Kuala Lumpur and the new challenges of continuous development

Expansion of urban areas is typically influenced by physical and socio-economic factors, political and electoral processes, and government intervention. For Kuala Lumpur physical development of the municipal and the surrounding area began as a traditional settlement in the mid 19th century while subsequent commercial tin mining furthered its urbanization process. This article elucidates the factors underlying the physical development of Kuala Lumpur by overviewing its socio-economic evolution before independence to the present. The study adopted the method of critical analysis of secondary reference materials gathered from the Kuala Lumpur Library and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL). The results showed that Kuala Lumpur urbanization accelerated with the selection of Kuala Lumpur as the capital of the Federated Malay States, and continued through the Second World War and the achievement of Malayan independence. Since then the metropolitan city development had been governed byvarious physical, settlement, socio-cultural, economic and political factors. Kuala Lumpur’s next developmental phase is to emerge as a world class city the prospects of which are outlined in the DBKL’s development plans. To what extent this goal will be achieved depends on Kuala Lumpur’s ability to function as i) a global investment attraction centre with optimum population and skilled manpower, ii) a vibrant employment centre, iii) an integratedmanufacturing and services hub facilitating the k-economy transition , and iv) a place where locals and visitors can savour spiritual, emotional and mental wellbeing.