Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Liew Chin Tong.
PETALING JAYA: Real estate developers have been urged to rethink urban planning to address their pivotal role in shaping Malaysia’s economy and communities.
Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Liew Chin Tong called for an end to urban sprawl and a renewed focus on revitalising inner cities.
He noted that urban sprawl has contributed to hollowed-out inner cities and a car-dependent culture, “not to mention the exorbitant cost of putting up extensive infrastructure networks such as water, electricity and Internet”.
“Kuala Lumpur may now be at an inflection point. Rail transport in the inner city is now reasonably well connected. With massive new buildings like TRX and 118 up and running, the city is poised to attract more workers.
“Turning Kuala Lumpur from a 12-hour city to a 24-hour city, bringing universities and research and development centres, and creating rental housing in the inner city retrofitted from older buildings, could be transformative for Kuala Lumpur,” Liew said at the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia’s annual conference.
Liew also urged developers to shift their focus to promoting rental housing as a viable model rather than prioritising homeownership.
He pointed to examples from Europe, where rental housing dominates as a sustainable and flexible alternative.
“Not everyone needs to own a house,” Liew said.
He added that Malaysian government-linked companies often invested in rental properties overseas, yet similar models have not gained traction locally.
Another key shift is the need to revive secondary cities by leveraging rail connectivity, he pointed out.
Liew highlighted towns like Kluang, Taiping and those along the East Coast Rail Link as untapped growth hubs.
“If we could unleash the potential of the secondary cities yet not sprawling each of them, this may well be another catalyst for growth,” he said.
Additionally, Liew urged developers to rethink their approach to industrial parks by focusing on building integrated supply chains rather than treating them solely as real estate ventures.
“Industrial parks can play a constructive role to bridge the pay gap between Malaysia and Singapore. Instead of building centralised labour quarters for foreign workers, we want to see more decent housing for young Malaysian engineers.
“Malaysia will not be a great technology nation if we hire more foreign workers, but Malaysia will be an indispensable industrial nation if we have more young engineers,” he added.
Liew also emphasised the importance of creating liveable, sustainable communities that align with environmental, social and governance priorities.
Developers, he said, must see themselves as nation-builders who shape communities that are inclusive and sustainable.