QUALITY OF LIFE IN LOW-COST FLATS OF SECTION 16, SHAH ALAM

I did my PhD research in the Quality of Life of Residents of Urban Low-Cost Flats in Klang and Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. The question of QOL for the low income people was always at the back of my mind. Although I came from an affluent background, I do have distant relatives who are not so well-off. When I was small I used to follow my maternal grandmother to visit these relatives homes. They were kind and friendly people but I could see that they have to work hard for their living like rubber-tapping and trishaw paddlers. But they seem happy to me. That was some 50 years ago when the economy of the country was different. I was born two years after the country's Independence from the British and Malaysia was still learning to form comprehensive policies and create strong strategies to build the economy of the country and its people.

Now Malaysia produced her own cars. Malaysians are computer savvy and many are highly educated. Just look out for the luxury cars on the Malaysian roads especially in the urban areas. I have seen Ferraris, Porches, BMWs, Mercedes, Bentlys, Jaguars and many many more. But we still have poor people in Malaysia. I won't consider the residents in low-cost flats poor but on the average the household income is between RM1500-RM2000.

There are many low-cost flats in Shah Alam and as I drove past them I always wonder whether the residents liked living there. Are they happy? Are they happy with their housing? With their neighbours? With the facilities provided for them? There are flats that have been in Shah Alam when I was a student in ITM, now UiTM. Way back in 1977, I have seen the flats in Section 16 from afar. And when I started to work in ITM in 1984, I saw that there were many more flats build in Shah Alam. In 1990 I bought a double storey link house in Section 18 Shah Alam and during that time I saw the low cost flats close up because the other neighbourhoods around Section 18 have many low-cost flats, low cost compact terrace houses and also low-cost cluster housing.

The following pictures show the low cost flats of Section 16 Shah Alam. These flats have been here since early 1970's. Thus the community here is quite stable because many residents had stayed here for so long. They know their neighbours well and many have no desire to leave. Some of the units in these flats here  are also rented out but the rent is quite high due to the strategic location near to the city, the Federal Highway and so many other public facilities. 

For some of these blocks, the ground level is allocated for grocery shops, private clinics, repair shops and some offices.

We can't help but notice that there are units with the satellite dish outside. Hmmmm......as I have said before the residents here are quite stable as they have been working for a long time, and renters are those who can afford the the rent. 

From the back lane we can see the air-condition compressors  mounted on the walls. Some of these residents can pay for comfort.

The above picture is showing the front portion of the flats. Some of the units have some sort of boundary between them like a row of potted plants. And most of the residents own cars and motorcycles. The flats are also provided with children playground (very minimal though) with some swings and slides. But as we can see in the picture below the playing area look nice as it is shaded by very large and tall trees that has been here since the flats were built.

I truly wonder what this playing 'thing' is suppose to be. It doesn't look safe nor attractive. But I am sure the children still find this 'thing' fun because children have such wonderful imagination.

The flats are not without any problems though. As it is normal anywhere any community is incomplete without anti-social and delinquent behaviours such as vandalism and littering. So as I surveyed around these flats I did come across some messy and dirty spots such as the communal garbage bins. 

And vandalism would not be complete without the public telephone as the helpless victim.

There will be more stories about other low cost flats in future postings. And also more insights about the QOL of the residents there.