Malaysia’s China-linked multibillion-dollar ghost town project stalled by Covid and capital curbs

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Forest City, a US$100-billion property development by a China-linked company in southern Malaysia, was built to house up to 700,000 people once completed in 2035. But the huge residential and commercial project resembles a ghost town today, with an estimated 2,000 residents living on the site. The clampdown on capital outflows from China and the Covid-19 pandemic have limited the number of potential buyers.

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[jk]

Precious mangroves and sea creatures were destroyed to reclaim this land. The city sounds green but precious natural habitat was destroyed.

[skittleyrealm]

I’m a Malaysian who has grown up in Johor Bahru my whole life. Honestly speaking, Forest City is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to property development in JB. Throughout the course of my childhood, I’ve seen the drastic changes the city has undergone. Skyscraper after skyscraper built, then left virtually unoccupied. The natural beauty of the coastline of JB (facing Singapore) has virtually been destroyed, with land being reclaimed to build large flats. Singaporeans and overseas investors make up a large proportion of buyers and push property prices up, thus pricing out local residents who cannot afford them.

It’s upsetting how the authorities in charge go ahead with such building plans without considering the environmental, societal and economic implications they have.

[leealex]

I'm Malaysian from KL. Johor problem is that they build houses before they think about jobs, industries and commercial. To have people and vibrancy, you must first have businesses, commercial. If you are going to have 100, 000 new people staying there, you definitely need 100, 000 jobs from industries etc.

[thelastofthehitachi]

'The project was largely not targeted at local Malaysians but rather at upper-middle-class citizens from China who were looking to park their wealth abroad' - wikipedia

[ryanchoo]

This represents a major flaw seen in Johor and everywhere in Malaysia generally. Prime land being sold to unaccountable developers along with projects approved without necessary checks. Ultimately all boiling down to the lay-back and corrupted authorities.

[wyattearp]

An another problem is Forest city is built on reclaimed land, the quality and stability of those land is questionable

[eilois]

honestly those plants create an impression of abandoned building to begin with

[shudoy]

I'm Malaysian. I will buy a condominium or apartment nearer to the shopping mall, and everything else. Those residential buildings are close to one another like in China. Not my type of living atmosphere. At least for me😅

[simlowsb]

Unsustainable and unattainable project. The companies Director and Shareholders did not consider this key elements on such a scale of development

[Maya-svpz]

Malaysia: hey, let's build a literal forest city. First we build a city and abandons it so forest grows around it.

[francispua]

Even my relatives from JB don't invest properties in JB, they rather invest KL. Oversupply homes in JB is flooded, yet no demand there

[Jijo]

That forest city actually become a forest. Now we need to wait for animals to stay there

[rexxeszanorpia]

Forest City will be a real forest 5 years from now.

[AzulGatos]

My father is a retired city planer, worked most his life in Kuala Lumpurs government sector. His opinion on Forest City? Waste of space. They built it as if people wanna move there asap. He visited there while in johor and says there's nothing interesting there.

[worldthroughasecondlanguag]

While it does look like a nice complex, 100 billion dollars of cost sounds quite unreal.

[bukitkatilmp]

Malaysians dont live there anyway. Its a reclaimed land outside the shores of Malaysia targeted for Chinese nationals.

[tufghost]

Wow, its truly becoming forest city by the name.

[noramira]

Built on a reclaimed land is too risky to live and stay with such high rise buildings. Better safe than sorry.

[opnwatta]

When you neglect those low income earners, greedy comes first, failure comes second

[rushiekh]

One of the causes is that the Malaysian government frequently changed the regulations governing foreign ownership and foreigner visas.