Urban Renewal Act and Women Spaces: a game changer in creating inclusive spaces for women?
First and foremost I would like to say Happy International Women’s Day! Unfortunately, I am not able to attend this year’s women’s march back home (for very obvious reasons) hence this article!
Psst… this article may include a series of grammatical mistakes but I have general little to no respect for the English language.
What’s up with Malaysia’s urban scene?
Truth be told, aside from it being IWD, Malaysia (in particular Kuala Lumpur) are one of the few regions in the world where we’re seeing a massive transition towards more women-friendly spaces. In my previous article a year ago “Why Muthu could be right, if he wasn’t so entitled” I briefly touched on Hille Koskela and Rachel Pain’s ideas on “masculine” and “feminine” spaces. In other words, how in many societies (including the Malaysian society) much of public spaces are considered “masculine” and when we introduce ideas that are more feminine or women-friendly (such as women's only coaches), we often see very negative responses from men.
In that same article, I also touched on how simply creating safe spaces for women alone doesn’t necessarily remove a public space from still being considered a “masculine” space. Instead, as Yamini suggests, it enforces the “zenana” idea where we inadvertently create exclusive spaces for women as oppose to making the existing space more inclusive. However, “masculine” and “feminine” spaces are not forged by societal opinion alone, but rather how these spaces were built in the first place. Of course, as a man I can’t speak much on women experiences in urban spaces, however we can see how much of Malaysia’s urban public infrastructure lacks feminine perspectives in its design. We see this in public toilets, parks, spaces for pregnant women and new mothers as well as overall safety.
When we see stories of stalking, sexual assault and harassment in much of the Klang Valley, it seeks to speak how much of our public spaces are exclusive towards women. Hence, tying back to some of the demands by Women’s March MY, proper inclusive public infrastructure and spaces are necessary to guarantee the safety of women and their broader economic and labour participation in society.
Why an Urban Renewal Act?
One of my favorite books on this is “Engendering Cities : Designing Sustainable Urban Spaces for All”1 (amazing read btw) which includes a collection of articles which talks about how many urban spaces lack the critical infrastructure and design to make more inclusive spaces. Thus, as we discuss on the Urban Renewal Act, infrastructure is the key word here.
One of the key controversies of the URA is that it’s one of the most boldest move towards anti-NIMBYism (Not In My Backyard). In other words, a major shift in how the government can purchase and redevelop land.
Okay, so the tea is that the URA essentially slashes the consent/approval threshold needed for en-bloc sales2. Prior to this, s.75 of the Strata Titles Act 1985 required a unanimous (100%) decision by owners of strata title properties (if u do conveyancing u should know this already tbh). Therefore, this act essentially lowers the threshold down to 80%, 75% and 51% depending on the age of the property. What it also means that it makes it so that it is on par with other regional peers such as the nosey neighbor down south (SG) and the Kiwis (NZ).3
So why is this overhaul soooo important? Because it’s actually so friggin difficult to redevelop much of Kuala Lumpur. In fact, we rarely see the redevelopment of existing strata-titled properties. As per my oomfs at IDEAS, there really was only a handful of redevelopments in KL and those were largely “legacy public housing”.4 In turn, we see much of “old” KL being largely underdeveloped and outdated, with many of these places having been built without women and inclusivity in mind.
Now… the REAL tea is that it’s widely hated by the property-owning class (PCs) with one particular young MP labelling it as a “Home Seizure Act”.5 At the heart of it, we see the PCs being one of the biggest antis of this act and it is displayed by their countless memorandums to the government. To be honest, can you even blame them? To quote former town councillor Mak Khuin Weng:
For example, how many times have people protested against a highway project only to be repeatedly told by the government that the majority supports it, without ever having to show what exactly constitutes 'majority support'?
Therefore, there has been many call for concerns about the welfare of existing residents should any redevelopments be passed with the lowered thresholds. Such concerns are of course very very much valid especially with the various Malay kampungs scattered across KL. Even though the act allows for the promotion of urban renewal, will the projects following the URA be in the best interests of these communities?
Urban Renewal Act - a win for creating more women-friendly spaces?
Criticisms aside, what does the URA ACTUALLY mean for women and can a “pro-urban renewal legal environment” actually create an impact for women participation?
Unfortunately, we don’t live in a reality of endless economic and urban expansion. We can’t just expand city outskirts or create KL 2.0 (though we tried doing that with Putrajaya). Rather, we need to work with what we have and consider how much of these spaces are exclusive in its design. In many ways the URA assists in transforming many outdated infrastructure and spaces into more women-friendly ones.
By creating a “pro-urban renewal legal environment”, we can see more spaces being revitalized and redeveloped with better public infrastructure and technologies present. Vienna for example has undergone one of the most drastic engendering projects in the city’s urban renewal. Since the 80s, the city has undergone massive transformation with “gender mainstreaming” being at its core. Through democratizing urban planning, vis-a-vis the “Women-Work-City” programme, the city saw an increase in women’s participation in society as well as greater trust in the city’s management. Pedestrian ways were wider, streets were more lit up and public transport became more safer.6
At surface level, the URA is certainly a step forward towards developing and forging more inclusive spaces in Malaysia’s urban centers. The act ensures that property owners would still be entitled to equitable. Further, unlike the Land Acquisition Act 1960, it ensures greater participation of the communities affected. However, when we consider the actual content of the Act itself, it lacks important safeguards. Yes, its true that it makes it far more easier for redevelopments to occur, but it also doesn’t fix the gaps that exist in the Town and Country Planning Act 1976.7 We can talk about how this act can streamline redevelopments at a far more efficient rate, but it also neglects the need for these redevelopments to be purpose built and inclusive.
It’s important to remember, urban renewal isn’t just about redevelopment—it’s also about integrating underdeveloped areas into the modern urban landscape. It’s about breaking down urban enclaves that often exclude women and transforming these spaces into vibrant, inclusive areas. Therefore, when we discuss about URA, we tend to forget that true urban renewal involves understanding the community and implementing proper policy tools. Rather, we see an act that sounds more familiar as a tool that benefits developers rather than the communities it aims to develop. To quote Director of Conservation Management Kelvin Ang:
We have to be involved as place managers to facilitate community conservations and look in greater detail at the expectations 8
What do we actually need?
If it isn’t clear by now, the URA is certainly not a game changer when it comes to inclusive redevelopment. Whilst it can facilitate inclusive urban renewal, there are still many major gaps and hurdles that need to be addressed. The URA alone cannot be viewed as a gateway towards more inclusive redevelopment. Rather, we need to also look into developing a legal and political climate where gender mainstreaming is not only accepted but encouraged. Germany for instance has amended both its National Building Code and Spatial Planning Act in order to better integrate inclusive development practices to better accommodate, women, youth and the elderly.9
Beyond that, we also need greater understanding of the role of women participation in the urban landscape. Engendering cities isn’t just about fulfilling UN SDGs, but rather considering the substantive value of women participation in urban renewal. There has to be a substantive cultural goal here as opposed to one-off pilot projects which are restricted to a particular topic.10 When we envision future change, we also need to envision creating and maintaining elements which ensures such change remains relevant. Inclusive urban renewal at the local and regional level requires more than just an act, it requires an agenda and real public support.
That is not to say that URA shouldn’t be implemented, I believe many urbanists and YIMBYs are in favor of the act but Malaysia certainly needs to do more if we actually want to see more inclusive urban landscapes.
Had a lot of fun writing this super short article!!! It’s very interesting just how closely related urban planning is with the law and just how multifaceted the current issue is. It’s still very much a developing story and it’s a very a contentious act indeed. Though I did a lot of due diligence in writing this, do lmk if I have accidentally included not-so accurate information. I’m trying to get back into writing so do subscribe xoxo.
Inés Sánchez De Madariaga and Michael Neuman, Engendering Cities : Designing Sustainable Urban Spaces for All(Routledge 2020).
Think of these sales as mostly towards condos and neighborhoods where there are multiple owners
https://www.ideas.org.my/to-build-or-not-to-build-the-role-of-the-urban-renewal-act-in-rejuvenating-our-cities/
Ibid.
(lowkey this is CRAZYYYY media play cuz this is NOT a Home Seizure Act ijbol we already have the Land Acquisition Act 1960)
https://isomer-user-content.by.gov.sg/50/509000a4-06b0-4b37-b2c2-f03669d1cb18/case-study-vienna-gender-mainstreaming.pdf
Essentially the act that empowers local authorities in managing urban spaces.
https://isomer-user-content.by.gov.sg/50/aeb1d6c5-4889-4f13-818d-74d5d35d5364/case_study-sg-kampong-glam.pdf
“Gender Mainstreaming in the Regional Discourse Over the Future of the Ruhr Metropolitan Area: Implementation of Gender Mainstreaming in Planning Processes” Jeanette Sebrantke, Mechtild Stiewe, Sibylle Kelp-Siekmann, and Gudrun Kemmler-Leh.
Sanches de Madariaga and Novella, 2019