URBAN SPRAWL IN MALAYSIA: EVIDENCES FROM THREE LARGEST METROPOLITAN AREAS

Abstract

Urban sprawl is a one of the most pressing issues confronting urban development in the developed as well as developing countries. Much research had been done on the trend of urban sprawl and its negative consequences in established cities in the United States, Europe and Australia. This paper analyzes the phenomenon in the three largest metropolitan areas in Malaysia, namely Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor Bharu Metropolitan Areas. Using population and land use as main variables, it argues that suburban expansion and the resulting urban sprawl has been occurring in these metropolitan areas since 1970 and has intensified since the late 1980s due to the rapid economic growth brought by industrialization. It calls for more sustainable approach in the planning and management of urban areas in Malaysia.