Dbkl Considering Anti Homeless Infrastructure Zaliha

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PARLIAMENT | The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is examining the use of infrastructure that prevents homeless people from sleeping in public spaces.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa said that DBKL is studying the implementation of anti-homeless infrastructure in major cities such as London, Tokyo, and Singapore.
"This approach also involves the design of public benches, for example, (bench designs) which are not suitable for them to lie down, optimal lighting and landscape layouts that encourage temporary use and are also safe.
"This step is implemented prudently so that the urban space remains user-friendly but does not encourage continued homeless activities," she told the Dewan Rakyat today.
ADSZaliha (above) was responding to Fong Kui Lun (Harapan-Bukit Bintang), who asked about transit centres for homeless people.
Designs that prevent people from sleeping in the space are also called "hostile architecture", "defensive architecture", and "exclusionary design".
Human rights activists have slammed the use of such designs as inhumane and dehumanising, saying they not only target the homeless, but also make public spaces uncomfortable as well as less welcoming.
Critics have pointed out that anti-homeless architecture does not solve the systemic issues that cause homelessness, and funding such infrastructure would be better channelled into welfare initiatives.
Preventing food wastage
Speaking further, Zaliha said she has suggested that DBKL implement a policy allowing only retort packaging when distributing food to homeless people, as it will help the food last longer.
"And through this, they can reduce the risk of wasting food that spoils quickly," she added.
Retort packaging contains low-acid foods that have been sterilised through thermal processing in a pressure vessel.
This keeps food fresh for longer without the need for refrigeration while preserving the meal's natural flavour, texture, and nutrients.
The retort pouch is resistant to heat and water. It is also light, flexible, and relatively hard to contaminate or puncture.
However, it is slower to produce food through this method and the cost of making a pouch can exceed that of metal cans. - Mkini

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