Exploiting town planning factors in land development : Case study of urban housing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how planning factors affect urban housing development in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. The paper encompasses planning approval process, legislative provisions, and planning decisions. Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyses published literatures on land‐use planning to unveil diverse negative effects on property development, particularly on urban housing supply. Primary data are gathered through questionnaire surveys to 137 private housing developers and in‐depth interviews with seven local planning authorities to obtain feedback on the issues affecting urban housing development. Findings – The paper establishes that some components of the town planning control can be exploited towards achieving the housing aspiration of a nation. Research limitations/implications – The findings of this paper are based on planning controls on urban housing development in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Practical implications – The paper attempts to encourage public policy makers and local authorities to undertake a more active role in providing better quality of urban housing through utilisation of town planning tools such as development plans, development control, and planning decision. Originality/value – The paper provides information on how the government can utilise town planning controls to achieve urban housing policy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.