Bangsar Bounces Back
May 10, 2011
Sheena Chua
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Visit the upscale residential district of Bangsar Baru in Kuala Lumpur and you’ll be greeted with quaint cafés, retail shops and chic restaurants.
(Bangsar began as a housing area for railway workers. Image courtesy of Two Hundred Percent.)
It hasn’t always been this way. Situated near a historic railway station, Bangsar started out decades ago as a housing area for railway workers, and was later turned into a centre for nightlife buzzing with throngs of party people, who abandoned the area for the next trendy spot once novelty wore off. Forgotten, the area was left to wear and tear. It eventually gained a new lease of life when savvy entrepreneurs opened up classy coffee places to cater to the whims and fancies of the well-to-do, who were spilling over from nearby neighbourhoods Bukit Tunku and Damansara Heights. Bangsar Baru – neatly tucked between downtown KL and Damansara Heights – soon became what it currently is: a place where the distinguished and the tasteful meet over brunch, or while their time away with an Oscar Wilde hardcover and a freshly brewed cuppa.
Notably, Bangsar is one KL suburb that has a literally multiracial composite. “The area is really picking up now. It’s a much better mix now, as residents don’t really want the area to be a watering hole as it was before”, comments George Joseph, proud Bangsar resident since 1974 and current president of the Bangsar Baru Residents Association, to The Straits Times. He adds that Bangsar Village mall should be thanked for the revival.
Bangsar Village mall is the eponymous shopping area at the heart of it all, bringing new and well-known brands into the scene. “We are conscientious about our leasing, as we feel Bangsar residents are well travelled,” explains Tan Joon Kai, the mall’s complex manager.
With the glittering attraction spots, it’s no surprise that facilities like parking lots and other shops who want a piece of the Bangsar pie are sprouting up. This translates into rising property prices; some renovated terrace houses have recently sold for over RM1.5 million. Joseph reveals that he’d spent RM30, 000 on his home, which is now worth more than RM1 million (S$410, 000).
And despite the growing occurrences of annoying traffic jams and equally annoying snatch-thefts, people aren’t abandoning Bangsar any time soon.
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