The Institutional Framework for Urban Transportation and Land Use Planning and Management in the Globalizing Kuala Lumpur Region

Abstract

Introduction and Purpose. Kuala Lumpur has been “groomed” to be the national node in “global networks” as Malaysia plugs into an emerging global information society and economy. The government, led by a progressive Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, has invested heavily in information and communications technologies (ICT) and transportation infrastructure to facilitate the country’s effort to achieve its vision of becoming a knowledge based economy and society. As the Kuala Lumpur area continues to experience rapid population and economic growth, it is expected that there will be a Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan Area (KLMA). Despite numerous investments in providing the means to alleviate urban traffic congestion, it is still a major problem for the city and the problem is expected to become worse as the city grows and merges with the surrounding urban areas. The main causes of traffic congestion were attributed to KLMA being a car -dependent, sprawled and has existing and future planned large scale urban development projects which are expected to increase the total vehicle trips within the city area by 40%. The Eighth Malaysia Plan has stated land use planning and Intelligent Transportation Systems some of the measures to alleviate urban congestion. For the KLMA, the Government will examine the reorganization and restructuring of the total urban transport operations with the objective of creating an efficient and financially sustainable system. The impact of globalization and the changes in socio-political and physical infrastructure have various policy implications and pose new challenges for urban transportation and land use system planning and management. Therefore, the purpose of this report is therefore to provide a preliminary account of the institutional framework and issues for both the transport and land use planning and management system. Existing Land Use and Transportation System. The KLMA encompasses five administrative districts of the Klang Valley (nine municipalities) and the Multimedia Supercorridor (MSC). The total population of the area in 1997 was 3.8 million and is expected to increase to 6.9 million in the year 2020. The area was estimated to have 1.45 million vehicles. The land use is mainly urban, functioning as centers for commerce, trade, industry and government. Currently, the KLMA has an extensive network of road and rail infrastructure to support public and private transportation modes. Traffic congestion is a major problem for the area (speed in radial roads at 10 km/hr) and private car usage is very high (80%). Socio-Economic Development Planning in Malaysia. The government functions as the planner for the national development. The National Planning Council (NPC) which is chaired by the Prime Minister is the highest authority in the formulation, coordination and decision making of economic and social development policies and programs in country. The private sector has an input at the NPC level. The Economic Planning Unit (EPU) acts as the secretariat to the NPC and hence is considered the most powerful and influential institution. For the state level development, the State Economic Planning Unit has the authority in the planning process. Land use matters are under state government control. Institutional Issues and Problems for Transportation Planning and Management. The transportation planning and management system is made of various public and private actors. In general, the Federal government is responsible for determining national transportation plans, transport policy guidelines and overall administrative matters. Local governments, on the other hand, plan, execute and administrate road networks and urban transport improvements under their jurisdiction. The issues and problems faced by these institutions include lack of coordination between institutions, insufficient capacity and capability to carry out planning at appropriate scales (e.g. local, regional and national), enforcement problems, problems with private sector “profit maximizing” interests, incentives by both government and private companies that promote private auto use. Institutional Issues and Problems for Land Use Planning and Management. The land use planning and management in Malaysia is in the realm of the local and state governments. The State Government provides general planning policies while the Local Authority is responsible for the detailed plans. The Federal Government does not have specific role in the planning of land use of States but it specifies that the preparation plans must take into consideration the needs and aspirations of the region and nation. The influence of the Federal Government is augmented by a variety of national plans prepared at the Federal level. The issues and problems that is has includes lack of capability for planning, shortage of manpower, coordination problems between state and local authorities, ineffectiveness of responsible organizations.

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