Assessing community needs in the redevelopment planning of exlandfills within Malaysia’s urban areas

Redevelopment of brownfields, particularly category B brownfields in accordance with the needs of the community is a new method in Malaysia’s urban planning. This article seeks to interpret the needs of the community through assessing their perception of the issues of ex-landfills, type of ex-landfill redevelopment, and the function of public parks at ex-landfill areas that need to be addressed prior its redevelopment. A total of 375 respondents who were residents of four urban ex-landfill areas of Jinjang Utara, Paka Sg Besi, Ayer Hitam and Indera Mahkota were administered with questionnaires to gauge their perceptions. The results showed that the community had their own priority ranking regarding the issues, type and function of ex-landfill redevelopment within their residential areas. Bad odour, public park, and outdoor social recreation spaces were regarded by the community as of main priorities. Such priority rankings demonstrate the imperative of community needs as a basic guideline for the Malaysia’s Local Authorities in determining and shaping the most suitable ex-landfill redevelopment planning within the urban areas of the country.