City layout

Shah Alam has a similar urban layout to Petaling Jaya or Subang Jaya with housing areas occupying most of the city (55.2 km²) and commercial centres scattered around the different 'Seksyen' (sections). There are 56 sections in total.

The city has a number of shopping malls (Plaza Alam Sentral, (also known as PAS), SACC Mall, Plaza Shah Alam (also known as Plaza Masalam), Ole-Ole and Kompleks PKNS) and it has many schools, shops, banks, eateries, cafes, hotels, medical centres, clinics, large hypermarkets (notably Tesco, Giant and Makro) and recreational areas. Vibrant commercial areas are situated mostly at the city centre (Seksyen 14), Seksyen 13 and Seksyen 9.

All main roads and streets in the city have signs with their names shown in both Roman and Jawi scripts.

Sports

Shah Alam is one of the city in Malaysia which has many facilities for sports enthusiasts. This is because there is a fully-equipped sports complex known as Kompleks Sukan Shah Alam or Shah Alam Sports Complex.Among the facilities located within the Complex is the gigantic Stadium Shah Alam or Shah Alam Stadium. Stadium Shah Alam was the biggest stadium in Malaysia with 80 000 seats prior to the construction of the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil which could accommodate up to 100 000 spectators.

Apart from Stadium Shah Alam, there is Stadium Malawati or the Malawati Stadium, an indoor stadium that could accommodate 40 000 people in a time. Besides sports, this stadium had been used for several occasions such as the final concert of Akademi Fantasia and the Perhimpunan Pekerja 2008 held by the Dewan Pemuda PAS. The biggest occasion held in this stadium was the boxing finals of the 1998 Commonwealth Games which saw Malaysian's Sapok Biki won a gold medal.

The Shah Alam Sports Complex also include the Pusat Akuatik Darul Ehsan or the Darul Ehsan Aquatic Center, a Go-Kart track located within the Stadium Shah Alam parking compound, as well as the Shah Alam Extreme Park located in Section 13.

Education

The Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM, formerly known until 1996 as Institut Teknologi MARA or ITM) is located nearby the state capital. The whole university area occupies an entire section on the western hills of the city known as Seksyen 1. At Seksyen 17, there is also a branch campus of UiTM called INTEC UiTM (International Education Centre), where its students undergo preparation programmes for overseas studies. INTEC UiTM is the only UiTM campus where non-bumiputra students are accepted for admission.

Other institutions of higher learning in Shah Alam include Universiti Industri Selangor, Management and Science University (MSU), and its affiliate college, PTPL College. Shah Alam also has several industrial-related education centres namely Shah Alam Polytechnic (or Politeknik Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah), CIAST, and ADTEC.

Transportation

KTM Komuter serves four stations in Shah Alam :

Shah Alam is well connected to other main cities in Klang Valley by highways such as the Federal Highway, New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE), Shah Alam Expressway (KESAS), Guthrie Corridor Expressway and the North-South Expressway Central Link (ELITE). Shah Alam is well connected to main transportation hubs such as the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) (30 km south of the city) and KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur. Buses and taxis provide public transport in commercial areas in the city.

Economy

The main plant of the Malaysian car manufacturer Proton is located in the industrial outskirts of Shah Alam. Shah Alam flourished as a growing urban settlement after the Proton car manufacturing plant was set up, which marked the beginning of the city as an industrial city. There are many companies who have their main plants in the industrial areas, both local and foreign.

Notable buildings and landmarks