Home • PRRES Inc. Journal • Read the Journal

Waterfront Development in Malaysia: Do We Have Sustainable Governance?

Author/s: Azlina Binti Md Yassin, Sandy Bond, John Mcdonagh

Date Published: 1/01/2011

Published in: Volume 17 - 2011 Issue 3 (pages 336 - 356)

Abstract

The waterfront is recognised as the zone of interaction between a city and a river. In Malaysia, waterfront developments were established when the country was first settled, mainly as a transport route and for trading. Waterfronts became more urbanised and commercialised from the early 1990’s onwards. However, due to constraints such as ineffective governance as well as inadequate federal, state and municipal planning guidelines, the waterfronts have problems such as environmental degradation, crime and flooding. Although some waterfront development projects continue to remain profitable, with good public access, many do not. This paper examines the effectiveness of governance for waterfront developments in Malaysia. The data presented in this paper was obtained from in-depth interviews with stakeholders involved in waterfront development projects in Malaysia; in particular, from three selected case study areas: Kuching Riverfront, Malacca Waterfront and Glenmarie Cove Riverfront. The interview results show that Malaysia does not have effective governance for waterfront developments for several reasons. A low level of cooperation between stakeholders involved in waterfront development projects was identified as a main contributor to the governance problems. These results will be used to provide information for developing guidelines for best practice for waterfront developments in Malaysia.

Download Full Article

Download the Full Article PDF

14445921.2011.11104338.pdf 14445921.2011.11104338.pdf (357kB)

Keywords

Waterfront Development - Waterfront Governance

References

  • Abidin, R. Z. R. Z. (2004). Water resources management in Malaysia: The way forward. Paper presented at the Asia Water 2004 (30 March - 02 April 2004).
  • Andaya, B. W., & Andaya, L. Y. (2001). A history of Malaysia (Second ed.). Hampshire, Britain: Palsgrave.
  • Bertsch, H. (2008). The key elements to successful waterfront design. Real Estate Weekly, 54.39.
  • Bruttomesso, R. (2006). Waterfront development: A strategic choice for cities on water. Paper presented at the Waterfront Development Forum: China Maritime (02 March 2006), Hong Kong.
  • Concise Oxford English Dictionary (Ed.). (2009). (11 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Costanza, R., Andrade, F., Antunes, P., Belt, M. V. D., Boersma, D., Boesch, D. F., et al. (1998). Principles for sustainable governance of the oceans. Science, 281, 198–199.
  • Costanza, R., Cumberland, J. H., Daly, H., Goodland, R., & Norgaard, R. B. (1997). An Introduction to Ecological Economics. In R. Costanza (Ed.), Lisbon Principles of Sustainable Governance. Florida: St. Lucie Press.
  • Duxbury, J., & Dickinson, S. (2007). Principles for sustainable governance of the coastal zone: In the contex of coastal disasters. Ecological Economics, 63, 319–330.
  • Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Building theories from case study research. Academy of Management, 14(4), 532.
  • Elfithri, R., Mokhtar, M., Shah, A. H. H., & Idrus, S. (2008). Collaborative decision making within the context of integrated water resources management in Langat River Basin, Malaysia. Paper presented at the 7th World Wide Workshop for Young Environmental Scientist 2008 (13–16 May 2008), Crιteil – France.
  • Federal Constitution. (2006). Laws of Malaysia. Malaysia: Constitution of Malaysia.
  • Glenmarie Cove Development Sdn. Bhd. (2009). Proposal of development - Report.
  • Glenmarie Cove Development Sdn. Bhd.
  • Kitchin, R., & Tate, N. J. (2000). Conducting research in human geography: Theory, methodology and practice. Harlow: Prentice Hall.
  • Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan. (1984). Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur Planning and Building Control Department, Kuala Lumpur City Hall.
  • Malaysian Department of Drainage and Irrigation. (2009). River management activities. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Department of Drainage and Irrigation, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
  • Mann, R. (Ed.). (1973). Rivers in the city. Newton Abbot: David & Charles.
  • Martinez, M. L., Intralawan, A., Vazquez, G., Perez-Maqueoa, O., Sutton, P., & Landgrave, R. (2007). The coasts of our world: Ecological, economic and social importance. Ecological Economics of Coastal Disaster - Coastal Disasters Special Edition, 63(2–3), 254–272.
  • Mokhtar, M., & Elfithri, R. (2005). Participatory management for integrated water resources management through collaborative decision making. Paper presented at the IWRM consultation for senior executive in the public sector.
  • Post, J. C., & Lundin, C. G. (1996). Guidelines for integrated coastal zone management. Washington D.C., U.S.A: The International.
  • Rogers, P., & Hall, A. W. (2003). Effective Water Governance. Stockholm: Global Water Partnership (TEC Background Papers No.7).
  • Sarawak Economic Development Corporation. (1990). Kuching Riverfront Master Plan. Sarawak, Malaysia: Sarawak Economic Development Corporation.
  • Soil Resources Management and Conservation Service. (1993). Guidelines for Land Use-Planning. Rome, Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation.
  • State Government of Malacca. (2009). Fact sheet - Malacca Waterfront. State Government of Malacca.
  • Torre, L. A. (1989). Waterfront development. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
  • Welch, D. N., & Keat, L. T. (1987). Water Resources Development and Management in Malaysia. In Water Resources Policy for Asia. Rotterdam, Netherlands: A. A. Balkema.
  • Weng, C. N. (2005). Sustainable management of rivers in Malaysia - Involving all stakeholders. International Journal River Basin Management, 3(3), 147–162.
  • Yassin, A. M., Eves, C., & McDonagh, J. (2010a). An evolution of waterfront development in Malaysia. Paper presented at the 16 Pacific Rim Real Estate Society Conference (24–27 January 2010), Intercontinental Hotel, Wellington, New Zealand.
  • Yassin, A. M., Eves, C., & McDonagh, J. (2010b). Waterfront development in Malaysia: Do we have sustainable governance?. Paper presented at the PhD. Colloqium Program for 16 Pacific Rim Real Estate Society Conference (24–27 January 2010) Intercontinental Hotel, Wellington, New Zealand.
  • Yin, R. K. (1984). Case study research: Design and methods. Beverly Hills, California: SAGE Publications.
  • Yin, R. K. (1993). Application of case study research. California: SAGE Publication.
  • Yin, R. K. (1994). Case study research: Design and methods (2 ed.). Beverly Hills, CA: SAGE Publishing.
  • Yossi, B., & Sajor, E. E. (2006). Development of riverside kampung and management of rivers in Yogjakarta Indonesia: Issue of policy coherence and relevance of socio economic characteristics of river bank communities Paper presented at the Regional Conference on Urban Water and Sanitation in Southest Asean Cities, Vientiane, Lao PDR.