Town & Country Planning

50 years
 Malaysia Town & Country Planning 50 Years 1

1st MALAYA PLAN 1956-1960

50 years ago, Malaysia was an economy of agricultural
and mining. There was not much physical planning.
Economically, Malaysia has diversified out of rubber and tin production
towards manufacturing and services. The main concern of development
was mainly to create new villages and new towns, as well as to open up
new land schemes. Petaling Jaya was then the one of the earliest
comprehensively planned new towns based on the Garden City and
Neighbourhood Unit concept.

TOWN PLANNING started in 1921, with Charles Compton Reade as

the first government town planner to advise on town planning.
Subsequently the first town planning department was opened in Kuala
Lumpur in January 1921. The Town Planning Enactment was drafted in
1923, which among others, allowed the Sanitory Board to set up its own
organisation including the planning aspects.

A tin- mine at Kampar; 1906

Charles Compton Reade, 1921

Aerial view of Petaling Jaya, 1952 Rubber tree early tapping method, factory and seeds, 1900‘s
2 Town & Country Planning 50 Years Malaysia

2nd MALAYA PLAN 1961 – 1965 & FELDA TAIB

ANDAK,1961
1ST MALAYSIA PLAN 1966 - 1970 1ST FELDA
scheme was
planted with
In the 60s, Rural Development Authorities were established to plan and oil palm tree.
develop new towns in the rural regions. The first FELDA land scheme
settlement in Malaysia that started in 1958 was Lurah Bilut in Bentong Agriculture scheme example KEMUBU & MUDA
Pahang. Federal Town Country Planning Department (TCPD) was in
volved in layout preparations for the Federal Land Development
Authority. TCPD have agriculture schemes such as MUDA and
KEMUBU in the 60s.

FELDA Scheme, 1953

Village Structure of Bilut Valley Scheme which was prepared by Town & Country Planning Department
Malaysia Town & Country Planning 50 Years 3

2nd MALAYSIA PLAN 1971-1975

3RD MALAYSIA PLAN 1976-1980
In the 70s, Growth Pole theory regional balancing and new growth
centres were the leading thoughts in planning. It was dominated by in-
situ development. The urban development’s highlights were basically to
promote integration of the people and to improve social, economic and
physical development, particularly after the introduction of the New
Economic Policy in 1970 which its main objective is to pursue ‘growth
with equity’. The introduction of Buku Hijau and the industrial sector on
the other hand, started in the 70s with the establishment of Petronas .

The seventies also proved to be a more progressive decade. With the

In-situ Programme Petroleum Industry emergence of the Town Planning Act 1976 (TCPA or Act 172 ).
Generally this Act introduced a uniform system of law and policy
regulation for town and country planning in Peninsular Malaysia. By the
fourth Malaysia Plan a series of development plans were prepared in
accordance with TCPA 1976 BY TCPD and in cooperation with local
authorities.

Ilustration of Growth Pole Concept by Franccis Ferroux

4 Town & Country Planning 50 Years Malaysia

4th MALAYSIA PLAN 1981 – 1985

5th MALAYSIA PLAN 1986 – 1990
In the 80s, the formulation of National Agricultural Policy was to boost up
agriculture sector outside land scheme settlement. Rural planning was
inclined toward in-situ development approach with identification of Rural
Growth Centers (RGC) or Pusat Pertumbuhan Desa (PPD) in peninsular
Malaysia, for the Ministry of Rural Development (KPLB). These RGCS The Launching Of PROTON Saga, 1986
are the lowest hierarchy of settlement in the overall urbanization
schemes. The formulation of Heavy Industry Policy in 1980 and the
Industrial Master Plan 1 in 1986, which later resulted in the formulated of
Perwaja and Proton.

Rural Growth Centres (PPD)Kampung Improvement Sheme

Malaysia Town & Country Planning 50 Years 5

6th MALAYSIA PLAN 1991-1995

Focusing on automotif and electronic industry
7th MALAYSIA PLAN 1976-1980
The 90s marked the start of the Vision 2020, an idea mooted under the
leadership of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Vision 2020 is a 30-year
target to achieve a fully industrialized country status. During these areas,
the focus was to sutain the growth momentum the economy to achieve
further structural transformation and to emphasize balanced
development, through science and technology, research and
development, and by increasing productivity and efficiency. In 1991, the
Capital City being just 243sq.km in size was congested with urban
development, hence triggering the idea to relocate Federal Government
Administrative agencies to Greenfield area. Putrajaya was founded in
1995, located south of Kuala Lumpur. At the same time, the Malaysian
government conceptualized and formed the Multimedia Super Corridor
(MSC), creating Cyberjaya as the hub of MSC now dubbed the world’s
intelligent city and premier hub for Information and Communication
Technology (ICT).

Putrajaya
6 Town & Country Planning 50 Years Malaysia

As planning challenges become more complicated locally and globally,

so as the planning approach which have shifted to planning for
sustainability. The planning fraternity has adopted a more integrated and
comprehensive planning the Integrated Planning and Resource
Management System (IPRMS). Petaling Jaya City Council being the
pioneer in the local Agenda 21 program. This program is in 1992 and the
Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change in 1997.

The first amendment Act 172 called Act A866, which was amended to
ensure that aspects of sewerage were taken as additional considerations
in the processing of planning permission. The second amendment was
called Act A933 which emphasized environmental consideration in
planning, particularly the topography and tree preservation. In 1995, a
giant leap was made in the planning profession, with the approval of the
TOWN PLANNERS ACT 1995 (Act 538).
Total Planning & Development Doctrine

Local AGENDA 21 in Malaysia

Integrated Planning and Resource Management

Environmentaly Sensitive Areas Rio De Janeiro Declaration, 1992 System (IPRMS)
Malaysia Town & Country Planning 50 Years 7

8th MALAYSIA PLAN 2001-2005

9th MALAYSIA PLAN 2006-2010
In 2001, Act 172 was amended to strengthen planning tools and
mechanism and to rationalize the powers of the Federal and State
governments relating to town and country planning. This amendment Act
A1129 provides for the setting up of the National Physical Planning
Council (NPPC) and the Regional Planning Committee, the preparation
of the National Physical Plan and the requirement to seek advice from
NPPC.

TCPD have the highest planning committee that is National Physical

Planning Council (NPPC), chaired by the Honorable Prime Minister
himself, and whose members include all Chief Ministers and a number of
senior ministers with the TCPD as the secretariat.
Planning has been driven by sustainable development that includes
concepts such as smart growth, networked metropolis or city regions,
compact and liveable neighbourhood through New Urbanism and TOD
and SOHOS. These concepts are translated into development plans and
the National Urbanisation Policy.
The Ministry of Housing and Local Government in 2004
started the Safe City programme, which defined a safe city
as an urban centre which is free from all physical, social and
mental threats. Another great achievement in town planning
is the establishment of MURNI-net to measure and evaluate
the sustainability of Malaysian cities based on 38 indicators.
8 Town & Country Planning 50 Years Malaysia

Geographic Information System (GIS), Global Position System (GPS),

multicriteria decision making, database and cutting edge hardwares and
softwares are necessary tools in today’s planning. TCPD with the
cooperation of local authorities has undertaken the preparation of 117
Structure Plans and 201 Local Plans which were in various stages of
preparation. TCPD has also produced 41 Physical Planning and
Development Guidelines to guide those involved in property improving
the government delivery system, One Stop Centre (OSC) were formed
at the Local Authorities under the purview of Ministry Of Housing And
Local Government. This exercise is to help enforce fast-track approval
by Local Authorities. In line with the 9th Malaysia Plan and taking off
from the recommendations of the Nation Physical Plan, several regional
growth corridors have been formed for and are set for implementation
the Local namely The Iskandar Development Region (IDR), the
Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) and the Eastern Corridor
Economic Region (ECER).

Focusing on infrastructure facilities development

One Stop Centre (OSC)