The City of Elmina is certified the best master-planned township in the world by FIABCI, given its wealth of parklands and amenities that are focused on health and wellbeing.
THE epitome of a sustainable and future-ready township, the City of Elmina has wellness aspects integrated into all urban forms and designs to support a healthy and balanced lifestyle for residents.
This environmentally conscious 6,500-acre masterplan by Sime Darby Property Bhd emphasises the preservation of natural features as much as possible in providing wholesome quality living.
As one of the pioneers adopting the triple bottom line approach to People, Planet and Prosperity, the property developer has continuously championed innovation, sustainability and attaining environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals in all its endeavours transcending property development.
These had paid off handsomely when the City of Elmina was awarded the FIABCI World Prix d’Excellence Awards 2023 (World Gold Winner, Master Plan Category).
The recognition on a global stage has demonstrated Sime Darby Property’s excellence in conceptualising and developing future-ready townships and resilient communities, as well as fostering a more sustainable future.
The highly coveted award is a testament to the township’s visionary and holistic masterplan, whereby the community will continuously enjoy a host of wellness driven amenities and be assured that the City of Elmina will develop sustainably, elevating the quality of life and driving socio-economic success for the wider region.
This prestigious win for both the community and Sime Darby Property further validates the Company’s purpose to be a Value Multiplier for People, Businesses, Economies and the Planet.
The City of Elmina, the World Gold winner of the FIABCI World Prix d’Excellence Awards 2023, is the first wellness-oriented township in Malaysia.
Malaysia’s first wellness-oriented township
Located in Shah Alam, Selangor, the City of Elmina was envisioned with wellness and liveability at the crux of its masterplan via the integration of the eight pillars of wellness – physical, mental, emotional, family, community, occupational, intellectual and environmental wellness.
Boasting 1,118 acres of sprawling parklands complemented by the 2,700-acre Bukit Cherakah Forest Reserve, the masterpiece comprises five townships, namely Denai Alam, Bukit Subang, Elmina East, Elmina West and Elmina Business Park.
With a masterplan spanning 40 years, the City of Elmina has seen over 11,000 units of completed homes since it commenced development in 2000, and is maturing swiftly with an estimated population of 45,000 to date.
Upon full completion, this iconic self-contained township will have approximately 36,000 homes with an estimated population of 150,000.
With its humble beginnings as one of Malaysia’s oldest oil palm plantations, the City of Elmina had to overcome many challenges in the early years of its development.
The biggest one being the stormwater management/water retention on-site as well as the water retention issues downstream of Subang River at Kampung Kubu Gajah.
To address these, the river and pond system in the masterplan was upgraded to incorporate urban stormwater management strategies such as the construction of the Elmina Central Park, where the water flows through to the ponds for better water catchment.
The 300-acre Central Park is designed to be a temporary flood basin with parts of the park being able to accommodate up to Q1000 (1 in 1,000 years) flood events.
With the above design measures, the developer has successfully undertaken steps to floodproof the township from occurrences of heavy flooding.
Secondly, Sime Darby Property must embrace the challenge of developing a sustainable township where people and nature can co-exist in harmony in an inclusive living environment.
Sime Darby Property’s City of Elmina raises the bar among its industry peers both locally and internationally through every aspect of the development.
Hence, the Elmina Rainforest Knowledge Centre (ERKC) in partnership with Tropical Rainforest Conservation & Research Centre (TRCRC) was established.
TRCRC, a leading non-profit and industry expert on tropical rainforest conservation and ecology, runs the conservation programmes at ERKC with funding support from Sime Darby Property’s philanthropic arm, Yayasan Sime Darby.
Positioned as the ‘Gateway to Malaysia’s Natural Heritage’, ERKC strives to promote longterm reforestation initiatives and experiential biodiversity education for the community within and beyond the City of Elmina.
A part of ERKC is the Elmina Living Collection Nursery (ELCN) where a variety of Endangered, Rare and Threatened (ERT) tree species are nurtured, functioning as a seed and gene bank for future ecosystem and habitat restoration.
With both ERKC and ELCN in place, Sime Darby Property now has a constant supply of forest trees to be planted across its townships as well as supplied to external parties for reforestation initiatives.
Thirdly, the company has to ensure that its product planning is flexible enough to evolve according to market demand and preferences since the City of Elmina’s development period spans 40 years.
Thus, it must constantly innovate and improve the home designs by enhancing key features to provide more value to the market, and design larger format homes with more green spaces to cater to post-pandemic lifestyles.
The developer has also introduced FittingsPlus+ in its linked homes encompassing built-in air-conditioning piping, instant water heaters, booster pump, outdoor water filter and metal security grilles.
Some of the residences are also fitted with solar panels to reduce carbon footprint and enable energy bill savings.
These features not only provide extra value and hassle-free move-ins for purchasers but also distinguish Sime Darby Property from its competitors.
Preserving Mother Nature
As a responsible property developer, Sime Darby Property understands the critical role it plays in shaping the communities in which it operates.
A community is only as strong as its most vulnerable members, and that’s why it is committed to building inclusive and resilient communities that support and uplift all members, regardless of backgrounds or circumstances.
The developer believes that investing in wellness-centric features and amenities will elevate
the quality of life, and by virtue of this, create irreversible value for its property developments
and surrounding ecosystems.
Besides the Central Park that is a natural extension of the adjacent forest reserve, the City of
Elmina’s masterplan also comprises 90km of scenic interconnected jogging and cycling tracks, a wellness hub and the Elmina Inclusive Playground.
The majestic Central Park is made up of six distinctive themed parks, namely the Community, Urban, Arts and Cultural, Forest, Wildlife and Sports Parks.
Additionally, the township is also dotted with 480 acres of natural greenery and pocket parks
alongside open social spaces for residents to enjoy a wide spectrum of outdoor activities.
The City of Elmina aims to plant 210,000 trees at full completion, with a minimum of 10% from ERT species.
Existing terrain such as rivers and hills are retained while the river valley is widened to form the Elmina River of Life. The application of urban biodiversity principles facilitates the creation of a biodiversity corridor within the township.
Overall, Sime Darby Property’s purpose to be a Value Multiplier for People, Businesses, Economies and the Planet is exemplified by the City of Elmina’s holistic masterplan, which proves that nature can coexist peacefully with a well-planned development that has a clear strong sustainable agenda.
