Eco-Friendly Forest City That Cost $100 Billion Is Now A Complete Ghost Town With No Change In Sight

Over the years, the buzz around building eco-friendly cities has been growing louder.

Yet, there's this one megacity, famously nicknamed 'Forest City,' that was all set to be China's big green dream but has instead turned into something of a ghost town.

This ambitious project on the Malaysian coast came with a hefty price tag of $100 billion.

It was envisioned as a bustling metropolis capable of housing up to a million people, complete with amenities like a golf course, a water park, and a variety of eateries.

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Construction kicked off back in 2016, but it's been a bumpy ride from the get-go.

The BBC reports that only about 15 percent of Forest City has actually been built, and of that, a mere one percent is being used.

Despite the current grim picture, the brains behind the operation, Country Garden, remain 'optimistic' about seeing the project through to completion.

But with the company grappling with debts nearing $200 billion, there's a fair bit of skepticism about whether they can pull it off.

So, why is only one percent of the completed parts of the city actually being used?

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The BBC explains that Forest City was primarily marketed to Chinese buyers, pitching it as a slice of Malaysia they could call their own.

However, the price tags on these properties have sky-rocketed, pushing them well beyond the reach of many.

For locals, the silver lining might be finding a wealthy investor who buys a property there, making renting a more feasible option.

And, as with many ambitious projects, the pandemic threw a wrench in the works, halting construction temporarily.

It also seems people just aren't keen on snapping up the available apartments, which throws a spanner in the works since those sales were supposed to fund the rest of Forest City's development.

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Nazmi Hanafiah, an IT engineer, shared with the BBC his brief stint living in Forest City.

He rented a one-bedroom apartment with a sea view for six months before deciding to leave. 

"I managed to escape this place. I didn't care about my deposit, I didn't care about the money. I just had to get out."

"I'm getting goosebumps just being back. It's lonely around here - it's just you and your thoughts," he said.

He went on to say, "To be honest, it's creepy."

"I had high expectations for this place, but it was such a bad experience. There is nothing to do here."