Reviving the old heart of KL

A Green Market in Kuala Lumpur is an initiative to revive a historical area.

MEDAN Pasar, in the middle of old Kuala Lumpur, used to be a bustling place for traders back in the mid-1800s, thriving with banks, textile shops and traditional medical halls.

It was formerly known as Market Square, and served as a landmark, with a clock tower erected in 1937 to commemorate the coronation of King George IV.

Today, sadly, its history has been forgotten by many.

Enter Think City, an urban regeneration organisation that restores cities back to life via various creative initiatives. Medan Pasar is one such place that the organisation has chosen to be a part of this initiative.

“Medan Pasar used to be a place full of people. However, not many locals venture here anymore,” said Eke Omardin, programme manager of Think City.

The organisation focuses its initiatives within a one-kilometre radius of Masjid Jamek (which lies at the historical meeting point of the Klang River and Gombak River) with Medan Pasar being one of the key areas within that space.

“We are focusing on this area because we find that Malaysians are deserting it. But Medan Pasar is historically the most significant place in Kuala Lumpur,” added Eke.

Establishing a Green Market is one of Think City’s efforts to bring the crowd back and vendors from the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) and Henna Craft have been selected to support this.

“The Green Market is tapping into a new trend here in