Is the Klang Valley losing open spaces?

Taman Danau Desa Source: The Edge Malaysia

Open spaces across Klang Valley are steadily being displaced, as rapid urbanisation and new developments eat into parks, community playgrounds and green lungs that once defined neighbourhoods. Once seen as buffers against floods, heat, and congestion, these lands are increasingly fenced up, rezoned or repurposed for construction, leaving residents with fewer places to gather, exercise, or connect with nature.

The trend is becoming more visible at the community level. In Taman Danau Desa, a 3.05-hectare playground that served as a children’s park, pet-friendly area, Tzu-Chi recycling centre and community garden was recently fenced off for development. Residents told The Edge the move has displaced long-standing community amenities and disrupted spaces that had been run by the local residents’ association.

According to The Edge, more than 1,000 formal objections have been filed against the project, with the residents’ association preparing to take legal action. Their case highlights a growing frustration: while the Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2020 (KLLP 2020) and Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2040 (KLSP 2040) zone the site as public open space, such zoning remains largely conceptual and does not guarantee legal protection if land titles are not gazetted.

DBKL’s projection of open space contribution under the Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2040 Source: The Edge Malaysia

Loopholes in planning and enforcement have made open spaces across Klang Valley vulnerable. Current definitions of “open space” can include car parks or park offices, diluting the intent of ensuring genuine green lungs for the public. Without gazettement into land titles, zoning protections are easily overturned, allowing development to take precedence over community and environmental needs.

The World Health Organization recommends a minimum of 9 square metres of open space per person, a benchmark also cited by UN-Habitat as essential for sustainable and liveable cities. With many Kuala Lumpur neighbourhoods already falling below this threshold, further losses risk worsening urban heat, flood vulnerability, and overall quality of life.

Community groups, NGOs and urban planners are now calling for urgent reforms, including mandatory gazettement of public open spaces, transparent disclosure of zoning status, and stricter enforcement. Without these measures, stakeholders warn that Klang Valley risks becoming an unliveable concrete jungle, trading long-term resilience for short-term growth.

Read the full article at The Edge Malaysia