March 8-11, 2026
We only spent a few days in Kuala Lumpur as a layover on our way to Vietnam, but the sparkling clean streets and the razzle dazzle of shiny oblong skyscrapers won me over. We went running on a cushy rubber trail beneath it all and I felt like Dorothy dancing her lil’ ol’ way through the City of Oz. We stayed on the 28th floor of a 53-floor apartment building (dizzying, I know). In the morning I could peek out the window and stare straight into the soul of our neighbors - construction workers a level or two down, conjuring up another colossal building. What magic potions and enchanting spells they wield, I may never know, but we did watch a video about the engineering of elevators in Merdeka 118 (the second tallest building in the world) just a stone’s throw from our perch.
Despite the short length of our stay, we were zipping around, out there. Traveling about, we experienced Rapid KL’s gamified trains. It was just distracting enough to pique my interest. The train was bejeweled with decals of a local superhero (Mechamato) along with his kit and caboodle. We parked ourselves on the cheerful, bright seating that felt designed for parkour or a music video.
I read more about this collaboration between a local animation team and the transit authority to entice the next generation of passengers. It turns out that they are trying to improve youth perception of public transit, blending immersive play in a physical and digital campaign. There were stamps to be collected! Roblox games to be played! Videos to watch! Stations to reach!
Transporting myself to the internet, I found that multidimensional commuter campaigns are apparently booming in Japan, Singapore, and London, with prototypes emerging in the US. Being a country cousin, it was fun to imagine what the rural equivalent might be. Why not design school buses to increase attendance? We need Miss Frizzle! What if game designers partnered with local industries to make career exploration more tangible and comprehensive for rural kids.
In Kuala Lumpur, there were so many ways of life coexisting together. We saw that amid our march to the Hindu Batu Caves, sundry savories in Little India, and bobbing through a sea of Muslim friends and families observing Iftar (breaking of the fast at sunset during Ramadan). We walked up a hill to the most dramatic Buddhist temple I’ve ever seen. Between it all was the transit.
While we only saw about an inch and a quarter of city, I left impressed. Also curious. How do neighbors move beyond coexisting on platforms to creating interstitial spaces for education? The longterm outcomes are yet to be seen, but what was passive and dormant is now an active portal for imagination. It may take an army of wizards pulling the levers behind the scenes, but I felt encouraged to see play at the helm of an incredible complex system. Dorothy would be pleased, I think.
