Spatial Transformations and Housing Livability in Seremban, Malaysia

This article discusses the transformation process of the spatiality of human habitat that took place in Seremban town for nearly 200 years. Beginning as a dense jungle, this area today has developed into a fast developing municipality. British colonial administration developed Seremban in the 1870s following the discovery of large tin deposits in Rasah. At the time, tin extraction was the priority, whilst rubber plantations for commercial purposes were developed in the surrounding forested areas, because of which immigrants from South India and China were brought in to work the tin mines and rubber estates. The British colonials were aware of the importance of Seremban town and took the initiative to build a railroad that connected it to Kuala Lumpur to transport rubber and tin, at the same time that the railroad provided the main transportation link for British workers and immigrants from South India and China. In the year 1924, a train station was constructed in Seremban, which remains until today, and has become the town’s landmark and historical monument. The housing areas had experienced rapid expansion especially in the last three decades, in line with the physical development taking place in Seremban. This article focuses on human habitat in Seremban town by examining the interplay of its bio-physical, economic and cultural aspects. This interaction is both complicated to understand and to explain, and calls for a different, complex, approach that allows for a better and more appropriate management, thereby expediting transforming Seremban into a livable city. This article also argues that this complex approach can give a better understanding of the livability of Seremban and how best to manage it.