Background
The demand for premium high-rise properties remains strong in hotspot areas in Kuala Lumpur, including Bangsar, Mont Kiara, and Cheras, due to their affordable entry price points (Bernama, 2019). Other popular areas with a great supply include the Kuala Lumpur City Centre and Ampang Hilir (Ramachandran, 2018). Luxury high-rise residential buildings in Malaysia are commonly referred to as condominiums or serviced apartments owned by private entities and managed under the building community’s landlord association. They are generally accompanied by private common facilities, such as sports courts, multipurpose halls, gymnasiums, barbecue areas, lush landscaping, and swimming pools. In contrast, multi-storey apartments and flats are typically owned by both public and private sectors. They tend to be low-end and affordable for the general public and have fewer facilities catering to the residents. Unlike condominiums and serviced apartments with gated and guarded security, apartments and flats are usually without such amenities, in exchange for a much smaller price tag.
Affluent Malaysians and expatriates prefer to reside in areas, such as Mont Kiara, Sri Hartamas, Damansara, KL City Centre, and Ampang due to their quiet districts, proximity to parks, and international institutions (The InterNations, 2019). With 56% of Mont Kiara’s population comprising up to 7,540 expatriates, this expensive district is a prominent market for high-end lifestyle and exclusive living, with foreign cuisine eateries, branded grocery chains, and international schools (Chan, 2019). High-rise properties here are sold at an average price of MYR 680 to MYR 840 per square foot, compared to the state’s average of MYR 396 per square foot (Knight Frank, 2019).
Occupants in high-rises have fewer friendships as they barely meet other residents on other floors, except in elevators and lobbies, compared to on streets. From the get-go, trips back home are optimised for efficient, personalised travel, from the car directly to the lifts and to individual dwellings, with little to no chance for any social relations whatsoever. In Malaysia, building owners in new gated and guarded condominiums prefer privacy to enjoy their privileged spaces away from the outside environment (Tedong, Grant & Abdul-Aziz, 2015). This leads to social polarisation, a term defined as the separation in a society into two distinctive groups on a spectrum between the rich and the poor (Castree, Kitchin & Rogers, 2013). The emerging premium high living often than not attracts expatriates or other affluent groups with money, contributing to the economy market. Such an expression of market power will likely change the urban character of the area and forces ethnic division (FL Sarayed, Zainol & Ahmad, 2017). Mont Kiara has showcased such migration of locals to other urban and suburban areas as buildings here turn into offices or expensive condominiums that serve as second homes or as an investment to the wealthy and expatriates. Daily and small businesses by the locals here do not work well, and the unlikelihood of locals who could not afford such extravagant living will eventually move out.