The crisis of the urban sprawl

Something for all of us to think about, especially in view of many festive seasons coming up, one after another: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2025/01/25/malaysias-silent-crisis-of-urban-sprawl/

Some excerpts:

The cost of urban sprawl

The ecological toll of urban sprawl is devastating. Forests are cleared, green lungs are destroyed and natural habitats are obliterated.

Each time we hear of a tiger or tapir getting hit by a car, it’s a reminder that we’ve invaded their homes. Tigers, our national icon, are being pushed to the brink in favour of more roads and more cars.

Do we love our cars so much that we’re willing to sacrifice our wildlife and biodiversity?

And…

We, the rakyat and government, need to acknowledge that urban sprawl is a problem. It can no longer be treated as “normal” or an inevitable part of development. Strong measures must be taken to curb this trend, including setting urban growth boundaries to limit sprawl, protecting green spaces and natural habitats to preserve biodiversity, prioritising compact, walkable neighbourhoods around public transit that reduce car dependency and holding corporations accountable by banning destructive, sprawling developments.

This isn’t just about better urban planning. It’s about ensuring a liveable future for all Malaysians. The unchecked march of urban sprawl needs to stop. Our wildlife and environment deserve better. And we deserve better.

Questions to ask ourselves: 

1. Can we walk instead of using our vehicles?
2. Can we work closer to home? I did, my place of work was chosen for its geographical convenience. It was only 5 minutes away when traffic was kind.
3. Do we really have to balik kampung just to “celebrate”? Is it a matter of life and death?

On a different issue, here’s an article about Malaysians and the “free lunch culture”: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2025/01/24/end-the-free-lunch-culture-please/

Lots to say about this, but that will be another story, perhaps for another day. Or, never since it’s going to touch on very sensitive nerves!