As cities reach skyward, should schools do the same?

In Malaysian cities, land is increasingly treated as gold, leading to soaring prices and scarce vacant lots. This challenge is acutely felt by urban schools, which are already saturated with high student populations. While commercial, retail and office buildings grow taller to solve density issues, schools are often left locked into tight spaces, overshadowed by emerging skyscrapers.

For decades, Malaysia has depended on low-rise, sprawling school grounds built in the image of post-1950s suburbs, where land was abundant and students chased each other across open fields and between blocks.