surrounded by developed vicinities, there are many amenities and infrastructures scattered around Kampung Segambut Dalam. Be it hospitals, malls or colleges, one can find it all here. Meanwhile, the International Mont Kiara School is also located within a walking distance from the area.
Moreover, this village is also located adjoining the North-South Expressway, which provides good networking.
As for now, Kampung Segambut Dalam is not entirely a modern KL, but it will be in the coming years as new developments start emerging here. Developers are already moving their developments to this area as there is vast room for development here, compared to its neighbouring Mont Kiara.
Besides the above-discussed villages which are not so ‘kampung’ anymore, there are also many other villages which have experienced a similar fate. Modernisation has become a norm in Malaysia for many years and is well received by the citizens, given that our heritage and cultures are protected.
Mangalesri Chandrasekaran, Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact her about this or other stories email mangales@propertyguru.com.my
