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On The Move
KOTA KINABALU SOUTHERN CORRIDOR
Imaginary superimposed version of Kota Kinabalu city
B
eing one of the most
picturesque waterfront cities
in Malaysia comes with a
price. But is the price getting too
high to pay?
Kota Kinabalu has the distinct
advantage of having expansive and
often spectacular views of the South
China Sea that has held it in good
stead in its fast-paced development
from humble fishing village to
cosmopolitan city.
Undoubtedly the view has played
a big part in the city’s growth
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of residential and commercial
buildings. Nearly half of the city
centre sits on reclaimed land with
each subsequent development
inching further and further out to
sea to position itself in the most
advantageous sea facing location.
With whatever available land being
used or earmarked for future
development, the city centre is being
squeezed into a chokehold that is
not showing any signs of relenting.
Two more prominent projects,
the multi-million ringgit Jesselton
Quay and KK Waterfront, are in the
pipeline and this will once again
alter the city’s landscape with the
addition of new luxury hotels, highend condominiums, office towers,
lifestyle malls and a cruise terminal .
Urbanites who are feeling the
financial pinch of living and working
in the city centre are also looking
for ways to unshackle themselves
from the inconveniences of big city
problems like traffic congestion, air
pollution, lack of space and high
parking fees. This goal to enhance
their living space and urban lifestyle
has shifted the city’s gravitational
centre towards a less pressurised
location.
Cities grow in a circular fashion but
Kota Kinabalu is hemmed in by the
sea to the west and highlands to
the east leaving it very little choice
now but to expand northward and
southward.
“The overall centre of gravity for
Kota Kinabalu remains at the
CBD – Central Business District,”
explains Ho Chin Soon, renown local
property analyst and author.