Kuala Lumpur (KL) is the largest city, federal capital and the preeminent economic and cultural center of Malaysia. Seated at the heart of a 6.9 million person metropolitan area, the city is a nexus of rapid development and modernization. In many ways it epitomizes the tension between tradition and globalization affecting many world cities: alleys are lined with street-food stalls and peaked-roof Malay houses lie in the shadow of the futuristic Petronas Towers and a modern financial district. Increasing numbers of indoor shopping malls shift the way that people use public spaces; new development projects threaten both cultural heritage and community ownership in existing neighborhoods; the automobile-dense urban core leads to high traffic mortality rates; “squatter management” policies sometimes over-shadow the need for affordable housing; and river revitalization remains a challenge. The city’s rapid change and the pace of globalization raise many questions about the sustainability of the current growth rate and how the benefits of development are being distributed.