AS of January 23, Malaysia is home to over 1,300 shopping malls — but with many of them struggling to attract crowds, not everyone thinks building more is the solution.
One frustrated Malaysian, Jie Yee, recently took to TikTok to voice her concerns, urging the country to stop building malls and instead invest in “third spaces” — places that foster community and well-being beyond home and work.
In a one-minute video, Jie Yee shares her thoughts candidly: “We don’t need any more shopping malls. We need third spaces.”
She goes on to point out that while malls continue to pop up across the country, many are far from thriving.
“Be real for a second — every time you go to a mall, do you really see people carrying bags and bags of shopping? Because I live in Klang Valley and I don’t. The only stores that are packed are the F&B outlets.”
Instead, Jie Yee calls for the development of walkable, accessible community spaces like cafés, libraries, gyms, and museums — places where people can gather, connect, and unwind without the pressure to spend.
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She also addressed the common excuse that “Malaysia is too hot” for outdoor community spaces by citing PARC (Project A Reka Cipta) in Subang Jaya as a successful example.
“PARC is always packed. It’s a thriving third space. I believe if these spaces are available — and most importantly, accessible — people will absolutely use them.”
The video resonated with many Malaysians online who echoed her sentiments, pointing out the need for more meaningful public spaces.
“We need more libraries, art galleries, museums and so on. Also, better shaded parks as well as sports areas. They literally tore down the badminton place in Cheras and built an apartment,” commented @iistiredaf.
“We need a multi-functional library. Library that is not just for study but to do our work from home and also social space. Why did we build so many malls ? Consumerism at its worst,” said @mralisyazwan.
“I’m from Europe but it’s insane how many malls there are here in Malaysia. Also on Borneo. They sometimes feel so sketchy with only phone shops etc,” said Peter.
