The Malaysian government is hoping its new mega-plans for an expansive 21st Century economic hub will bring more action to the country, where other big projects have not lived up to their economic potential.
"Welcome to Malaysia, where utopian megaprojects, meant to wow the world, have become a cornerstone of nation building."
"According to the Iskandar Regional Development Authority, the government plans to allocate more than 4 billion ringgit, or $1.2 billion, for the region's physical infrastructure over the five years to 2010. Government media say the target is to attract 50 billion ringgit in investment within five years, and 370 billion by 2025."
"Several ambitious earlier developments, such as the aviation hub facilities of Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the sprawling, ecologically friendly administrative capital, Putrajaya, are operating well below capacity around a decade into their existence, but Iskandar, intended to be the nation's next major growth driver, will be different, its planners say. The development rubs shoulders with Singapore and is designed in part to feed off the thriving city-state, as Shenzhen has fed off Hong Kong, offering cheaper land and alternative labor."
Read the full story: A megaproject bears witness to Malaysia's faith in economic planning
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge
A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion
Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority