Modelling the relationship between urban form and social sustainability in Malaysian cities : access to local services and public facilities

Abstract

This research concerned to establish the relationship between urban form and social sustainabilityin two Malaysian cities. Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya are the two cities selected purposely as the case study cities because of their distinctive characteristics. Specifically, this research looks in detail at the aspect of access to local services and facilities according to different aspects of urban form, such as density, building/ housing type, land use mix and layout. Urban form elements such as mixed land use and density appear to have significant impact on access and usage pattern of certain local services and facilities located within the case study cities (Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya). Another important factor towards higher access to services and facilities within the neighbourhood is the respondents‘ perceptions of mobility. Aspects of safety also impact on the access and usage pattern of the respondents towards the services and local facilities within their local neighbourhood. However, satisfaction towards the neighbourhood does not influence the access or usage pattern of the local services and facilities. The research provides one of the first attempts to investigate the relationship between urban form and its impact upon social sustainability in Malaysian cities., It exposes local issues and problems related to the access and usage of local services and facilities within residential neighbourhoods which corresponds with issues highlighted in the National Urbanisation Policy (NUP) (Federal Department of Town and Country Planning Peninsular Malaysia, 2006). Findings suggest that local planning authorities should ensure that residential neighbourhood/ developments are well connected to local services and facilities – by improving public transport & pedestrian networks. It is also important that neighbourhood safety is properly addressed