SHAH ALAM, May 19 -- With a packet of ice melting in his hand outside the iconic neighbourhood 7-Eleven, Shukri Azman pointed across Seksyen 6 and smiled.

The same trees still shaded the ageing shoplots and district centre where generations of Shah Alam residents once bought newspapers, prepaid phone credit and Slurpees after school.

Around it, however, much of Shah Alam has steadily transformed with new commercial centres, apartment towers and increasingly crowded cafe districts in areas like Seksyen 7, 9 and 13.

"Seksyen 6 has hardly changed at all from the time I was born until now," said the 29-year-old freelancer, recalling childhood trips for nasi ayam lunches and Big Gulps after Hari Raya prayers with his father.

"My younger si...