Forest City, located in southern Malaysia, has been called a ghost city, an abandoned project, and a failed megaproject. Constructed by the Chinese real estate company Country Garden near Singapore, the ambitious development aimed to be a high-tech and eco-friendly city capable of accommodating one million people. Nevertheless, what does Forest City look like today?
Forest City is located in Johor, just across the river from Singapore. The project features high-rise residences, beaches, hotels, shops, and beautiful parks and roads. Staying at one of the hotels allows one to understand whether the ghost town reputation of the city is accurate.
The first impression can be unexpectedly pleasant. For example, one can see Singapore from the hotel room, and the buildings around are surrounded by vegetation.
It is easy to ride an electric scooter and investigate the massive development. One of the bike paths is about eight kilometers long and goes through residential buildings, commercial buildings, construction sites, and parks.
Yet, indications regarding the project indicate clearly enough that Forest City is still on its way to completion. There are still large sites of land that are awaiting development, and construction work is being conducted in several areas of the project.
A Certain Chinese Impact
One of the main things that can be noted about Forest City is Chinese influence and origins. Chinese letters can be seen on signs for shops, restaurants, supermarkets, and other types of businesses. The products sold there also come from the Chinese mainland.
That is why the location is rather different from most parts of Malaysia. While Malaysia is a multicultural country with a huge Chinese population, Forest City still seems much closer to China than other parts of the country.
Negatively too high prices of real estate add to the controversy. For instance, a two-room apartment costs about RM1 million, which is a non-affordable amount for most of the Malaysian youth. The prices for food in Forest City are also higher than in many other places in the country.
So is Forest City really unpopulated at weekends? It seems that it cannot be true at all.
Amenities for everyday living are readily available at Forest City. At the same time, however, the area is not bustling. For instance, while it may be considered a busy city at noon on a weekday, residents will probably experience little activity on the roads.
Most of the time, people can hardly see any signs of life even though most of the buildings seem to be filled with units.
How Good Place Forest City to Live In
Forest City is in between being a fully-fledged city and a gigantic construction project. Thus, it is neither correct to call it an abandoned city nor can it be described as a lively city.
Having close proximity to Singapore together with the mixture of beaches, swimming pools, modern architecture, and greenery on the property make it good enough for a holiday. However, it is another question whether people would choose to live there permanently, especially those who need diverse dining and entertainment options as well as a busy city life.
Forest City is still under construction since there are plenty of places to develop and the view of the settlement is likely to alter significantly in the next years. Thus, it is not a completed city but a massive undertaking that is still in search of its identity.
