Creating the Essence of Cities

CREATING THE ESSENCE OF CITIES:

THE PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT OF MALAYSIA’S NEW FEDERAL
ADMINISTRATIVE CAPITAL, PUTRAJAYA

by

Dato’ Jebasingam Issace John

Director, City Planning Department
Putrajaya Corporation

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The creation of a new Federal Government Administrative Centre at

Putrajaya marks a new chapter in the development history of modern
Malaysia. The development of this new administrative centre was prompted
by the need to balance and disperse development to areas outside of Klang
Valley. It is a decision motivated by the government’s desire to improve the
urban environment and quality of life, and to ease the pressure on the
infrastructure in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley in general.

These, in turn provide a golden opportunity for the city planners to embark
on a new endeavour in the planning of a new administrative centre. It is also
a challenge to the planners to be innovative in planning a city to represent
Malaysian values and culture. Putrajaya is planned to be equipped with
facilities and latest technologies to improve the effectiveness of the
government’s machinery as well productivity, as well as, amenities that will
greatly contribute towards a quality living and working environment. The
planners has also take to heed the challenges of building a new community
which involves fostering the spirit, sense of purpose and identity for the new
city. This short paper provides an insight to some of the basic principles and
concepts that provides the framework by creating the essence of cities which
could constitute to be a model for cities to emulate.

2.0 PLANNING BACKGROUND

2.1 Background To The Planning Process

On 2nd of June 1993, the Federal Government decided on an area in Prang

Besar, Sepang, Selangor Darul Ehsan to be the site for the new Federal
Government Administrative Centre. Thereafter, the planning process for
Putrajaya went into full swing with the setting up of Putrajaya Development
Committee and the Putrajaya Development Unit within the Prime Minister’s
Department.

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In 1994, five alternative concept schemes by local consultants and a group

of government agencies led by the Federal Department of Town and Country
Planning and the Public Works Department were presented to the Cabinet.
Of the five schemes, the Government selected the “Garden City” concept as
to guide the planning and development of the new city. A master plan was
subsequently prepared based on this concept. The Putrajaya Master Plan
was given Government approval in February 1995. It later underwent a
review upon which a final approval was obtained in April 1997. To
implement the plan, Putrajaya corporation was established in 1996 under an
act of parliament with the main role of developing, managing and
administration of the city area on behalf of the federal government.
Putrajaya Holdings Sdn. Bhd., a government-owned company, was also
established to act as the master developer responsible for construction of
government offices, commercial areas, residential premises and the main
infrastructure.

2.2 Putrajaya Master Plan

The Putrajaya Master Plan covers an area of 4,931 hectares. The Garden
City concept is clearly evident in a major proportion of land area
(approximately 1,826.5 hectares or 37.0 %) is dedicated for green and open
spaces within the city.

In brief, the distinguishing features of the Master Plan are as follows:

i. A large proportion of the city area is designated as green open space;
ii. A large water body (man-made lake) and wetlands was formed by
utilizing the small natural streams which run through the area;
iii. A 38 kilometers long waterfront area formed with the creation of the
lake;
iv. The city is divided into 20 precincts with the ‘core employment and
commercial precincts’ (Core Area) located on an island surrounded by
the man-made lake;
v. ‘Peripheral’ precincts planned based on the neighbourhood planning
concept to accommodate a mix of residential use equipped with
commercial space at the local level as well as public amenities;
vi. A 4.2 km long boulevard forms the central spine of the city;
vii. Projected residential population of 330,000; with 67,000 housing
units;
viii. The Master Plan is supplemented with urban design guidelines, policy
documents, and local plans prepared to meet statutory requirements.

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Table 1: Master Plan Land Use Components

Land Use Hectares %
Government 284.6 5.8
Commercial 139.4 2.8
Housing 1173.7 23.8
Civic & Cultural 10.6 0.2
Public Facilities 452.0 9.2
Utility & Infrastructure 1044.2 21.2
Open Space 1826.5 37.0
Total 4931.0 100.0

2.3 Putrajaya in the context of the MSC Malaysia

Putrajaya is strategically located in the heart of the Multimedia Super

Corridor (MSC Malaysia), a growth corridor created to spearhead the
nation’s development and transforming Malaysia into a Knowledge-based
Economy and Society, as envisaged in the Vision 2020.

The MSC Malaysia is an initiative undertaken by the Malaysian Government

for the global information and communication technology (ICT) industry.
Since its initiation in 1996, the MSC Malaysia has grown into a thriving ICT
hub, hosting more than 900 multinationals, foreign owned and home grown
Malaysian companies focused on multimedia and communications products,
solutions, services and; research and development. The continual success in
attracting leading company in the ICT industries has been largely contributed
by a Bill of Guarantees, a world class physical and commuunications
infrastructure, cyberlaws and an array of financial and non-financial
incentives.

Putrajaya, sharing administrative boundary with Cyberjaya, one of the five

cybercities sucessfully developed, has been the testbed for innovative
flagship applications namely the development of smart schools, telehealth
and electronic government. The physical development of both Putrajaya and
Cyberjaya has complementary effects on each of the city’s development as
well as onto the surrounding area.

3.0 CREATING THE ESSENCE OF CITIES

The main function of town planning as argued by Foley 1 is to provide a good

physical environment, essential for the promotion of a healthy and civilized
life. Given that the improvement in the quality of life is the Government’s
underlying aim for developing Putrajaya, the city planners have been quick
to take the cue by making “quality urban living” as the basic objective for
planning Putrajaya. This explains the adoption of the Garden City concept
for guiding its physical development. The intention is not only to create a city
where social activities take place within an ideal landscape where nature
permeates into all aspects of life, but also one which would display a
combination of the following features:

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 Creating the Essence of Cities

• Efficient accessibility to facilities, services and place of work

• Integrated neighbourhood and community atmosphere
• Closeness to nature
• Ample amenities for recreation
• Dynamic, lively and economic vitality
• A city with identity and character
• Conducive urban environment for quality & healthy life-style

Through careful planning – supported by good urban management and

governance – these concepts are translated physically, complemented by
appropriate social, environmental and economic programs, and in the
process create the essence of the city that is Putrajaya.

3.1 Quality Urban Living through Neighbourhood Planning

Quality urban living involves more than just providing places of work and
residence. If we cast our views on other cities with reputation for high urban
quality of life, essential ingredients would include facilities and amenities for
individual fulfillment and community life, i.e. for cultural, recreation, social
interaction and other activities. In Putrajaya, the planners have been ever
mindful of the fact that the aim is not just about building an administrative
centre but to create a new community. Meeting the various socio-cultural
needs of the community are therefore a top priority.

Foremost in priority is adequate and suitable housing. A broad mix of types

of residential development is planned for the city ranging from bungalows,
and semi-detaches to apartments and affordable housing for the lower
income group. This brings people of diverse age, races, and income to
Putrajaya, strengthening the personal and civic bonds essential to building a
new community. These residential developments are equipped with a
variety of public amenities including health, learning, sports and recreation
centres. Within residential neighbourhoods, community facilities such as
schools, convenience shops, multi-purpose halls, markets, suraus and local
parks are provided.

In line with the Garden City concept, a large proportion of the city area is
designated as parks and open space ranging from metropolitan parks to
local neighbourhood playgrounds. Reinforcing these provisions are urban
features such as landmarks, squares, plazas and bridges that form part of
the cityscape, providing a wide range of spatial experiences that further
enhance the spatial quality of the city.

What is significant in Putrajaya is that all these amenities and facilities are
easily accessible to the residents and these are achieved through the
neighbourhood planning concept. The size of a neighborhood is planned in
as such that a majority of the population is within a five-minutes walking
distance of its center (1/4 mile) and where the daily lives’ needs are mostly
available within this area. This to a certain extent reduces the number and

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length of automobile trips, and directly contributes towards energy

conservation.

3.2 Revisiting the Traditional Essence: Fostering the Spirit and Purpose of
the City

At times, cities are defined as places where everyone is a stranger, whereas

villages (kampung) are places where everyone knows each other. If there
was a difference between the traditional kampung way of life of yesteryears
and the present day city life-style, it is in the citizen’s spirit and sense of
togetherness. In Putrajaya, there is an attempt to foster the essence of cities
by making reference to land use arrangement of the past era as well as its
spatial relationships and urban form as they might be influenced by local
history and culture. It seeks to rediscover and recreate the interactive and
spatially efficient qualities of a coherent public realm exhibited in the earlier
urban environments, small towns and villages which most often
characterised by an informal, organic layout, a strong sense of community
and close proximity to the surrounding natural environment.

Whilst it is not practical to recreate the kampung within the constraints of our
cities today, we can still establish the planning principles to foster social and
community values associated with traditional kampung living. The objective
is to encourage a more pervasive involvement of the residents in activities
contributing to the well being of the community. The neighbourhood
planning concept plays a great role here whereby the layout of residential
areas and location of amenities can encourage greater interaction and a
sense of neighbourliness among residents.

This may be achieved by influencing the scale, density, form, and structure
of urban development. For example streets can be designed to be human-
friendly and equitable for both vehicles and pedestrians where people can
interact on the streets. Urban spaces in the form of public squares or public
parks and fields should become a meeting place and centres for various
community related activities. And needs of daily life should be available at
the neighbourhood centre within the residential area where people
congregate and meet up with their neighbours. This approach to planning is
adopted in most of Putrajaya residential areas, most notably in the design of
the Diplomatic Precinct.

3.3 The Caring City

Building a city is not just about bricks and mortars. To complement the
promotion of the ‘traditional essence’, pro-active efforts are also necessary
to consolidate the sense of community and belonging. For this, consensus
through public engagement and outreach activities are carried out in
Putrajaya. Programmes based on the ‘Caring City’ and ‘Safe City’ concepts
are being explored and applied.

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This is further aided through conscious design efforts as reflected in the

Putrajaya Fencing Design Guideline which draws on our culture to create a
safe city. This is by encouraging interaction and a caring society through
community-policing and “permeability” in development, i.e. the breaking
down of walls.

In general, solid fencing along streets and other boundary frontages is

discouraged. In its place, permeable fencing options are preferable. This
shall be mainly through the use of landscape demarcations such as hedges,
shrubs or trees. These solutions contribute to the aesthetic, social and built
form character of Putrajaya. More importantly, it enhances security through
increased interaction and proactive community involvement and
responsibility, as opposed to perpetuating an individualistic island mentality.

In line with the ‘Caring City’ programme, all possible measures are
consciously considered to achieve an efficient, practical, long lasting and yet
elegant and friendly design for people with disabilities. Materials and final
finishes used would be carefully selected and arranged to ensure safety as
well as unobstructed access for all including people with disabilities. Most
common issues such as, separate parking lots for the disabled, ramps,
railings as well as toilets for the disables, are drawn up and resolved at
design concept stage, to make Putrajaya a caring and disabled-friendly city.

All designs related to disabled people have to conform to the approved

Standard and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM), as indicated
below;

• Malaysian Standards MS 1331 : 1993 : Code of Practice for Disabled

People Outside Building
• Malaysian Standards MS 1184 : 2002 : Code of Practice on Access
For Disabled Person to Public Building
• Malaysian Standards MS 1183 : Pt.8 : Code of Practice for Means of
Escape for Disabled People

3.4 City Image and Character Through Urban Design and Landscape
Architecture

Building a new city is a monumental task requiring the input of various

groups of people with diverse disciplines. Guided by the Garden city
concept, and with the aim of achieving a strong image for the city, urban
design and landscape architecture are established as essential ingredients
complementing good town planning practices.

Urban design is the art of city building (Moughtin et al)2. It deals with the
way places work and how urban spaces are organized and structured.
Closely related, landscape architecture is concerned with the design and
shaping of external spaces, treating the ‘public realm’ as part of the total built
environment and city experience. In Putrajaya, effort towards good urban
design and landscape planning is achieved through the use of the Detailed
Urban Design guidelines (DUD).

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 Creating the Essence of Cities

The DUD is prepared at the precinct level. It outlines the general character
and ambience of each particular development plot, but always at the same
time, tying it back to the surrounding development parcels and the precinct
as a whole. By this, the DUD promotes an urban fabric and language
through the composition of its many elements, combining them to reflect a
unique sense of place and character.

The DUD achieves this by focusing on elemental guiding principles such as

urban structure, urban form and character. Parameters like details on land
use, building massing and typology, horizontal and vertical controls of
building, provision for pedestrian linkages, open space coverage,
streetscape control and so on feature highly in this guideline. The aim is
towards an urban form that projects visual unity and coherence, affording a
distinctive image for the city and quality spatial experience for citizens and
visitors alike.

The DUD is now used to create identifiable urban spaces and corridors such
as the Putrajaya Boulevard and the Dataran Putrajaya where the National
Day Merdeka Parade is held. The Boulevard is a 4.2 km long 100m wide
thoroughfare running from North to South of the Core Island forming the
central spine of the city and providing the setting for the main commercial
and civic area. The design parameters for the buildings along and in
proximity to it are guided by the DUD so that they contribute to a cohesive
spatial composition and experience of the Boulevard.

As an extension to the effort of creating an image and character for the city,
the Putrajaya Lighting Master Plan has also been formulated to establish the
visual and practical architectural lighting criteria that will ensure the night
time ambience of Putrajaya is attractive and appropriate of a city of its status
and function. It is a unique effort, and it is hoped that this will contribute to
bringing more visitors and tourists to come and enjoy Putrajaya during the
night.

3.5 Respect for Pedestrians

The advent of the motor car signaled the overriding importance given to the
convenience of the motor traffic over that for pedestrians. This, despite the
fact that motor car users –upon reaching their destination, would themselves
become pedestrians. This was the scenario which perhaps led Mumford3 to
lament “As soon as the motor car become common, the pedestrian scale of
the suburb disappeared, and with it, most of its individuality and charm”.
Mumford4 also said “The paradoxical result of this concentration on
motorcars is a curbing of freedom of movement, a removal of alternate
choices of transportation, the steady reduction of the speed of local travel,
and the total defeat of the city itself as a place that offers the maximum
possibilities for face-to-face meeting, social cooperation, and transactions of
every kind”.

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Putrajaya has been designed to respect pedestrians. Provision for

pedestrians and cyclists increase independence of movement and
accessibility to the numerous facilities in the city without resorting to
motorized vehicles. It is also compatible with planning for public transport
systems. Pedestrian routes in Putrajaya are laid out across the city in an
integrated manner. They link major activity centres and nodes such as
government precincts, commercial centres, public parks, plazas, community
centres and schools together. They also provide clear and direct access to
transit stops as well as connections between residential and retail areas.

Supportive urban design is the key to encouraging the usage of pedestrian

and cycling facilities. DUD guidelines for core areas identify pedestrian
routes and connections throughout each precinct and at each parcel
development level. Pedestrian paths are supported by facilities such as
arterial crossings where necessary. Landscape treatments are specified for
each development parcel to provide shade and comfort for pedestrians.
Particular emphasis is given to ease of movement of pedestrians and
cyclists through careful consideration to gradient of the paths, ‘barrier free’
designs and coordinated network of paths.

3.6 Public transport focus

In terms of transportation planning, a 70:30 (public: private transport) policy

has been implemented in the central business district of Putrajaya. A light
rail based transport system has been planned from the initial stage of
development and these are to be supported by park and ride facilities where
land allocation had been pre determined.

A total of 7 park and ride facilities in the peripheral precincts has been
identified at the planning stage. These facilities will act as integrated
transportation nodes for different mode of transportation and will be linked
with a network of pedestrian and cycle ways. In general these provisions will
have a long term impact on the sustainability of the city.

At the present time, Putrajaya Corporation has taken an active role in

implementing the policy by supporting it with the provision of an efficient
public bus service throughout the city. As part of the conscious effort in
ensuring environmental sustainability in transportation planning, the entire
fleet of buses are run on natural gas.

3.7 Urban Ecology: Nature in the Urban Fabric

One of the requisites for a quality urban living environment is to create a city
in harmony with nature, i.e. a city which contains natural elements within its
urban fabric and one which imposes minimum stress onto the ecosystems.
This will not only ensure the long-term sustainable development of the city,
but it brings opportunities for recreation and the idea of being close to
nature.

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Perhaps the most significant effort seen towards this aim is the creation of a
water body in the form of a lake and wetlands systems. About 600 hectares
or 12% of Putrajaya’s area is lake and wetlands. The is formed by damming
2 small streams, Sg. Chuau and Sg. Bisa passing through the original site of
the city. The wetland is the first man-made wetlands in Malaysia and one of
the largest fully constructed freshwater wetlands in the tropics. Among
others, it functions as a natural filtration system removing nutrients and
pollutants from the river water before it enters the lake.

The lake and wetlands have turned out to be one of the most valuable
assets for Putrajaya. It has brought about intangible values in the unique
waterfront image and character of the city. In fact Putrajaya can be
considered as a waterfront city bearing the following features and
opportunities:
• Development opportunities in prime waterfront location affording a
rich mix of development;
• Existence of wetlands, green corridors, parks, and wildlife at the door
step of urban dwellers; and
• A varied range of water recreation and sports activities opportunities.

The 38 kilometers of waterfront area created with the formation of the lake is
utilized for development of parks and promenade, i.e. – an integrated
network of green spine which connects all the lakefront parks together. It is
provided with a whole range of facilities to enhance their enjoyment by the
public such as landscaped walkways, seating areas, public beaches, fishing
piers, and viewing decks.

With the parks and greenery come wildlife and nature experience. Certain
stretches of the promenade and walkways – such as those within the Taman
Wetland – have been designed as nature trails providing for people to
reconnect with nature. The lakefront parks, including the wetlands, have
been successful in introducing a range of habitats for fish, invertebrates,
frogs, turtles, as well as, birds such as swifts, moor hens, water hens, wild
ducks and kingfishers. In short, nature and open spaces are as important to
Putrajaya as the garden is to the house.

3.8 Environmental Architecture

Buildings affect our land habitats, the atmosphere, human health and quality
of life. Building materials and design, construction methods and building
operations and maintenance, all have environmental impacts. Bearing that in
mind, before any building is being constructed in Putrajaya, careful building
design and materials selection are being considered so that it can
substantially reduce or minimize these impacts.

Latest technologies and systems are also being considered in Putrajaya in

order to contain any future degradation of the environment and increase the
comfort and productivity of building occupants. Systems particularly
concerning environmental sustainability, energy consumption, low energy

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design buildings and supply, have always been considered at the early
planning and design stage.

One of the most common and preferred building construction systems in

Putrajaya is the conventional construction system. It deals with existing
systems which are standardized, tested, commonly practiced and
understood by those involved in the general building industry.
However, while creating exciting contemporary architecture using
conventional system, new building construction methods and technologies
that can improve, maintain high performance and environmental
sustainability are the way forward. Recently, Industrialised Building System
(IBS) is being introduced. The system ensures quality construction, save
cost, create safer and cleaner working environment as well as reduce the
dependency on foreign workers.

Besides the above, IBS, which is a proven sustainable building construction

method not only would save the Government and building owners in
operating costs, but they make sense for the environment and the city’s
residents. Thus, the rational use of natural resources and appropriate
management of the buildings will contribute to saving scarce resources,
reducing energy consumption (energy conservation), and improving
environmental quality.

Another system that is commonly being used in Putrajaya is Gas District

Cooling system, a centralized energy plant using natural gas to generate
chilled water for air-conditioning requirements of buildings. The system is not
only environmental friendly and practical but in the architectural sense, the
building designs will also directly ‘benefit’ from it, as the building designs
could make do without Cooling Tower at the roof top. As a result, the façade
of the buildings in Putrajaya, mainly the government and commercial
buildings are more motivating and appealing whilst building owners can
optimise the usage of space.

In the case of ensuring energy efficiency, all possible measures are taken to
ensure that the buildings’ use of energy in building is minimal. Cooling and
lighting systems use methods and products that conserve or eliminate
excessive energy use.

The first attempt in showcasing a low energy office building in Putrajaya was
the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications at Parcel E, which is also
better known as LEO (Low Energy Office) building. The main purpose of the
project was to break new ground in building constructions emphasizing on
passive and active designs in terms of energy efficiency and conservation.
The objectives and design issues that had to be addressed included;
• To build an energy efficient, intelligent showcase building without
compromising user comfort
• To study and as a research opportunity for professionals and
academics
• To demonstrate the feasibility of the new building code energy
standards, i.e. 100-135 kWh/m2 year versus 200-300 kWh/m2 year

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• To emphasis on sustainable and energy efficient design

• To incorporate both active and passive designs in terms of energy
efficiency
• To incorporate Energy Demand Side Management and Clean
Development Mechanism

The LEO building addressed all the above issues and considerations, not
just by the physical design but also the statutory framework governing the
planning, urban design, architectural and environmental issues. The energy
performance of the building was comprehensively monitored and has shown
promising results achieving the energy usage of approximately 135 kWh per
m2 year.

In line with Putrajaya’s policy to build low energy buildings that follow
sustainability principles and based on the knowledge gained from the
design, construction, commissioning, monitoring, fine-tuning, and occupant
comfort survey conducted for the LEO building, another showcase building
will be constructed in the near future in the central business district. This
ambitious project which will be the new Energy Commission’s headquarters
is still at its conceptual design stage. It is intentionally designed, based on
specific environmental requirements;
• to achieve energy usage of 55 kWh per m2 year, based on 2000
operating hours per year
• to manage water resources prudently
• to utilize sustainable building materials
• to avoid and minimize waste
• to ensure optimal indoor air quality
• to give attention to the quality of the local environment around the
building

In order to achieve these new standards, the following selected design

features are being considered;
• The roof of the building will have a glazed opening that will allow
daylight to penetrate deep into the atrium of the building
• The walls of the building will allow adequate daylight to enter the
building, reduce transmission and radiation heat through the windows
• The lighting system will use the latest technologies in energy efficient
lighting
• The Ventilation and Air Conditioning System will receive chilled water
from the district cooling system in Putrajaya
• Sustainable building materials by optimizing the use of materials, the
environmental impact of producing, installing and eventually
demolition will be reduced.
• Sustainable water management by having a system to collect and
storing rainwater and the collected rainwater will be used for toilet
flushing and irrigation of plants.
• Rainwater and condensate water harvesting for landscape,
conserving potable water usage
• Grey water recycling, i.e. Recycling grey water from basins and floor
traps for flushing use.

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• incorporate both active and passive designs in terms of energy

efficiency

While the new Energy Commission Headquarters in Putrajaya is still

consciously being designed to achieve the results of Energy Index of 55
kWh/m2 year which is on the way forward for energy efficiency in buildings,
equally important is to integrate the essence of our culture, urban character
in its surroundings, and celebrate them through designs and ideas of
sustainability in order to attain the delicate balance of modern comfort with
environmental responsibilities.

3.9 Sustainable city management

Putrajaya Corporation recognised the importance of effective city

management and has undertaken a proactive role towards this.

In terms of environmental management, a system of environmental

management has been in practice to ensure the parameters and conditions
for environmental sustainability is carried throughout the development
process, that is from the project planning stage to construction and up to the
operation phase. These are implemented at various stage of development,
namely;
• the planning stage (at the planning permission approval stage) by the
requirement of an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) to be
submitted by the proponent of a project.
• the construction stage, environmental monitoring is then carried
through by the requirement of Monitoring and Audit Report (EMAR) to
be submitted to Putrajaya Corporation on a prescheduled basis.
• At the operation stage, environmental enforcement is applied by the
requirement of Environmental Management Compliance Plan
(EMCP).

A sustainable city has to be well maintained to ensure the high degree of

comfort, safe and quality of life for its present and future inhabitants. In line
with its ‘intelligent city’ concept, high-technology features have been
incorporated to facilitate the city asset management and maintenance.
These features can be exemplify in the operation of the city control room and
the common utility tunnel.

Looking at the complexities of managing all Putrajaya city facilities and

services, Putrajaya has adopted the Alert, Alarm and Action strategy
approach to manage the city from a central location identified as Putrajaya
City Control Room (CCR).

The City Control Room (CCR) is envisaged as a hub and nerve centre which
monitor, surveillance, control and manage key urban infrastructure, facilities
and services in the city of Putrajaya. The main application areas are:

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• Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) to handle the management of

traffic and transportation in the city.
• Facilities Management System (FMS) to provide the effective
maintenance and security of public buildings, grounds, open spaces
and urban infrastructure in the city.
• Public Information and Emergency System (PIES) to provide
amenities for a well informed society and to address readiness and
mitigation measures to overcome hazardous and emergency
situations in the City.

At the heart of the CCR, is the call centre which forms the direct link between
the community, general public and business alike, to Putrajaya Corporation
as the city manager. The call centre is a one stop customer relationship
management centre supporting multi channel communication between
various stakeholders in the development of the city.

Part of city management also involves maintenance and upgrading of

existing public infrastructure and utilities. An exemplary approach in
infrastructure and utility planning in Putrajaya can be seen in the provision of
the common utility tunnel (CUT) to house electrical power cable, water pipe,
chilled water pipes, natural gas pipes, telecommunication and fibre-optic
cables as well as irrigation pipes to serve the core area in particular. This is
geared towards guaranteeing minimum disruption in the city’s day to day
operation and to facilitate maintenance and upgrading works of all the utility
providers. By securing the utilities inside the CUT, it also allows a year-round
access for the purposes of inspection and maintenance work.

4.0 CONCLUDING REMARKS

Town planning is about urban quality of life. In our surge towards a

developed nation status, it is crucial that we do not lose sight of the very
objectives of planning and the basic principles of good city planning that go
with it. This is important, lest we become an affluent yet faceless society,
devoid of self-fulfillment, no sense of community, and with the ever-present
physical and social problems. This is why in the planning for Putrajaya, we
have strived to go back to identifying and creating the essence of cities and
trying to answer: what is essential in town-making?

This short paper has illustrated that town planning has played a vital role in
Putrajaya in not only providing for the space, but also by recognizing and
facilitating the inter-relationship between the various urban elements and
human activities. In essence, the planning and development of Putrajaya
has effectively incorporated the fundamentals of good governance and city
planning that could be emulated by other cities.

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Acknowledgement:
This paper is prepared with the assistance of En. Azhar Othman, Senior Asst. Director, En Amran
Mohd. Noor, Senior Asst. Director and Miss Wang Tze Wee, Assistant Director, City Planning
Department, Putrajaya Corporation.

1
As in A. Faludi, 1973, A Reader in Planning Theory.
2
Cliff Moughtin, Taner Oc and Steven Tiesdell, 1995, Urban Design: Ornament and
Decoration.
3
L. Mumford, 1961, The City in History.
4
L. Mumford, 1953, The Highway and the City (p.222).

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