BUKITBUKIT JALILJALIL FROM WASTELAND TO TRENDY NEIGHBOURHOOD Bukit Jalil’s two decades of transformation shows the power of sports as an impetus for change. ORN & BRED XPLORE TORY RANSACTION BEat, drink, play, EAll the nooks SFormer landfill TBukit Jalil learn and bond at and crannies becomes a under the Bukit Jalil in the area vibrant locality microscope 3 PLAY ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER Ernest Towle SALES (AGENT BUSINESS) [email protected] Head of Sales (Agent Business) Kent Thew EDITORIAL [email protected] General Email [email protected] Sales Logentheran Pakianathan Jayson Tan Contributing Editor David Yeoh Verny Lim Goh Lay Hoon Assistant Manager of Lee Yan Li Ranjidham Pathimogan Content & Customer Engagement [email protected] Wendy Than Content Ng Pau Ling Sales Support Sanggari Selvan Viktor Chong Tharmini Kenas iBilik Nurul Huda Abdul Wahid Aisyah Suwardi Rashidah Mohd Jusoh Hakim Hassan PRODUCT & RESEARCH Chinese Editor Foo Kok Meng Product Manager Bertrand Chua [email protected] Digital Product Prem Zameer Video Producer Alan Khaw GENERAL [email protected] Admin Siti Amalina Ismail Designers Kwong Chee Oon Nurul Aida Tajudin Queeny Yong MARKETING & EVENTS General Email [email protected] Head of Customer Ivy Leong Engagement & Support [email protected] Events Kasturi Jayaraman Chloe Teh Nicholas Khoo Elaine Yap Justin Cheoh Events & Sales Support Amutha Thandaiyuthapani Marketing Manager Faye Tan StarProperty Sdn Bhd [email protected] (708369-V) Consumer Sales Specialist Gallen Low Menara Star, 15 Jalan 16/11, 46350 Petaling Jaya, Digital Marketing John Mark Selangor Darul Ehsan. Anushah Dewiendren +603-7967 1388 +603-7955 2458 SALES (PROPERTY BUSINESS) www.starproperty.my General Email [email protected] www.propwall.my www.ibilik.my Head of Sales (Property Business) James Ooi [email protected] StarProperty.my Sales Gan Fook Yong StarProperty.my Max Chua StarProperty.my Zann Yee Job Chang StarProperty Arthur Jeng Jonathan Roberts StarProperty Campaign Specialist Siti Sarah Abu Samad StarPropertyTV For more stories, go to best.starproperty.my 04 Editorial note PLAY 10 PARK Connecting with nature and kin 12 STADIUM Housing the international arenas 14 SPORT Matching wits with colour and strategy BUKIT JALIL EAT/DRINK 16 Quality and quantity at the French palace ~ Ame Soeur Boutique Cafe 20 Waffles and confections make a play at the CONTENT studio cafe ~ Munching Mob Cafe 24 A walk down memory lane ~ Peekaboo Cafe 28 Experience the taste of freshly baked bread ~ Fishee Coffee 32 A healthy start to the day ~ New Chapter by The Owls Cafe 36 The A to Z of Bukit Jalil 42 From wasteland to trendy neighbourhood 44 Builders of Bukit Jalil: The hands that laid the foundation 48 Step by step: Roads and railways set the path to growth and prosperity 50 Safety & security 54 Two towers of convenience 60 Bukit Jalil under the microscope 63 COLUMN Bukit Jalil: The next hotspot? 66 INTERVIEW Catalyst projects boost price hikes 70 INTERVIEW A convenient neighbourhood with excellent access 73 Market & transaction 74 Transformation of Bukit Jalil 75 Amenities & infrastructure 76 Map of Bukit Jalil 78 Featured property listing BUKIT JALIL EDITORIAL NOTE 04 Catching up with the fast pace of Bukit Jalil The measure of a property’s worth landed developments and the intricate is often cold and analytical, done railways and roads, all are bound to- through the lens of professionals gether as one. who worship empirical formulas. The Story of Bukit Jalil bursting onto the However, the soul of a land is not so international scene, with the successful easily quantified through numbers. completion of a mega infrastructure ca- pable of hosting international games, is StarProperty.my’s Best@ series will ad- an attestation that the slogan Malaysia dress this issue by bringing a more hu- Boleh is not merely a statement of fan- man touch and understanding to a par- tasy. ticular area in Malaysia. For the lifeblood of a land is best represented by those Bukit Jalil has risen from its past stigma Born&Bred from its bountiful soil. as a pest-infested landfill site to become part of the pantheon of Malaysian pro- The first issue of Best@ series will Explore gress. Bukit Jalil, a place that represented Ma- laysia during the 16th Commonwealth Prime developers from all over the coun- Games in 1998. try are also carving their stake in this land. The high-profile developments are From the foreboding heights of a high- expected to boost the property market rise pinnacle, the grounded yet sturdy Transaction in Bukit Jalil. 05 WE would like to think that shape, or disintegrates. every land and neighbour- hood has its own distinct iden- How often do we read or hear tity. From the topography to about some stories or interest- the scenery, from the small ing places in our neighbour- houses to the grand building, hood and realise that it is un- YAN LI from the humble but comfort- charted territory for us? able dwellings to the exciting and modern parlours, there is The Best@ series, in an at- something that makes up the tempt to explore both the hid- inherent characteristics of a lo- den gems and famous attrac- cality, a distinction where the locals would identify with- in the place they How to capture call home. the soul of a place? Yet, most places are not as distinct as we would tions of an area, is an effort to like them to be. A neighbour- reintroduce a neighbourhood hood often grows organically. to its residents, and also to fa- The growth and development miliarise the outsiders with its could be triggered by one wa- quirks and patterns. tershed moment, or it could be built upon a long-term, pains- It is a journey that we go taking undertaking. It was in through with our readers to this process that the soul of a learn or rediscover the magic neighbourhood slowly takes of a place. REAL estate consists of the land and LRT station. I could commute by LRT the buildings on it, the surroundings and MRT. It costs RM4.60 one way such as the landscape elements, with the use of the monthly pass. natural resources, facilities, ameni- ties, as well as the lo- cals and their lifestyle. Life in Bukit Jalil NG PAU LING By dividing the factors into four main sections: sounds good to me! Born&Bred, Explore, Story and Transaction, we hope In the morning, before heading that the BEST@ series will provide a to the office, I could jog in the 80- full picture of a particular area. acre Bukit Jalil Recreational Park and challenge myself with the uphill After Best@Bukit Jalil, let’s imagine slopes. Perhaps, I should join the what kind of lifestyle I’ll be having if swimming course offered at The I stay in Bukit Jalil. National Aquatic Centre@KL Sports City, as this is one of my New Year’s Most probably, I will be spending resolutions for 2018. After some ex- RM1,700 to RM2,300 to rent a ercise, I could make the most of my condo in The Z Residence. It is a weekends meeting up with friends transit-oriented development locat- in any of the trendy cafes located in ed 650m away from the Muhibbah Taman Esplanad. 06 THE production of Best@Bukit Jalil has been a la- bour of love. From the office to the groundworks, we took meticulous care to sketch a metaphorical portrait for Bukit Jalil. Under the sweltering heat, we walked the path tak- VIKTOR en by the people, trying to peer into the lives they CHONG lead. Moving around the 80-acres Bukit Jalil Rec- reational Park in formal office attire was particular- ly challenging, especially when the Quantifying the sun shone unquantifiable brightly that day. But every cloud has its silver lining. The hospitali- ty of the people is yet another turn of the chapter that we will never forget. I could not forget the wholesome scent of freshly baked bread or the golden crisp of their waffles. The sight and sound of life was something that numbers could not reflect or quantify. And I be- lieve the Best@ series is a fair representation of the land. It is the face that the masses could relate to; bringing shape and texture to the abstract. BEING an Ipoh girl through and through, the name Bukit Jalil meant nothing but the Bukit Jalil Stadium and the International Medical University for me before I started working on this series. It is indeed true that to know and feel the essence of a place; one should visit the nooks and cran- nies of the area, talk to its people, eat its food THARMINI and inhale its air. That is what we did, and it has KENAS become much more than the stadium and univer- sity to me. In fact, I have grown fond of Bukit Jalil’s food and people. A fresh view We took our time to truly understand the vibe that Bukit Jalil exudes and had so much fun exploring the place while listening to its stories from locals. The opportunity to do all these had greatly rewarded me. And, I hope, just like me, you would find this se- ries, both rewarding and insightful. 07 The sporty people of Bukit Jalil speaks of a fast-paced life filled with healthy competition and unbridled optimism. Catch a glimpse of their colourful lives through the vast arrays of concept cafes sprouting all over the region. Some of the most compelling tales start over a cup of coffee and fine dining. This is no exception. 08 “The sports arena that grows and evolves alongside the locale.” “80-acre of green haven.” - KL Sports City - Bukit Jalil Recreational Park “A walk down the memory lane for those who enjoyed “Pancakes, ice creams the Japanese animation My and confections make Neighbour Totoro.” a play at the studio – Peekaboo Cafe cafe.” – Munching Mob Cafe “The few places where one could experience the taste of freshly baked “A perfect pick-me-up with home-made bread.” high-quality coffee and natural lighting.