Bin Rameli presented on open space, placemaking, and community building at the 2020 National Planning Congress. He discussed: 1) The history and categories of open space in Malaysia, and targets for open space provision. 2) Placemaking initiatives by PLANMalaysia to transform spaces into vibrant community places through collaboration. 3) The need for a new paradigm in open space planning and governance that focuses on creating places through community involvement.

1. ALIAS BIN RAMELI
Director, Research and Development Division
PLANMalaysia
Ministry of Housing and Local Government
NATIONAL PLANNING CONGRESS (NPC) 2020 SUB-THEME:
UNITING COMMUNITY THROUGH PLANNING AND DESIGN.
18th November 2020 | Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)
OPEN SPACE,
PLACEMAKING AND
COMMUNITY BUILDING :
The Role of Urban Planning
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2. The confluence of the Klang and Gombak Rivers – KL’s River of Life Project
CityTALK
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3. Source: Project for Public Spaces (2018)
PRESENTATION OUTLINES
Preamble : OPEN SPACE01
02
03
04
The Story of Open Space In Malaysia
05
06
Global Achievement
of Open Space
Targets of Open Space
Provision In Malaysia
Placemaking : Fundamental
and Initiatives
OPEN SPACE – Placemaking &
COMMUNITY BUILDING07
08
Way Forward : OPEN SPACE –
Placemaking & Community Building
The Category of
Open Space
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4. “an open or enclosed area allocated or reserved fully or
partially, for the purpose of gardens, public parks, fields
for sports, and public recreation”.
Source: Adapted from FDTCP (2005). Open Spaces in Urban Malaysia.
4

5. A gathering place for the community, a
playground for children, a protest ground for the
unsatisfied, a colony for the migrating birds, a
home for plants and the homeless, and a paradise
for those in love.
flora and fauna ‘Incidental Spaces’ City Parks
Neighbourhood
Open Spaces and Parks
City
Open Spaces and Parks

6. OPEN SPACE –
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8. OPEN SPACES TYPOLOGY
Padang Kota Lama during British era
Cricket match in Selangor Club
‘padang’ (Kuala Lumpur)
The formation of Taiping around the
Esplanade (1880)
 During the colonial era - open spaces were the
exclusive domain of the rich and the influential.
 Open space agenda was made prominent in
1923 by Charles Compton Reade - through the
introduction of the Town Planning Enactment.
 In Kuala Lumpur and Penang – Major
buildings including government offices
situated around the open space.
 Parade grounds in Taiping, Kuala Lumpur
and Ipoh - became the centre for sports
and recreation for the British.
 Kuala Kubu Bharu – Garden Township :
Garden City Idea (1925)
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9. Edinburgh
2.90 ha / 1,000 population (29.0 m2//person)
Bristol
1.00 ha / 1,000 population (10.0 m2//person)
HONG KONG
0.20 ha / 1,000 population (2.0 m2//person)
SINGAPORE
0.87 ha / 1,000 population (8.70 m2//person)
AUSTRALIA
40.00 ha / 1,000 population (400 m2/person)
Los Angeles
4.85 ha / 1,000 population (48.5 m2//person)
Cambridge
4.60 ha / 1,000 population (46.0 m2//person)
GREATER LONDON
4.00 ha / 1,000 population (40.0 m2//person)
Washington
3.80 ha / 1,000 population (38.0 m2//person)
Source: Khan, A. M., 2012.
Central Park Melbourne
Gardens By The Bay,
Singapore
2 ha. per 1,000 population
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10. 3 categories of
open space in
Malaysia
1. PUBLIC OPEN SPACE (TLA)
• Subsection 2(1), Act 172 - Translated into layout plan as required under
subparagraph 21B(1)(a)(vi).
• Reservation for public purposes.
• Gazetted under Section 62, National Land Code 1965 (Act 56).
• Standard reserve of 10% of the gross development area.
2. RECREATIONAL FACILITY - open space developed for the
purpose of recreational activities, recreation and sports for the public
(stadium, sport complex, polo field, football field and swimming
pool).
3. PUBLIC RECREATION AREA - area used by the public for
active and passive recreational purposes botanical gardens, urban
forests, recreational forests, river reserves and coastal reserves).
Source: National Physical Planning Council (NPP) 26 – 2017; Reporting of Status of Public Open Spaces in Peninsular Malaysia and Federal Territory.
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11. Source: World Health Organization, 2017; Urban green spaces: a brief for action.
The directives of MPFN 5/2005 (6 Oct 2005) and MPFN 6/2006 (8 Aug 2006):
All State Authorities (PBN) need to expedite the process of
gazetting the available open spaces.
All 13 states must submit the gazetting status to the
Director General of PLANMalaysia (Town and Country
Planning Department) as the Secretary of the National
Physical Planning Council (MPFN).
2 hectares open space for every 1,000 urban populations is
the rate to achieve the status of developed country.
10% public open space for all
types of development
2 hectares of open space for each
1,000 urban population
To gazette the public
open spaces
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12. Source: World Health Organization, 2017; Urban green spaces: a brief for action.
 Achievement of Open Space Provision (Peninsular Malaysia)
Dis 2014 Jun 2015 Dis 2015 Jun 2016
23,725.47 23,026.47 23,077.22 23,548.41
3,602.19 4,062.01 4,119.46 5,330.63
10,173.98
15,395.30 15,395.30
16,444.43
TotalOpenSpace
(Hectare)
Kawasan Rekreasi Awam
Kemudahan Rekreasi
Tanah Lapang Awam
45,323.47
42,591.9842,483.78
37,501.64
Source: National Physical Planning
Council (NPP) 26 – 2017; Reporting of
Status of Public Open Spaces in
Peninsular Malaysia and Federal
Territory until June 2016.
Comparison of total open spaces (public open spaces, recreational facilities and recreational areas)
(December 2014 to June 2016)
(a) OPEN SPACES STATUS
Recreational area
Recreational facility
PUBLIC OPEN SPACE
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13. Source: World Health Organization, 2017; Urban green spaces: a brief for action.
Source: National Physical Planning Council (NPP) 26 – 2017; Reporting of Status of Public Open Spaces
in Peninsular Malaysia and Federal Territory until June 2016.
1.69
1.88 1.88 1.97
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
1.40
1.60
1.80
2.00
Dis 2014 Jun 2015 Dis 2015 Jun 2016
OpenSpaceRatio
NISBAH 2H / 1000 PENDUDUK (K L A)
THE
(b) ACHIEVEMENTS OF 2 HECTARES OF OPEN SPACE : 1,000 URBAN
POPULATIONS (Dec 2014 – June 2016)
Ratio : 2 ha per 1000 population
 Achievement of Open Space Provision (Peninsular Malaysia)
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14. Source: World Health Organization, 2017; Urban green spaces: a brief for action. Wetlands ParkBotanical Garden
Putrajaya
20.6 Hectares open spaces : 1,000 urban population
Source: 26TH National Physical Planning Council; Status Of Public Open Space In Peninsular Malaysia and
Federal Territory Report Until June 2016.
(based on 1,693.53 hectares open spaces & 82,200 population)
 Achievement of Open Space Provision (Peninsular Malaysia)
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15. Bukit Kiara Park
Kuala Lumpur
1.22 Hectares open spaces : 1,000 urban population
KLCC Park
Perdana Botanical Garden
Titiwangsa Lake Garden
Source: 26TH National Physical Planning Council; Status Of Public Open Space In Peninsular Malaysia and
Federal Territory Report Until June 2016.
(based on 2,162.17 hectares open spaces & 1,778,692 population)
 Achievement of Open Space Provision (Peninsular Malaysia)
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16.  PLANMalaysia Initiative : Formulation of PLANNING GUIDELINES
GPPPLANNING GUIDELINE
GREEN NEIGHBOURHOOD
Components
ECOLOGY AND
THE
ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY
DESIGN &
TRANSPORTATION
GREEN
COMMUNITY
GREEN
NETWORK
GPIMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINE
HEALTHY WALKABLE CITY
Components
PATH NODUS
LIGHTING SHADE
GPPPLANNING GUIDELINE
OPEN SPACE & RECREATION AREA
SUPPORT
FACILITIES
FEATURES
OF GREEN
BUILDINGS
INNOVATION
WATER, ENERGY &
SOLID WASTE
MANAGEMENT
COMMUNITY
WELL-BEING
Indicator :
Achievement of
2ha per 1,000
population
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17.  PLANMalaysia Initiative : Mapping Open Spaces Through i-Plan
Integrated Landuse Planning Information System (i-PLAN)
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18. Maintenance
Vandalism
Limited Public Spaces in
High Rise Housing
(Affordable Housing)
Degazette
of Public Open
Spaces
 The `Dilemma’ of Open Space
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19.  TRANSFORMATION OF A SPACE INTO A PLACE
(Public space planning and management approach through the community”) (Wyckoff, 2014).
PLACE-MAKING THEORY
Space
Place
CONCEPT OF PLACE-MAKING IN URBAN PLANNING
 CAPITALISING ON A LOCAL COMMUNITY’S ASSETS,
INSPIRATION AND POTENTIAL, WHERE THROUGH COLLABORATION,
COMMUNITY MATTERS CAN COME TO LIGHT – will involve a tailor- made
process (Beza, 2016).
Source: Project for Public Spaces (2018)
4 Key Attributes
20 Intangibles
16 Measurements
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20. Place-Making
Urban forests
Recreational forests
River reserves
Coastal reserves
Informal
Spaces
Formal
Spaces
Public open space
Botanical gardens
So how to plan the existing
spaces toward achieving the best
COMMUNITY
PLACES
‘INCIDENTAL
SPACES’ -
Allow a
variety of
activities to
create the
lively and
colorful city
environment.
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21. Central Market - One of the Placemaking’s
Success Story for
Kuala Lumpur
1937
Old Central Market
NEW LOOK
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22. PHASEI
PHASEII
PMINT
Centralize
Parking Area
MBKT
Bus Terminal
PB Square
MBKT
PHASEI
Parkson
Banking Area
PasarKedai
Payang
PulauWarisan
Kg.Cina
Before
After
After
 PLANMalaysia Placemaking’s Initiative : LOCALISING SDGs SHOWCASE PROJECTS (2015)
(a) HEALTHY WALKABLE CITY - KUALA TERENGGANU ( 1.15KM)
Batas Baru
Centralize
Parking Area
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23. Before
After
After
TAMAN
MERDEKA
 PLANMalaysia Placemaking’s Initiative : LOCALISING SDGs SHOWCASE PROJECTS (2015)
(b) HEALTHY WALKABLE CITY – KLUANG (0.5KM)
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24.  PLANMalaysia Placemaking’s Initiative : LOCALISING SDGs SHOWCASE PROJECTS (2016)
(c) TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT, LRT STATION, AMPANG
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25. Before
After
After
 PLANMalaysia Placemaking’s Initiative : LOCALISING SDGs SHOWCASE PROJECTS (2019)
(d) PLACEMAKING THROUGH POCKET PARK – PETAI LANE @BIDOR
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26.  PLANMalaysia Placemaking’s Initiative : GREEN NEIGHBOURHOOD INITIATIVE (Since 2012)
(e) COMMUNITY GARDEN
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27. (f) ASEAN ESC Model Cities & SDGs Frontrunner Cities
YEAR 1 (2011-2012)
YEAR 3 (2016-2017)
YEAR 4
(2019-2020)
MODEL CITIES
MODEL CITIES SDGs FRONTRUNNER
CITIES
KUCHING UTARA
WASTE COMPOSTING
KG. KUANTAN
ECO-TOURISM
KG. SIJANGKANG,
KUALA LANGAT
ECO-TOURISM
PANTAI CUNANG,
KUALA LANGAT
ECO-TOURISM
SHAH ALAM
LOW CARBON CAMPUS (UiTM)
 PLANMalaysia Placemaking’s Initiative : LOCALISING SDGs (International Fund 2011-2020)
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28. Source : Surbana International Consultants (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.
…a place to play 28

29. …….a place to grow up
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30. …a place for
interaction 30

31. …and a place for
community building
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32.  Need `new thought’
(paradigm shift) in open
space planning and
governance.
 Plan PLACE
(in addition to
planning for space)
With
community
Because…
The community is the expert
 Identify the assets within the
community (people who can provide
historical perspective, valuable insights into
how the area functions, and an
understanding of critical issues).
 This will help to create a sense of
community ownership (benefit to both
the authority and the community)
 Return to Neighbourhood
Planning Concept & Principles 32

33. 33

34. 34

35. 35

36. Source : Mohammad Nor
Khalid (2001)
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37. www.planmalaysia.gov.my
THANK YOU
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