Explained: The RM4b Kota Madani megaproject set to transform Putrajaya's landscape
KUALA LUMPUR, June 27 — Imagine a living, thriving pedestrianised smart city roughly the size of 57 football fields equipped with various public amenities and green spaces for 35,000 people in the near future.
Finding it difficult to visualise?
Fret not, you don't need to look any further since one is currently being developed in the nation's administrative capital of Putrajaya.
What is Kota Madani?
Kota Madani or Madani City is a RM4 billion megaproject currently undertaken by the Malaysian government and Perbadanan Putrajaya.
The 102-acre megaproject will be developed by Putrajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd through a public-private partnership model based on the build, lease, maintain and transfer (BLMT) concept, without involving any government allocation in the initial phase.
Key components of the township will include 10,000 units of vertically built government quarters for approximately 35,000 civil servants and their families; financial institutions, eateries, community halls, bazaar sites, offices and commercial lots, all within walkable, self-contained residential precincts.
There will also be built-in public amenities such as a police and fire station, a house of worship, healthcare facilities, football fields, parks, schools, and institutions for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), a petrol station and a viewing platform overlooking Putrajaya Lake.
Designed to serve as a model township under the government's Madani framework, Kota Madani will integrate smart technologies, green infrastructure, energy-efficient systems, and essential public services into one cohesive urban ecosystem.
Where is it located?
Kota Madani will be situated along Lebuh Wadi Ehsan and Persiaran Selatan in Presint 19, Putrajaya.
It spans about 0.8 per cent of Putrajaya's total land area.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim viewing a scale model of the township during the launch of the Kota Madani groundbreaking ceremony in Putrajaya June 26, 2025. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
When is it going to be liveable?
According to the planned timeline, the megaproject's first phase — which comprises 3,000 residential units — is targeted for completion by the end of 2027.
The second phase — which includes the remaining 7,000 residential units and other public amenities — is targeted for completion by the end of 2028.
The entire project is slated for full completion within seven years or by 2032.
Who are the intended dwellers of Kota Madani?
Civil servants and government pensioners.
Why another megaproject?
Kota Madani and its eventual development emerged after the federal government saw the urgency to provide sufficient and affordable, high-quality housing needs to civil servants.
Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa was quoted recently as saying there is a current backlog of more than 17,000 unfulfilled applications for government quarters placement.
The township's development also demonstrates the government's commitment to support the growth of smart and sustainable cities.
How is Kota Madani different from other township developments?
With over seven percent of its total area developed as green spaces, Kota Madani is anchored upon the CHASE City vision (clean, healthy, advanced, safe and eco-friendly) — a policy framework designed to transform Malaysia's federal territories into liveable, sustainable cities.
A scale model of Kota Madani. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
The township also boasts 2.8km of support and mobility infrastructures, with a heavy emphasis on pedestrian accessibility and walkability.
Green and solar roofing, along with vertical gardens, will also be incorporated into the architecture of each block of the government quarters, providing natural insulation and an improved quality of life.
Among its unique features is the inclusion of vertical schools — schools with six or more storeys that is typically higher than a traditional horizontal school — built in response to urbanisation and land scarcity.
According to the developer, the three vertical schools — two primary and one secondary — with a total of 54 classrooms are designed to provide universal access to roofed pedestrian walkways between residential units and the schools.
Conceptualised as a smart city, technologies such as intelligent traffic systems, solar pathways, automated waste disposal system, closed-circuit surveillance system, disaster warning system and community WiFi access will be integrated into its development.
Most importantly, the township will be supported by the Local Urban Observatory system which utilises technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data and Internet of Things (IoT) to drive real-time monitoring of facilities, electricity usage, water quality, waste management and security.
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