The $100 Billion Megacity That Became An Epic Failure Even Before Its Completion

Written by Bruno Teles

Published on 08/02/2025 at 12:44

$A megacidade de US$ 100 bilhões que virou um fracasso épico antes mesmo de ser concluída$

A história de Forest City serve como um daqueles avisos clássicos do tipo “não conte com o ovo antes da galinha botar”. Projetos megalomaníacos podem parecer incríveis no papel, mas, sem planejamento econômico sólido e uma base sustentável, podem acabar como esse: prédios bonitos, mas vazios.

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Designed for 700,000 Residents and Marketed as a Futuristic Paradise, the Megacity Forest City in Malaysia Today Is an Immense Void with Fewer Than 10,000 Inhabitants, Vacant Buildings, and an Uncertain Future.

Have you ever imagined a futuristic megacity, filled with modern buildings, paradise beaches, and water parks, that ultimately turned into practically a ghost town? Well, that’s the story of Forest City, a US$ 100 billion project that had every chance of being a success but ended up becoming one of the biggest real estate flops today.

The idea was to build an innovative megacity right there in Malaysia, close to Singapore. The goal? To create a true luxury refuge where families and business people could live in utmost comfort. But, in practice, what we see today are deserted streets, empty buildings, and very few residents.

What Went Wrong? A Series of Fatal Mistakes

The future of Forest City is still uncertain, but one thing has become clear: this US$ 100 billion megacity has gone down in history as one of the biggest examples of how a grand dream can turn into a huge nightmare.

Well, there’s a long list of reasons for this giant fall. But let’s get straight to the point: the main problem was that Forest City was designed for Chinese investors, and then came a huge bucket of cold water. The Chinese government tightened the belt and limited the transfer of money for investments abroad. The result? The source of buyers simply dried up.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

The Result? A Luxury Ghost Town

It was supposed to be a vibrant metropolis, full of life, but what we see today is an almost post-apocalyptic scene. Of the 700,000 residents who were supposed to occupy the city, fewer than 10,000 actually live there. And, let’s face it, this number is far from justifying the billions invested in the megacity project.

The streets are empty, luxurious buildings remain practically unoccupied, and local commerce can barely sustain itself. To make matters worse, there have been reports of environmental impact since the city was built on reclaimed land from the Johor Strait. This has compromised tropical mangroves and affected the region’s ecosystem, harming even local fishermen.

Is There Still Hope to Save the Megacity?

Despite everything, some attempts to reverse the disaster are being made. Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar of Malaysia proposed turning Forest City into a special financial zone, offering incentives to attract businesses and residents. The idea is to relocate government offices there and create a new economic hub in the megacity.

5 Comments

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older Most voted

Clovis Pereira

#124921

13/02/2025 19:26

Posso fazer um projeto que vai dar resultado desta cidade fantasma. É uma questão de projeto. Vai desenvolver o turismo local e criar um novo Polo turístico. Afinal o investimento já foi feito. Sou inventor e tenho facilidade pra soluções.

Respond

Margarete Santos

#123895

10/02/2025 13:24

Nestas condições quanto custa um apartamento t4?

Respond

Louis Mooren

#123734

09/02/2025 23:01

‘Empilhar’ pessoas não é uma solução sustentável para o futuro das metrópoles. Cidades têm que oferecer uma certa qualidade de vida aos moradores. Um transporte público que funciona, áreas comerciais ao redor, muito verde, lazer…. Empilhar em torres com mais de 25 andares com certeza não contribui…

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The $100 Billion Megacity That Became An Epic Failure Even Before Its Completion

Designed for 700,000 Residents and Marketed as a Futuristic Paradise, the Megacity Forest City in Malaysia Today Is an Immense Void with Fewer Than 10,000 Inhabitants, Vacant Buildings, and an Uncertain Future.

What Went Wrong? A Series of Fatal Mistakes

The Result? A Luxury Ghost Town

Is There Still Hope to Save the Megacity?

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The $100 Billion Megacity That Became An Epic Failure Even Before Its Completion

Designed for 700,000 Residents and Marketed as a Futuristic Paradise, the Megacity Forest City in Malaysia Today Is an Immense Void with Fewer Than 10,000 Inhabitants, Vacant Buildings, and an Uncertain Future.

What Went Wrong? A Series of Fatal Mistakes

The Result? A Luxury Ghost Town

Is There Still Hope to Save the Megacity?

Mother and daughter build a 70 m² house with more than 8,000 discarded glass bottles and impress with their creativity; known as the Casa de Sal, the property is located on Itamaracá Island, in Pernambuco.

Workers were opening a new road connection near the Marginal Tietê when they found, in the underground of the construction site, remnants of locomotives, wagons, and boilers from the 19th century linked to the forgotten history of Lapa.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

China transforms desert-devastated area into the world’s largest artificial forest, planting trees for 60 years, blocking sand that reached Beijing, and creating a “green lung” of 92,000 hectares in a region once considered lost.

He transformed an abandoned plastic water tank into an underground house in the “hobbit hole” style, using only repurposed pallet wood, without heavy machinery or expensive labor.

Greek island offers free housing for volunteers, but there’s a condition: you need to take care of rescued cats.

Toyota launches “family hybrid van” with 7 or 8 seats, 1.8 hybrid engine, fuel consumption of up to 23.8 km/l, and a price equivalent to about R$ 104,000 without taxes, below the Tiggo 8 Pro Plug-in Hybrid sold in Brazil: meet the Noah Hybrid 2026 in Japan.

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