Preface: Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day
When looking at cities, the most well-known and the most established of them all was ancient Rome. Ancient Rome was built with only the wealthiest at heart. Its colosseum, towering over all other structures, was home to the gladiators, the pinnacle of entertainment with seats only reserved for the rich and powerful. For the rich, Rome was their playground, a city blessed by the whole hierarchy of Pagan Gods. Yet, for the poor, they lived in cramped, unsafe, disease-ridden “apartments” called insulae.
Their insulae were built haphazardly, managed by slaves called insularius, and leased out by the wealthy senators for profit. The similarity of housing in ancient Rome and the housing experience we have today is very stark. From private-equity landlords raising rents to keep profits afloat, to new developments being approved left right and centre, our modern cities are starting to or already are as dense as ancient Rome.
There are many things the Romans got wrong, like their over-reliance on slave labour, to their frank disregard of human lives. Yet, the Romans understood one major concept well while planning their city. The insulae were built to be as close to the workplace of the renters living there. The peasant population did not need to rely on traversing vast distances or vehicles like the raeda.
Yet, we did not follow in the footsteps of our architectural forefathers. Our hyper-modern dystopias of cities are all built with the humble car in mind, disregarding the value and importance of using our wise legs to commute to work.
(an image of an insulae)
As the saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”.
A City Built on Land
Cities, in the modern sense, were not common until the age of industrialisation. Due to the technological advancements made by the English, primarily the steam engine, mass rural-to-urban migration occurred. An exodus of people changed sectors from the back-breaking, labour-intensive agricultural sector to the newly developed industrial sectors involving water and steam-powered machines. As such, labour output skyrocketed, causing an unprecedented spike in the global population, as well as migration.
In order to accommodate this new explosion in population, the further consolidation and expansion of cities were justified. Previously small towns like Manchester were now faced with an onslaught of new arrivals, people with ambitions and hopes higher than the sky. In Manchester, cotton was the name of the game. Textile manufacturing in England was centred in Manchester, with its nickname being called a “Cottonopolis”.
(an oil painting of industrial Manchester during this era, circa 1820, courtesy of the University of Cambridge)
As such, to be able to house tens of thousands of new settlers, every foot of land in Manchester were designated as a potential housing area, leading to the birth of the Manchester slums. To ensure efficient building, developers made rows of connected houses and apartment complexes, with only a wall separating you and your neighbour. When houses were unavailable, desperate renters lived in wine cellars. Their hope of earning a fortune, as well as experiencing the atmosphere of innovation in Manchester, was more than justified for them to sleep in the dark and humid wine cellars.
Additionally, the sheer density of people in Manchester led to both overcrowding and a drastic worsening in public health. Because diseases like cholera rely on unsanitary water, their effects wreaked havoc in Manchester. The urban density and relative inexperience in healthcare and sickness prompted Manchester to be the home of disease, with its reputation so well-known that it prompted the 1848 Public Health Act. Due to this, the standard of living in industrial Manchester slowly increased, with common-sense ideas being implemented, like requiring a health practitioner to ensure that water is clean and many other tasks.
(a satirical political cartoon describing the 1848 Public Health Act, courtesy of Science Photo Library)
So, what does this have to do with our cities now?
Just like how Manchester started re-idealising itself from a small agricultural town to a metropolis of cotton, we should re-idealise our cities. In industrial Manchester, everything was a walk away by necessity. Meanwhile, to buy groceries today, one must get a recycled bag, start their car, and drive to and from the grocery store.
Previously, cities and towns were planned with foot traffic at heart. In industrial Manchester, workers traverse the rough terrain to their workplace, walking through rows upon rows of dark, dense slums, just to arrive at the cotton mill to begin their day. Even though the journey is arduous, there is still a fixed footpath made for the humble worker, with their adoption of it encouraged.
For us, however, our days no longer involve walking to work, instead it involves a long commute by car or public transport.
Currently, cities are less walkable than ever, especially at home. Massive urban sprawls like Kuala Lumpur were built with the car at heart. Instead of focusing on promoting and using foot traffic as the main form of travelling, the city of Kuala Lumpur is instead a city of car domination.
Even though Kuala Lumpur was made for the car, the traffic delays and traffic jams due to the oversubscription of cars on the road further push the plan to develop and turn Kuala Lumpur from a car-centric city back into a city where our legs do the most work, instead of an oil-guzzling, carbon dioxide-producing, beaten-up engine.
As such, we should really pay attention to the urban planners amongst us, with their advocacy of the adoption of walkable cities.
So, what are walkable cities?
A City Built on Cars
A walkable city, according to Wikipedia, is a type of city which minimises the need for vehicular transportation, and encourages travel on foot. Walkable cities sound amazing from afar, with walking being able to tackle two major difficulties at the same time. Primarily, the worsening obesity epidemic in Malaysia can be tackled by encouraging the general populace to walk more, burning calories with every step. Meanwhile, car engines contribute immensely to the climate crisis, in regard to greenhouse gases. By re-designing our cities to one where traversability is prioritised, each step across a pedestrian walkway leaves a permanent positive impact both on the environment and on the person walking.
However, all of our major cities have already become urban sprawl. The initial example of Kuala Lumpur will be used again in this case. In Kuala Lumpur, the main way of transport is either public transit or – very ironically – walking, even though it was designed as a car-centric city. When developing a city with an emphasis on car travel, the planner is running the risk of traffic congestion. In Kuala Lumpur, drivers on average lose 75 hours of time annually sitting in idle traffic congestion, waiting for the restricted flow of cars in front of them to ease up. Thus, cities being car-centric ironically only come to serve cars the least, especially due to congestion.
(an image of the “urban sprawl” in Kuala Lumpur, courtesy of Newgeography)
But even though walking is the way to traverse the city in a rush, it is still not a safe bet. In Kuala Lumpur, even though there are many zebra crossings with blind-friendly tiles, many still choose to jaywalk for the sake of convenience. As such, the safety of jaywalkers is never guaranteed, because now your life is no longer in your hands; it is in the hands of the next driver you meet.
When cities are interwoven with cars, it only serves to further socially isolate the citizens living there, weakening the social fabric upon which the concept of community is built upon. Walking itself sounds like an exercise, but in actuality, walking is a form of socialising. Think of this: the last time you went on a walk, how many people did you pass by? Did they wave at you? Walking forces people close to one another, which increases the likelihood of them conversing, strengthening each fibre in the social fabric of the community. Without these small interactions, the community starts to die out. Society gets more impersonal, and people are further isolated in the bubble they made for themselves.
Now, let us zoom in on an ideal walkable city – Florence, Italy.
What makes Florence a walkable city? Firstly, its unique compactness. In Florence, major attractions such as the Uffizi Gallery, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, and the Piazza della Signoria are all less than a kilometre away from each other, allowing the humble tourist or visitor to explore these historic places at their own paces, without needing to wait for a taxi or drive a rental car around the city. For the resident, major marketplaces like the Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio are located near other significant places. In the case of the Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio, steps away is the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio, a major Holy site used by the Catholic residents.
(an image of the inside of the Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio, courtesy of CiboToday)
Secondly, the separation between roads and sidewalks further reinforces the walkability of Florence. In Florence, there are certain areas labelled as ZTL – Zona Traffico Limitato (limited traffic zones) that require a special permit for drivers to enter. Additionally, the narrow walkways which make up the heart of Florence are small enough such that a majority of cars are unable to fit in. ZTLs are easily distinguished by their characteristic red circle on a white background. In these ZTLs, the driver must obey the speed limit of 30km/h, and if any unauthorised vehicles enter the zones, strict fines will be levied on the drivers. These areas are strictly monitored by traffic cameras, speed cameras, and even more advanced technologies, practically preventing anyone from breaking ZTL rules and bearing no consequence. The unpredictability of ZTLs also pushes driving Florentines to favour walking, as speed limits in some ZTLs vary drastically and abruptly, causing the driver to face harsh penalties out of the blue.
(an image of the ZTL sign used in Florence, courtesy of Zest Car Rental)
Thirdly, the use of trams also incentivises Florentines to favour walking. The tram system in Florence is widely used, with around 39 million riders in the year 2024. The relatively cheap ticket price, followed by availability from 5.30 am to 12.30 am, ensures that all Florentines are able to commute to work early, and arrive back at home at any reasonable time they desire. As all major stops in Florence are linked (including the airport), the tram serves as an affordable and modest way to reach any significant destination in Florence, while also letting citizens walk to more specific areas, as each tram stop is only 15 minutes walking distance away from one another.
(an image of the trams in Florence, Italy, courtesy of The Florentine)
Now, the lens is shifted back towards Kuala Lumpur.
In Kuala Lumpur, the separation between roads and sidewalks practically does not exist. This is primarily due to the city being planned around cars, with walking paths added on as an afterthought. For the pedestrian, Kuala Lumpur is filled with many junctions and roundabouts, places where walking is especially difficult due to the close proximity to oncoming traffic. For going across major highways, there are pedestrian bridges; the need for a pedestrian to go out of the way to ascend a pedestrian bridge that is not in their walking path only disincentivises walking. Meanwhile, there is trash on every walking path in Kuala Lumpur, from the undying small bits of plastic to large plastic bags of trash just casually disposed of on the sidewalk. Everything in Kuala Lumpur only drives pedestrians away from walking, other than the traffic, which is of their own consequence.
Additionally, Kuala Lumpur is a major urban sprawl, not a compact, tightly-knit city. Skylines overpower the canopy of trees, and skyscrapers keep getting taller and taller. Even though Kuala Lumpur has its own metro system, used by many pedestrians who walk to their workplace, cars are still given priority. Every office tower contains floors and floors of parking, with prices being extortionately high for the outsider. By making driving so convenient, it only makes pedestrians reconsider their options, further devaluing the experience of walking.
As such, we need to think about who the main demographic is for cities.
Urban regeneration through art and heritage
Walkable cities aren’t just about having paved and shaded pedestrian sidewalks, quiet streets with bike lanes, and easily accessible bus stations to form closely knitted neighbourhoods. It’s also about creating communal spaces for people to coexist, allowing them to form meaningful connections organically within an area that is accessible on foot. What we should aim for in the final form of walkable cities is the integration of culture and art within our community to create a vibrantly inclusive town that is welcoming for everyone, local and tourists alike.
In addition to making a city accessible on foot, art is an essential part of the human experience. To realise the ambition of creating an inclusive and positive community, public spaces like art galleries are vital in nurturing the future generation to enrich their inner life, foster emotional intelligence, and act as an outlet for mental health. Within a city, countless communities are formed from the appreciation for visual arts, literature, and performing arts. Pedestrian-level exhibitions have shown to lead a positive correlation with visitors’ connection and satisfaction with their neighbourhood, which is sufficient to relate that art is more than just an expression of the artist’s creative vision, even more so as a social inclusion tool that brings people together by engaging with artistic vision and creativity.
Malaysia prides itself as a multiracial country, in which our country is filled with vastly different cultures and practices, with whole communities that tirelessly dedicate themselves to honouring their ancestors and their history by passing on their craft and retelling their stories. Unfortunately, luxury shopping malls have taken up much of the space and attention of today’s population, leaving small businesses struggling to keep their doors open. It wasn’t calluses or a fading passion that led them to closure, but a drying-out bank account and a future that is no longer promised.
In recent years, the government has recognised the importance of art and heritage by introducing initiatives to launch urban regeneration efforts across the nation. Urban regeneration aims to redistribute underutilised assets and opportunities for redevelopment, heritage preservation, and public space reactivation. Take Think City’s grant programme for example, they have disbursed numerous grants in George Town, Butterworth, Johor Bahru, and Kuala Lumpur that promote community engagement and celebrate heritage through financial and technical support.
The Zhongshan Building
The Zhongshan Building is one of the grant recipients from Think City that has achieved major success in revitalising the scene in Downtown Kuala Lumpur. Having been hailed as a creative haven, it serves as an art and research hub in Kampung Attap. It is home to artisanal sourdough, art galleries, music stores, libraries, and various creative endeavours. Originally the gathering spot for the Zhongshan Association, the building had been abandoned until the owner’s granddaughter-in-law, Liza Ho, decided to use the space for her own gallery. Once she realised that other creative individuals also sought small spaces for their work, the vision of restoring the building was materialised with the financial aid from Think City.
With Kuala Lumpur joining UNESCO’s Design Cities project in 2025, Warisan KL aspires to nurture the cultural ecosystem with the existence of the KL Festival. Recognised as Kuala Lumpur’s flagship cultural celebration, it is a diverse experience holding more than 80 events and activations across 25 venues, most notably Dataran Merdeka, Semua House, Chan She Shu Yuen Clain Ancestral Hall, Museum of Science Arts and Innovation for Children (MoSAIC), Pak Peng Building, The Godown Arts Centre, and many more. By tying together vastly different creative spaces for this festival, it aims to support local creative practitioners and contribute to the nation’s cultural ambitions. For residents and visitors alike, everyone can explore the hidden side of downtown Kuala Lumpur beyond its flashy lights and busy streets, immersed in the vibrant cultural heritage of Malaysia.
Art exists beyond the need for appreciation and cultural purposes, as it will provide an opportunity for creative industries to flourish alongside its local community. Having third spaces with the inclusion of art and culture within a community would create a cultural landscape fuelled by design and the built environment, cultivating the growth of more artistic individuals within the city. Younger generations can take on this chance to revitalise the creative space in Malaysia with their own unique perspective, all while being exposed to the rich culture the country has to offer.
Redesigning safer cities for children
An important aspect when it comes to accessible urban planning is to prioritise pedestrians, though how often do we actually think about children and teens that live within our community? As they are less experienced in navigating routes and crossing busy roads, is there enough emphasis on the design of cities to protect the safety of our schoolchildren?
| Age group | Ischaemic heart diseases | Pneumonia | Diabetes mellitus | Transport accidents | Kidney failure |
| Total | 17,421 | 15,332 | 6,929 | 4,428 | 3,911 |
| 0 | – | 138 (0.9%) | – | 16 (0.4%) | – |
| 1-4 | – | 51 (0.3%) | – | 39 (0.9%) | – |
| 5-9 | 3 (0.0%) | 23 (0.2%) | 1 (0.0%) | 27 (0.6%) | – |
| 10-14 | 4 (0.0%) | 32 (0.2%) | 1 (0.0%) | 83 (1.9%) | 6 (0.2%) |
| 15-19 | 9 (0.1%) | 58 (0.4%) | 2 (0.0%) | 592 (13.4%) | 10 (0.3%) |
Table Statistics on Causes of Death, Malaysia, 2024 – Table 1.42: Selected causes of death (medically certified) by age group
Most of the citizens who fall within these two age groups (age 10-14 and 15-19) do not own a driving license. This raises an important question: why would transport accidents account for such a big portion of the cause of death in 2024? Many middle school and high school students rely on public transport for their transit to school, and the route they take would normally involve crossing wide roads that might not always be well-lit, equipped with working pedestrian signals, or even have a visible zebra crossing.
Even for those who don’t use public transit, most young pedestrians would still have to cross the road outside of the school. The area on a street near a school or near a crosswalk leading to a school that has a likely presence of younger pedestrians is often identified as a school zone. A reduced speed limit would generally be imposed in a school zone on weekdays, during hours near the beginning and end of the school day, when children are likely to cross roads. Studies have shown a negative correlation between reduced speed limits and the number of fatal and injury crashes, highlighting the importance of providing a safe environment for schoolchildren.
Speed reduction doesn’t just require policy and enforcement by setting speed limits and penalising drivers monetarily, but also with appropriate street design that influences drivers to unconsciously slow down by installing speed bumps, raised crosswalks and rumble strips, narrower lanes, as well as clear and visible crossing for the drivers to notice.
Bike Commute Malaysia (BCMY), a non-profit organisation advocating for safer street designs in Malaysia, has been an active contributor in materialising speed reduction mechanisms in school zones. As part of their Safer School Street project, they have successfully transformed streets outside SK Danau Kota 2, which were once claimed by illegal parking and unsafe pedestrian crossings, into a vibrant and much safer area for schoolchildren to safely cross.
Global Designing Cities Initiative’s project update
With the help of volunteers, they were able to paint the streets to increase visibility of the designated plaza area for the children waiting for transport, separating it from the travel lane. With a narrower road and raised pedestrian crossing, vehicle speeds within the area have been significantly reduced from 40km/h to 23km/h, around 41% reduction in speed. More space is also allocated for sidewalks, providing pedestrians with a path to walk safely. Clear signage, as observed at the bottom left of the picture, would also encourage drivers or motorcyclists to obey the 30km/h speed limit.
With much success from BCMY’s voice for change, Transport Minister Anthony Loke has reviewed amendments under the Road Transport Act 1987 to make the 30km/h speed limit in school zones not just applicable for school zones in Kuala Lumpur, instead implementing it nationwide to ensure the safety of our nation’s schoolchildren beyond the school compound.
Aerial view of students from SMK Taman Sea walking to Taman Bahagia LRT station (left)
At SMK Taman Sea and Taman Bahagia LRT station, another initiative under the Safer School Streets project is currently underway, looking to improve the surrounding street design to make it safer for countless schoolchildren and local neighbourhoods to take public transport. With a 4-road-wide gap between the station and the school, the lack of accessible crossings and continuous pedestrian sidewalks makes daily commuters vulnerable to high-speed traffic during their journey to school, home or work.
By arranging meetings and engagement sessions with stakeholders, BCMY director Justin Lee, along with local representatives, could voice out their concerns and suggestions on how the school area and its surrounding junctions could be improved. Continuous pedestrian walkways, raised pedestrian crossings, and pedestrian refuge islands had been proposed, as well as more installation of speed bumps to slow down vehicles coming down the slope. With the involvement of a Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) spokesperson during the session, we can expect changes to be implemented by contractors during the first half of 2026.
The success of the pilot project at SK Danau Kota 2 would prove to be more than just a one-time effort, as discussions are increasingly being set in motion to introduce safer school streets all across the country. If we can build a successful city for children, we will have a successful city for all people. A community cannot fully thrive in the absence of any generational cohort. A well-planned city that prioritises the needs of the younger generation would no doubt encourage a healthier lifestyle that fosters community engagement beyond the classroom, first by creating a safe school zone to walk in.
Public participation in urban planning: What is your ideal city?
Even with the efforts of non-profit organisations like ThinkCity and BCMY, much help is needed from the public to make changes happen. It’s often not just an individual effort, but with the help of all parties. From the government to citizens like us, we all have a part to play in creating a city meant for walkability and sustainability.
Local councillors are mandated to display documents and plans to the public for them to make comments and objections, according to the Town and Country Planning Act of 1976 (Act 172). Residents should take this chance to provide feedback on draft city plans, as it would foster fair, transparent, and balanced growth of a city. Mass feedback from the public can influence whether space allocated for living area, green space, and commercial use spaces remain as is, or be repurposed by the city council. As annual town hall meetings are being held, residents can directly engage with policymakers and local councillors to ask more questions regarding city development. Ask questions like: How does this project benefit your neighbourhood socially or economically? Does the design of the infrastructure take into account the built environment surrounding it? Is it accessible by public transport? These questions aren’t baseless concerns; they’re legitimate issues that can cause irreversible damage to a neighbourhood in the long term.
Most urban cities in Malaysia that have been developed since the late 1900s are mostly designed with cars in mind, instead of public transport. By lowering vehicle prices for national automotive manufacturers and providing fuel subsidies, car-centrism instilled in Malaysians would cause them to rely on cars to travel anywhere, even short-distance trips within a 5km radius. Planning and redeveloping cities is more than improving last-mile connectivity and reducing car usage; it’s about making a city safe, inclusive, and accessible for people with disabilities and younger pedestrians. Urban planning holds its importance, in which generalists like them do ask the big-picture questions that are so often forgotten among the day-to-day shuffle of city governance.
Apart from engaging with the city council, residents should also have community-led efforts, like hosting annual clean-ups and awareness talks to remind the public that an ideal city is often made possible only with the vision of those who are actively involved in the process. Residents should also work hand-in-hand with non-profit organisations that advocate for change, leading volunteering events or just providing feedback on development plans surrounding their homes. Talks and seminars with social activists, government representatives, along with urban planners and experts, can be held in community halls to expose residents to the changes that are possible for their community through urban planning and redevelopment.
BCMY’s booth in the World Earth Day event 2024 at TTDI
Essentially, walkable cities can be a reality beyond words and diagrams on paper if we look towards working together as a society to implement these changes. Some individuals might regard these efforts as a waste of time and resource allocation, but if these changes can benefit minority groups like the elderly and children, why aren’t we doing it? Creating a city where everyone feels welcomed and safe would only be possible if we could travel on foot, one step at a time. Be the change you want to see happen.
Written by: Jia Yu & Dylan
Edited by: Sherman
