From wasteland to trendy neighbourhood

Posted on
Share this article   

Compiled by Ng Pau Ling, Viktor Chong and Lee Yan Li

Bukit Jalil’s two-decade transformation shows the power of sports as an impetus for change

Remnants of a past; an estate primary school in Bukit Jalil.

Remnants of a past; an estate primary school in Bukit Jalil.

MUCH has been said about the benefits of large-scale infrastructure spearheaded by governments throughout the world. Mega projects, often involving a huge amount of taxpayers’ money, are seen as daring ventures with uncertain prospects despite most of them being launched after intensive research and careful deliberation.

The story of Bukit Jalil is testament to the transformative power of a large-scale infrastructure project and what it could do to a locality that was once no more than a wasteland.

Located about 15km south of Kuala Lumpur city centre, Bukit Jalil is now a vibrant suburb with lots to offer. Its sky-high developments, majestic buildings, vast green park and flourishing township are a far cry from the area’s humble beginnings in 1992 when it was known as Bukit Jalil Estate among locals.

 The Bukit Jalil National Stadium is among the 15 biggest stadiums in the world.

The Bukit Jalil National Stadium is among the 15 biggest stadiums in the world.

In fact, part of the site used to be a landfill. Bukit Jalil received its game-changing makeover when Malaysia won the bid on July 1992 to host the 16th Commonwealth Games of 1998. The contract to build a world-class sporting facility in the form of the Nasional Sports Complex (NSC) was awarded to United Engineers Malaysia-Renong Bhd.

The NSC, which was constructed in six years, comprises the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Putra Stadium, National Hockey Stadium, National Aquatic Centre and the National Squash Centre. The national stadium was inaugurated by then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Jan 1, 1998.

 The Bukit Jalil National Stadium is among the 15 biggest stadiums in the world. Bukit Jalil has it all when it comes to public transport, from taxis to feeder buses to LRT stations. LRT linkage to the National Sports Complex.

LRT linkage to the National Sports Complex.

The project had propelled Malaysia to the world stage as a country that has achieved impressive growth since independence. It would also prove to be one of the determining factors of Bukit Jalil’s transformation.

Since then, Bukit Jalil is synonymous with the moniker “National Stadium” and its status was further solidified when Malaysia won the bid to host the 2017 SEA Games.

In 2015, Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB) was awarded the contract to upgrade the NSC into Kuala Lumpur Sports City (KLSC) which covers the national stadium, Axiata Arena, National Aquatic Centre, National Squash Centre and National Hockey Stadium.

 

Related articles:

Builders of Bukit Jalil: The hands that laid the foundation

Two towers of convenience

Catching up with the fast pace of Bukit Jalil

Eat, Drink, Play, Learn and Bond at Bukit Jalil

Want to contribute articles to StarProperty.my? Email: editor@starproperty.my
Related News

Fresh from the news oven

00:10 AM
Awards 2024
00:10 AM
News & Articles
00:10 AM
News & Articles
Latest News

Stories and news that might pique your interest

17:01 PM
News & Articles
17:01 PM
News & Articles
00:01 AM
News & Articles
17:01 PM
News & Articles
17:01 PM
News & Articles
00:01 AM
News & Articles
16:08 PM
Home & Living
09:08 AM
Home & Living
11:02 AM
Home & Living
09:08 AM
Home & Living
10:07 AM
Home & Living
12:07 PM
Home & Living
00:12 AM
Featured Dev
00:12 AM
Featured Dev
00:12 AM
Featured Dev
00:12 AM
Featured Dev
00:12 AM
Featured Dev
00:12 AM
Featured Dev
03:11 AM
Awards 2024
01:11 AM
Events
00:11 AM
Events
00:11 AM
Events
00:11 AM
Events
00:11 AM
Events
03:11 AM
Awards 2024
09:04 AM
News & Articles
16:03 PM
News & Articles
10:02 AM
News & Articles
11:11 AM
News & Articles
11:09 AM
Featured
11:11 AM
Investment
16:06 PM
Featured
16:06 PM
Investment
15:06 PM
Investment
12:07 PM
潮樓產業
14:07 PM
潮樓產業
10:07 AM
潮樓產業
16:07 PM
潮樓產業
14:07 PM
潮樓產業
12:07 PM
潮樓產業