By Gregory Scruggs
KUALA LUMPUR, April 13 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – As the day’s tropical heat abates, Anif Safrizal fires up the grill at his satay stand. He sizzles chicken skewers, then slathers them with peanut sauce for customers who sit on plastic chairs or whizz their meals away on motorcycles.
Dozens of street stalls and restaurants selling specialities like lamb biryani, fried plantains and fresh fruit juice have made this stretch of Kampong Bharu, the last remaining traditional Malay village in central Kuala Lumpur, a foodie destination.
But if officials get their way, this collection of modest one- and two-storey houses will look more like the satay stand’s new neighbour: Legasi, a 43-storey glass-and-steel structure that is under construction.
City leaders across southeast Asia are looking to redevelop low-rise areas in the hearts of their increasingly high-rise cities, sparking debate about what might be lost in the process.
Safrizal fears his open-air cart will have no future if this kampong – from the Malay word for “village” – becomes high-rise.
“The standard for kampong is like a village – not too high,” the 28-year-old vendor said. “I’m worried, because this is my hometown. I’m a village boy, not a town boy.”
