Putrajaya is an extremely young city. First ground was broken in 1993. The city is supposed to be a fully planned urban area that takes natural elements into the design. It will also be the seat of Malaysia’s federal government.
There is no arguing the fact that Putrajaya has attractive elements. Over 40% of the city’s landscape is green-hued. There are tree-lined boulevards, manicured lawns, botanical gardens, and man-made lakes. The architecture is impressive: sculptures, sparklingly new mosques, and modern office buildings.
There is one thing that is quite unique about the Putrajaya experience: Despite the infrastructure and buildings, there are very few people. Putrajaya hasn’t grown into its buildings and roadways yet. The population of the city was expected to be 300,000. However, the economic crisis that hit Asia in the late 1990s slowed the construction process. There are currently 50,000 people in Putrajaya, mostly government workers and politicians. For this reason, major parts of the city appear deserted. This might not be a bad thing, especially for visitors who are looking for a place to escape from the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur (only a short train ride away). Still, it is somewhat eerie to be on a wide, 4-lane avenue with no other cars or to wander through a beautiful botanical garden in the middle of the city with no other human beings in sight.
Aside from natural beauty that will surely impress nature-lovers and garden aficionados, the city has some of the most impressive architecture in Southeast Asia. Perdana Putra is a humongous government building that houses the offices of the Malaysian prime minister. The building is impressive on the interior as well and is open to the public during weekdays. Putra Mosque is a huge structure with an unnatural pink hue and impressive, Arabian-inspired details.
