Kota Damansara

Kota Damansara was launched in 1993 by the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) under the name Bandar Baru Sungai Buloh Jaya, conceived as a mixed-development township spanning 1,600 hectares. Its original theme, "Living in Harmony with the Environment," emphasized integrating green spaces, including preserving a portion of the Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve gazetted in 1898. In April 1999, the Selangor Executive Council officially renamed the township Kota Damansara to align it geographically with neighboring areas like Damansara Utama and Shah Alam, while bolstering its identity as a modern residential and commercial hub.^[1]

The township’s master plan aimed to accommodate 110,000 residents through 22,000 housing units, with 40% (8,800 units) allocated to low- and low-medium-cost housing, 15% (3,300 units) to medium-cost, 25% (5,500 units) to high-medium-cost, and 20% (4,400 units) to high-cost properties. By 1999, 3,077 units had been completed, and 8,270 were under construction, with full completion projected for 2005. Initial development focused on 520 hectares, while the remaining 1,080 hectares were reserved for a botanical garden and green infrastructure.^[2]

Over the following decades, rapid urbanization reduced the original 6,590-hectare Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve—integral to the township’s ecological framework—to just 321.7 hectares by 2010. Community advocacy groups like the Friends of Kota Damansara campaigned against encroaching projects, including a controversial Muslim cemetery and residential developments, culminating in the forest’s re-gazettement in 2010 as the Kota Damansara Community Forest Reserve (KDCFR).^[2]

The Kota Damansara Community Forest Reserve (KDCFR) serves as the township’s ecological anchor, preserving 321.7 hectares of secondary forest. It hosts 227 bird species, including the rare Argus pheasant, and supports diverse flora and fauna. Managed collaboratively with the Temuan Orang Asli community, it offers hiking trails, educational programs, and serves as a critical green lung mitigating urban heat and flooding. Despite its protected status, the reserve faces threats from encroaching developments like the Bayu 23 housing project. The forest’s preservation reflects community-led efforts to balance sustainable urbanization with environmental heritage.^[2]

It is served by Kota Damansara MRT station and Surian MRT station on MRT Kajang Line, with operations began on 2016.^[3] The area is also accessible by Rapid KL bus route 780 (Kota Damansara–Hab Pasar Seni) and 802 (LRT Kelana Jaya–Kota Damansara).^[4]

Rapid KL MRT feeder bus route T801 (MRT Kwasa Sentral–Seksyen 6,7,8 and 9 Kota Damansara),^[5] T805 (MRT Kota Damansara–Seksyen 4,5 Kota Damansara via Selangor Science Park),^[6] T807 (MRT Surian–Ara Damansara),^[7] and T808 (MRT Surian–Seksyen 11 Kota Damansara),^[8] serve as the first-last mile connectivity in neighbourhood in Kota Damansara to Kwasa Sentral MRT station, Kota Damansara MRT station and Surian MRT station.^[9]

• Kota Damansara Community Forest Park