let's talk about campus design in general. information here are based on my personal observations. might differ on occassions.
UM kuala lumpurnot much on planned design, but basically the centre of UM is the lake, where most of its main buildings are located around it. it expands over hills around the lake valley, where most of the faculties are located. college/hostels are located sporadically, most are located near faculties.
vehicular access is quite good, although at peak hours i feel there are too much traffic inside UM. parking can be a hassle.
UPM serdanga university designed over a HUGE land. i've been to some universities in europe which couldnt even compare with the sheer size of UPM. but basically most are farm/plantations. buildings are sporadic, although the main buildings are all located in the centre. colleges/hostels are located in specific areas, but mostly have good distance to its respective faculties.
u'll need to have a car or atleast a bike to live in UPM. i wouldnt even recommend bicycles. but i think they have good public/university transport. good vehicular access. parking are negotiable.
UiTM shah alamdesigned to complement shah alam city, which actually well integrated into the urban fabric. main buildings are located on top of the hill, which most already know is one of the landmarks of shah alam (the menara). faculties and buildings are located within good distance with each other, but being on a hill with varied topography can make the difference between near and far. colleges/hostels are located close to faculties, and sometimes can be seen in pairs.
acceptable vehicular access, but the centre tends to get too crowded during peak hours. parking IS a hassle, depending on where u are. motorcycles are highly recommended.
USM penangquite a small campus compared to the others, mainly due to limited land area. u can walk the longest stretch of USM in less than 30 minutes. main buildings are concentrated in the centre stretch of the campus, with faculties and other buildings complementing each other. colleges/hostels are located within short distance, but my believe is that students stay mostly off-campus due to limited space.
vehicular access is quite limited, but the flow is good. parking can be a hassle, but i've never been in USM long enough to observe peak hours. so i wouldnt know. again, motorcycles are recommended (by suggestions from friends).
UTM KL campusi believe this is the SMALLEST public university campus in malaysia. u can walk the longest stretch in 15 minutes. main buildings are located in the centre, and other buildings (which are quite old) located very close to each other. most are already connected by expansions and additional buildings. hostels are located near the centre, but have very limited space.
dont bother about vehicles. u WONT get a parking there, even on sundays. believe me, i know. just get somebody to drop u off at the frontgate everyday. or get a bus or cab.
UTM JBplanned using sekolah pondok concept, with the mosque in the centre on top of a hill. faculties and main buildings are located around it, and hostels/colleges are located outside the faculty ring. although it's acceptably walkable from one faculty to another, walking from ur hostel to ur faculty might take more than 30 minutes. usually more.
vehicular access are good, although parking in the central area might be limited during peak hours. there are central parking zones near central zone, and usually students walk from there on to their respective faculties.
LUCT cyberjayaone of the fanciest looking university in malaysia. it's actually consist of several buildings, which are efficiently well connected with each other. u'd get a feel of shopping complex typology around the building. hostels are only for foreign students, so local students had to find outside accommodation.
vehicular access is very good. parking is also quite good, although u might have to pay if u wanna park closer to the building. owh, if u wanna drive, better drive a big car. small cars, dont bother lah

. i parked my car so far away, malu ho!
note: i've never been to:
a. UTP, which from what i gather, is the best looking university in msia. won many awards too, architecturally, atleast.
b. UIA gombak, the new campus have been said to have impressive planning and design layout with a lot of consideration of the Islamic factors.
c. UUM, where the design was submitted to several international competitions, and got special mentions. not sure if they won any awards though.
This post has been edited by azarimy: Apr 28 2006, 07:50 AM