Download February 2006 Issue

Newsletter of the Malaysian Institute of Planners KDN PP 10805/5/2005

February 2006

www.mip.org.my

Assalamualaikum w.b.t. and Warm Greetings,

Welcome 2006! It's almost the end of February but Ithink it's still not too late to wish everyone a very HappyNew Year.

As many silently take stock and make new resolutions tousher in the new year, I would like to reflect upon the10+1 years after we have had our Town Planners Act(1995) Act 538, i.e. on how much the profession hasprogressed over these years. The Institute has focusedin getting the house in order, outlining rules andregulations to further enhance the development of theprofession and working hand-in-hand with the Board ofTown Planners to regulate the practice

Practitioners on the other hand have taken advantage ofthe urbanization rate our cities are experiencing, asmore planners are planning more townships. With publicconfidence and further amendments to Act 172, Townand Country Planning Act (1983), the roles of regionalplanning are strengthened and the local plans havebecome more dynamic with public participation processemphasized. Planners are also increasingly workingalongside colleagues across local and state governmenton issues ranging from spatial regional developmentplan to designing guidelines, and all as part of a wideragenda to build sustainable communities.

This is the progression we have made, and it is withoutdoubt that public awareness on town planning and theiracknowledgement on the role town planners play indevelopment have improved significantly over the last 11years. However, as we benefited from the existence ofthe Town Planners Act (1995), we tend to becomecomplacent, not realizing of the challenges we are facingahead of us as dissatisfied parties rally behind our backsto make their presence more significant in this industry(this I mean by the amended Architects Act). Thus, areour dreams short-lived then? Definitely no! Planners willcontinue to play important roles in building this countryas we keep pace with the changing economies andexpectations of our communities. Who else but the

planners specialize in assessing competing demands forland use, understanding community needs, negotiatingand mediating different interest, seeking to reconciledifferent priorities and retaining an overall vision of whatis needed to make communities sustainable and placesliveable?

Thus, I urge all planners to have a strong sense of visionand purpose, be more innovative and action-oriented,more entrepreneurial, more inclusive and more proactivein assuming leading roles in making things happen onthe ground. We also need all planners to be *Registered*with the Board of Town Planners. To date we only have285 numbers of Registered Town Planners and thissmall number can also be a threat to the profession aswe cannot meet the market demand for professional andregistered town planners. The Institute is currently doingroadshows to encourage town planners to becomeRegistered member, and these include planners in thepublic and private sectors, as well as planningacademics in Institutes of Higher Learning.

Let us move forward with the courage and strength tochallenge the hurdles laid before us, and I have no doubtthat together we will be able to achieve great things. Letus assume bigger roles in building a well-planned andbalanced nation, with safe and healthy urbanenvironment for the communities. We must convincepeople that the *planners, planning and the planningsystem* can deliver the places that people want to live inand the economic prosperity that they want to benefitfrom.

Thank you

Norliza HashimPresident

“ I urge all planners to have a strong sense of vision and purpose,be more innovative and action-oriented, more entrepreneurial,more inclusive and more proactive in assuming leading roles in making things happen on the ground”~ Norliza Hashim ~ President, MIP

BERITA PERANCANG

Berita PERANCANG is published by thePublication Committee of the MalaysianInstitute of Planners.All communication should be addressed to:Berita PerancangMalaysian Institute of PlannersNo 51M Jalan SS 21/56B, Damansara Utama,47400 Petaling JayaTel : 03-77287272 Fax : 03-77286545E-mail : [email protected] /[email protected] : http://www.mip.org.myViews expressed in this Newsletter do notnecessarily represent those of the MalaysianInstitute of Planners

Assoc. Prof. WanMohamed Yusoff b.

Abdullah

Pn. Khairiah bt.Hj. Mohd Talha

Mr. Muhammad Farisb. Abdullah

Mr. Bong Khin Fah

Dr. Mohd ZinMohamed

Pn. JuwairiyahHo bt. Abdullah

Hj. Mokhtar b.Samadi

Siti Nor Azmi Shariah bt Che Lah

Hurun Ain

AdvisorAssoc. Prof. DrAlias Abdullah

Chief EditorEn. Ishak Ariffin

Members

PresidentNORLIZA HASHIM

Honorary SecretaryAHMAD SUHAIMIISMAIL

Vice-PresidentPROF DR MANSORIBRAHIM

Honorary TreasurerMD NAZRI MOHDNOORDIN

BIPC - (Building IndustryPresidents Council)

President - Norliza Hashim

EAROPH INTERNATIONAL(Eastern Regional Organization

For Planning and Housing)President - Norliza Hashim

EAROPH MALAYSIAPresident - Norliza Hashim

JOBPIC(Joint Building Planning

Committee)President - Norliza Hashim

AAPH - (Asean Association ForPlanning and Housing)

Jason Lee Poh Lee

BIM - Balai Iktisas MalaysiaT Mahesan

Ahmad Suhaimi Ismail

COMMONWEALTH ASSOCIATIONOF PLANNERS

Dato’ Mohd Fadzil b Hj Mohd KhirNorliza Hashim

NAPSECNorliza Hashim

Tuan Hj Mohd Nazri JaffarIhsan Zainal Mokhtar

Membership /Education Fund BoardPROF DR MANSORIBRAHIM

Research andPublicationASSOC PROF DR ALIASABDULLAH

ProgrammeMOHD. ZAMRI HUSIN

Education andStudents AffairsASSOC PROF WANMOHAMED YUSOFFABDULLAH

Young PlannersMD. NAZRI MOHDNOORDIN

Corporate Affairs /International AffairsNORLIZA HASHIM

Sustainable Planningand DevelopmentKHAIRIAH TALHA

Special ProjectsJASON LEE POH LEE

Professional PracticeIHSAN ZAINALMOKHTAR

Standing Committees :

CO-OPTED MEMBERS 2005-2007

REPRESENTATION IN COMMITTEES

EDITORIAL BOARD

SECRETARIAT STAFF

2 THE COUNCIL 2005-2007

• Dato’ Hj Zainol Bin Hj Ayob

• Datuk Hj Zainuddin HjMuhammad

• Zainab Bin Mohd Ghazali

• T Mahesan

• Datin Paduka Dr HalimatonSaadiah

BERITA PERANCANG

EDITORIAL 3

Welcome tothe first issue

for 2006! We arehappy to notethat our regularcorrespondentshave continuedto provide supportto the coreEditorial team. Thisissue also seereports from JPBDand Board of

Planners, besides the regular items. It is great to readthat our members are very active at the regionallevel. We have also appointed a correspondent fromthe East Coast to complete our regional coverage.Perhaps we need to establish some sort of BulletinBoard Service to enable dissemination of informationabout the activities at regional level to all members,wherever they are around the world. The MIP websiteshould come in handy, especially if it can send outautomatic notifications.

This issue coincides with our 2006 AGM, which will fromnow on take place at an earlier date due to theamendments made to our Constitution in 2005. Wehope to see everyone at the AGM this year. Theremay not be an election this year but there are stillimportant issues to be discussed and resolved.

We should also look forward to the establishment ofour new Secretariat office in Kelana Jaya. It is next toKelana Seafood, with a great view of the lake.

Another matter that was brought to my attention,and also mentioned in the President’s Message, is theregistration of planners with the Board of Planners.Browsing through the list, I noticed that there are anumber of practising planners who are not registeredyet. There are also planners who were registered asGraduate Town Planners but have not yet applied tobe upgraded to Registered Town Planners (Please seethe note from the Board of Planners).

While on the subject of professional practice, it isimportant for all practising planners to be registeredwith the Board. This is to ensure that we can protectthe integrity of our profession. Despite some nastycomments received from clients and even otherprofessionals who claim that they can do layout planand LCP submissions, we should be proud thatplanning is one of the few professions in this countrythat has Acts of Parliament to regulate the practiceand profession of town planning. We also have aFederal and State Government departmentsdedicated to town planning, not to mention the townplanning departments in the local authorities. Thatshould be an indication of the importance of theprofession. Planning is not as straightforward as otherprofessions. Planning assignments cannot simply bedelegated where the subordinates will complete thetask by making the mathematical computation andtranslating the sketches to scaled drawings. Planningwork almost always requires direct participation andattention of the principal town planner. Otherwise,the shortcomings will be obvious in the final product.

Professionalism is something we should instil inplanners right from their undergraduate years. Weneed to continuously review the courses and coursecontents to ensure that they measure up to theprevailing industry requirements. I personally feel thatthe local town planning undergraduates are‘overloaded’ with too many subjects of study, someof which are not directly related to town planning,that they have very little time left for themselves. Iremember when I was an undergraduate, I neverhad more than 3 days of 9-to-5 lectures in a week. Isuspect that the lack of free time is limiting theircreativity and affecting the quality of their output. It islaudable that the MIP has embarked on a trainingscheme to assist young graduates in bolstering theirpractical skills in town planning. Please encourage allthe new graduates to register with the MIP YoungPlanners Committee.

Finally, on behalf of the Editorial Committee, I wish toexpress our gratitude to everyone who has kindlycontributed towards the publication of this issue. Welook forward to your continued support.

~ Ishak Ariffin ~ Chief Editor

Contents• President’s Message

• Editorial • Planning Blogs• News from JPBD• MIP Calendar of Events• Planning & the Law : Tree Preservation Orders under

Malaysian Planning Law• Round Table on the Town Planners Rules• A Satellite Town for Muar?• Village Appraisals• Competitiveness Indicators for Benchmarking Developed

States’ Vision in Malaysia• Understanding Terminologies : What is Deep Ecology• ENSPADS Executive Workshop• An Interview with the Director General of JPBD• Campus News • News from Board of Town Planers, Malaysia• From Around the Country : News from Sarawak/Sabah &

Northern Branches

BERITA PERANCANG

PLANNING BLOG4

BLOG PERANCANGAN (PLANNING BLOGS) by ePlanner

12/02/06Maintenance culture - Pusat SainsNegaraTook my daughter to her friend’sbirthday party held at Pusat SainsNegara in Bukit Damansara today. Itook my other two girls around thecentre while waiting for the party tofinished. It is sad to say that theplace has become a victim of theMalaysian malaise - poormaintenance. There were manyinteractive exhibits that were brokenand have not been repaired. Or is it avictim of bureaucracy, instead?Perhaps the centre is still waiting forbudget approval from the Treasury torepair those exhibits? Places likePusat Sains Negara should havesome autonomy in terms expenditurefor maintenance of exhibits. I dreadto think that the place is a victim ofthe worst Malaysian malaise -apathy. This would be unfortunatebecause the centre is indeed a funplace for kids.

11/02/06Friends and neighboursAre your neighbours your friends?Do you know their names? Are theyjust someone who happen to livenext door to you? The Chief Editortold me that he had to help hisneighbour restrain their maid whohad a nervous breakdown the othernight. At that time only her teenageson was home and she also have atwo year old toddler to look after.Even when the police came, it tookthree grown men to subdue the littlewoman. It was only when the policesupport team came over with astraight-jacket that the maid could betaken away to the hospital fortreatment. For the two precedinghours, besides the Chief Editor, noother neighbours came over to help.Now the question comes to mind -can you rely on your neighbours in atime of crisis? This is a reality of oururban society now.

29/01/06

Abbreviations - do we translate

that too?

In English, should we write JPBD or

TCPD? JKR or PWD? DBKL or

CHKL? JPS or DID? How do we

write the names of Government

agencies in a report written in

English? I believe we should not

translate the special names into

English when we write reports in

errr... English. Otherwise the Chief

Editor will become Mr Isaac. As a

rule of thumb, we should use the

abbreviations used in the official

logos of the respective departments.

Otherwise it gets awfully confusing.

27/01/06

Self-centred habits - can planning

overcome this by design?

Is it possible to counter or overcome

the bad Malaysian habits, such as

indiscriminate parking, queue

jumping, vandalism and blatant

disregard of traffic regulations

through urban design? Education

may be the best option for the long

term but I believe we can facilitate

the “education process” through

design and planning. Please give a

lot more thoughts to these matters

the next time you design a site

layout. Say, the next time you want to

provide a toilet for the disabled, just

check to see if there is proper access

for the disabled person to get to the

toilet first.

15/01/06

When the river is too polluted, just

hide it.

The local authorities seem to be

taking the easy way out these days

when it come to restoring and

rehabilitating our natural

environment. In this country there is

no river that flow through a city that is

clear and clean. Singapore took ten

years of concerted effort to clean up

Singapore River. In this country, we

took less than a year and a few

strokes of the pen to solve (sic!) the

problem - one authority just cover the

stretch of the dirty river that flow

through the city centre with hard

landscaping, while another authority

just “privatised” the rivers It is easier

than cleaning it themselves.

07/01/06

“Saya dulu” culture.

This is my pet hate - the Malaysians

with “me first” attitude. It transcends

the generations and social class. You

see it among the elderly, the males,

the females, the professionals, the

rich, the poor and even the children.

It seems that every Malaysian wants

to be a VIP and to be given

preferential treatment all the time,

especially in by-passing queues,

whether in a traffic jam or the local

grocery shop. How do we get rid of

this attitude? This is an issue which

is so deeply embedded in our culture

and society. It cannot be allowed to

persist.

05/01/06

“Give Way!” Least understood

traffic regulation?

How many times do you see a car or

motorcycle darted out from a slip

road into the main traffic flow without

regard for the traffic already on the

main thoroughfare? How many times

do see cars coming out of a road

junction and causing the other cars

on the main road to brake to avoid a

collision? There is a traffic rule called

“Give Way”. It is sometimes

represented by an inverted triangle

symbol painted on the road at

junctions. The “Stop” sign at road

junctions also mean give way to

traffic on the main road. If we make it

a point to observe the Give Way rule

at all time, I believe our roads will be

so much safer.

planning-blogs-by-the-eplanner

BERITA PERANCANG

PLANNING BLOG 5

BLOG PERANCANGAN (PLANNING BLOGS) by ePlanner

30/12/05Where do pedestrians walk?Why do we always find new housingareas built with roads that do nothave any sidewalk for people to walkon? Is the 12 metre road reserveadequate to provide safe passagefor both cars and pedestrians inhousing areas? Perhaps we shouldbe looking at coming up with newdesign guidelines for roads inresidential areas. We have to teachpeople to walk on the sidewalk anddrive on the road or we will continueto see people drive (motorcycles) onthe sidewalk and walk on the road...

29/12/05Who does all the planning work,actually..?Consultants are preparing thestructure plans and local plans,complete with the developmentstrategies and all. Consultants arealso preparing the layout plans. Sowho shall we say are doing all theplanning for our country? TheGovernment or the private sector?

27/12/05Tallest skyscraper in LondonThe proposed DIFA Tower,Bishopsgate, London, 300m tall, and50 storeys high, is going to be the

tallest skyscraper in London. TheEmpire Tower in KL is much taller...;-}

23/11/05Ugly yellow Jersey barriersDon’t you find the yellow paintedJersey barriers used as roaddividers around our cities aneyesore? I don’t think the Jerseybarriers merit as permanenthardscape feature. They shouldremain as a temporary barrier duringroad construction work. They arealso not safe either. While they maybe effective in preventing runwaycars from jumping the dividers, theywon’t save lives or limbs. Insteadthey would cost lives and limbs if youhit them head on. What would yourather hit in an emergency – the newwire road barrier, the old corrugatedmetal barrier or the RC concreteJersey barrier?

07/11/05Safe CityJust imagine, if we were to collect allthe money spent on employingprivate security guards to patrol theresidential neighbourhoods by theResident Associations and give it toPDRM, we could help expand thepolice force and have professionally

trained police personnel patrol ourneighbourhoods instead of thesecurity guards with dubioustrainings...

02/11/05ITIS - IT IS not telling us what wedon’t already know

The electronic signboard before

Ampang Point said, “Kesesakan di

persimpangan Pandan Indah...

kelewatan dijangka. Guna laluan

alternatif jika perlu” (congestion at

Pandan Indah interchange... delays

are expected Please use alternative

route...). Yeah right! Pray tell what

alternative route do I have between

Ampang Point and Sri Petaling on a

rainy 6.00pm traffic rush? I am not

impressed by ITIS and its electronic

signboards all over KL. It doesn’t

really tell anything more than any

seasoned commuter of the infamous

KL peak hour rush already know. I

am not sure if the system has

actually reduced the traffic jam by

any amount either. Perhaps the

Chief Executive of the company that

installed ITIS could be so kind as to

provide us with some monitoirng

data to verify his earlier claim that

traffic jam wil be reduced by 40%

after ITIS is installed.

planning-blogs-by-the-eplanner

“You can dream, create,design and build themost wonderful place inthe world but it requirespeople to make thedream come to a reality”

~ Walt Disney ~

Contributed by FARISMIP Building in Kelana Jaya,

Petaling Jaya

PENEMPATAN PEGAWAI PERANCANG BANDAR DAN DESA, GRED J48 JABATAN PERANCANGAN BANDAR DAN DESA SEMENANJUNG MALAYSIA

BERITA PERANCANG

NEWS FROM JPBD6

PENEMPATAN PEGAWAI PERANCANG BANDAR DAN DESA, GRED J41 JABATAN PERANCANGAN BANDAR DAN DESA SEMENANJUNG MALAYSIA

Nama

1. Y.Bhg. To Puan HajahRozaimi bt. Zainuddin

2. Tn. Hj. Noran bin Sharif

3. Pn. Zaleha bt. Shaari

4. Tn. Hj. Wan Hassan binWan Ismail

5. En. Mohamed Jamil binHj. Ahmad

6. Tn. Hj. Mohamed Fauzibin Zain

7. Pn. Yip Siew Kuan @Yap Siew Kuan

8. Tn. Hj. Zaini bin Ishak

9. En. Ramli bin Zulkifli

10. Tn. Hj. Mohd. Anuar binMaidin

11. Tn. Hj. Ahmad binAbdullah

12. En. Abdul Jamil binArshad

13. Cik Rohani bt. Md.Hashim

14. Cik Norasiah Bee bt.Mohd. Haniff

15. En. Mohd. Nasir binShaari

16. En. Abdul Rahaman binHamzah

17. Pn. Alimah bt. Mohd. Suri

18. En. Abbas bin AbdulWahab

19. En. Koh Cher Shen

20. En. Abdul Aziz binAbdullah

21. Pn. Hazizah bt. Sulaiman

22. Pn. Marhamah bt. Ab.Ghaffar

23. Pn. Balkis bt. Salleh

24. Tn. Hj. Idris bin AbdulRahim

25. Pn. Rohaya bt. AbdulKadir

26. Pn. Jamariah bt. Isam

27. Pn. Robi bt. Desa

Dari

Cuti Belajar

Bhgn Ranc. Pembangunan, PejabatPenyelarasan Projek Kuala Lumpur

Bhgn Ranc. Pembangunan, PejabatProjek Kuala Lumpur

Bhgn Ranc. Pembangunan, PejabatProjek Kuala Terengganu

Bhgn. Penyelidikan dan Pembangunan,Ibu Pejabat, KL

Bhgn Ranc. Pembangunan, PejabatProjek Melaka

Bhgn Ranc. Pembangunan, PejabatProjek Alor Star

JPBD Negeri Kedah

Bhgn. Khidmat Teknikal dan Penyelidikan,Kementerian Wilayah Persekutuan


JPBD Negeri Kedah

JPBD Negeri Selangor

Bhgn. Keurusetiaan, Penyelarasan danPerancangan Korporat, Ibu Pejabat, K L

Cuti Belajar



Bhgn Ranc. Pembangunan, Unit Ranc.Pembangunan Negeri Pahang

Bhgn. Teknologi Maklumat, Ibu Pejabat,Kuala Lumpur


JPBD Negeri Perak


JPBD Negeri Sembilan

Bhgn Ranc. Pembangunan, Unit Ranc.Pembangunan Negeri Kelantan

Bhgn. Rancangan Fizikal Negara, IbuPejabat, Kuala Lumpur

Bhgn Ranc. Pembangunan, PejabatProjek Kuala Terengganu

Bhgn. Perundangan, Perancangan danKawal Selia, Ibu Pejabat, Kuala Lumpur


Ke

Bhgn. Perundangan, Perancangan danKawal Selia, Ibu Pejabat, K Lumpur

Bhgn Ranc. Pembangunan, Pejabat ProjekAlor Star

Bhgn Ranc. Pembangunan, Pejabat ProjekMelaka

Bhgn. Penyelidikan dan Pembangunan, IbuPejabat, Kuala Lumpur


JPBD Negeri Perak




Bhgn. Khidmat Teknikal dan Penyelidikan,Kementerian Wilayah Persekutuan

Bhgn. Perundangan, Perancangan danKawal Selia, Ibu Pejabat, K Lumpur



Bhgn. Keurusetiaan, Penyelarasan danPerancangan Korporat, Ibu Pejabat, K L



Bhgn Ranc. Pembangunan, Pejabat ProjekKuala Lumpur

JPBD Negeri Perak

JPBD Negeri Sembilan

Bhgn Ranc. Pembangunan, Pejabat ProjekMelaka


Bhgn Ranc. Pembangunan, Pejabat ProjekKuala Lumpur

Bhgn Ranc. Pembangunan, Pejabat ProjekKuala Terengganu

JPBD Negeri Kedah

Bhgn Ranc. Pembangunan, Unit Ranc.Pembangunan Negeri Pahang


Bhgn Ranc. Pembangunan, Pejabat ProjekAlor Star

TarikhKuatkuasa

16.11.05

1.2.06 (MemangkuGred J52 KUP. MengisiGred J54 sbg.Pengarah)1.2.06 (MemangkuGred J52 KUP. MengisiGred J54 sbg.Pengarah)

1.2.06(MemangkuGred J52)










17.12.05

1.2.06(Mengisijawatan Pengarah)

1.2.06

1.2.06

1.2.06

1.2.06

1.2.06

1.2.06

1.2.06

1.2.06

1.2.06

1.2.06

1.2.06

1.2.06

1. Puan Toh Lay See

2. En. Rosli bin Yusop

Bhgn Ranc. Pembangunan, PejabatProjek Alor Star

Bhgn. Perundangan, Perancangan danKawal Selia (Zon Selatan), Melaka


JPBD Negeri Johor

1.2.06

1.2.06

BERITA PERANCANG

NEWS FROM THE MIP SECRETARIAT 7

1. 505/05 Pn. Habsah bt Hashim 2. 506/05 Pn. Nurul Farhana Tan Abdullah 3. 507/05 En. Tan Ann Hui4. 508/05 Cik Ho Ling Ling5. 509/05 En. Abdul Razak b. Abdul Rahman 6. 510/05 En. Syed Danial Haris b. Syed Husin 7. 511/05 Pn. Siti Hanim bt. Abdul Rahman

1. PC/C-137/05 Siraz Consult Sdn. Bhd. 2. PC/B-138/05 Hasni Hassan Planning Consult3. PC/B-139/05 M.N.Consult4. PC/B-140/05 R Shankar Planning Services5. PC/C-141/05 P&D Planners Sdn. Bhd. 6. PC/B-142/05 MFA planning Consult 7. PC/C-143/05 Alpha Unitech (M) Sdn. Bhd. 8. PC/B-144/06 ANR Planning Consultant9. PC/B-145/06 SAM Planners10. PC/B-146/06 HR Design Consult

MIP Welcomes thefollowing New Members

GRADUATE MEMBERS

CORPORATE MEMBERS

CONSULTANT FIRMS

1. En. Fong Wee Kean 2. En. Tengku Aris b. Tengku Ab. Aziz3. Cik Atkah Salwa Bt Bahrom 4. En. Mohd Zafaruddin bin Razali 5. Puan Annie Syazrin Ismail 6. Cik Fu Swee Yun7. Cik Tan Sook Fern 8. Cik Norhayati bt Jalil 9. En. Ismail b. Abd. Manaf10. En. Ravi A/L Govindarajoo11. En. Mohd Faizal b. Rahmat 12. Cik Lau Dor Ris 13. Cik Kalavathy a/p Chelladurai14. En. Mohd Zubair b. Mat Hussin 15. En. Muhammad Nur Azraei Shahbudin 16. En. Mohd Zainuddin b. Jumaat17. En. Md. Suzaini bin Kasman 18. En. Zailani Panot19. En. Khairol Tajaldin b. Mohamad20. En. Safuan b. Ismail

FEBRUARY 2006

6 MIP : Roadshow to UIAM (Education & Student Affairs Committee)Venue : Kulliyah Senibina & Rekabentuk Alam Sekitar. Time 2.00 pm

7 MBSA : Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Induk Pembangunan LestariBandaraya Shah Alam (BTI 1/2006) Venue : Bilik MesyuaratRenantanda, Tingkat 3 (lif B), Wisma MBSA Shah Alam. Time : 2.30 pm

7 Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) Strategy Study onthe MSC Cybercity/Cybercentre Rollout Venue : MIER. Time : 9.30 am

8 INTAN : Ceremah ‘INTAN EXECUTIVE TALK’ Venue : DewanBankuet 3, INTAN, Bukit Kiara. Time : 10.00 am- 12.00 pm

8 MIP : Roadshow to UITM (Education & Student Affairs Commitee)Venue : Fakulti Senibina, Perancangan & Ukur. Time : 10.00 am

9 EAROPH : Courtesy call to Y. Bhg Dato’ Ahmad Fuad Ismail,Secretary General of the Ministry Housing and Local GovernmentVenue : Bilik Mesyuarat, Aras 5, Block K, Kementerian Perumahan &Kerajaan Tempatan, Pusat Bandar Damansara Kuala Lumpur. Time : 2.30 pm

10 MIP 6th Council Meeting Venue : MIP Office. Time 4.30 pm

12 MIP : Education & Student Affairs Commitee : Roadshow to PolimasVenue : Politeknik Sultan Abdul Halim Muaazam Shah, Jitra, Kedah.Time 2.00 pm

14 MIP : Education & Student Affairs Committee : Roadshow to UiTMSeri Iskandar Venue : Fakulti Senibina, Perancangan & Ukur (UiTM)

15 JPBD Selangor : Majlis Dialog Perancangan Btl 1/2006 “Meningkatkan Profesionalism Perancang Bandar : KepentinganRancangan Tempatan dan Laporan Cadangan Pemajuan”. JemputanPembentangan Kertas Kerja Venue : Putrajaya Marriot Hotel, IOIResort, 62502 Putrajaya. Time : 8.00 am-5.00 pm

18 MIP : Education & Student Affairs Committee : Roadshow to USMVenue : Pusat Pengajian Perumahan, Bangunan & Perancangan(USM). Time : 10.00 am

22 Kementerian Perdangangan Antrabangsa & Insustri Malaysia (MITI) :Penambahkan Tawaran & Permintaan WTO Bagi PerkhidmatanPembinaan. Venue : Bilik Mesyuarat, Tingkat 5, Blok 10, MITI,Kompleks Pejabat Kerajaan, Jln Duta Kuala Lumpur

23- 25 Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation : “Malaysia TechnologyEXPO 2006” Venue : PWTC. Time : 10.00 am- 6.00 pm

27 MIP : Education & Student Affairs Committee : Roadshow to UTMVenue : Fakulti Alam Bina, UTM Skudai. Time : 10.30 am

MARCH 2006

24 Gated Development and Sustainable Communities Seminar

25 Annual General Meeting Venue : Impiana KLCC Hotel & SPA

MIP congratulates the followingMembers on their recent

appointment as Fellows of the Institute

No. Name MembershipNo

1. Mr. Alexander Ng Khai Heng 23/722. Abang Kassim bin Abang Hj Zawawi 124/843. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alias bin Abdullah 194/884. YBhg Dato’ Ar. Hj Sanad bin Hj Said 54/755. Mr. Lim Yau Lee 227/906. YBhg Dato’ Mohd Fadzil bin

Hj Mohd Khir 151/85

MEETINGS . . . SEMINARS . . . .CONFERENCE . . . . . .

BERITA PERANCANG

CALENDAR OF EVENTS8NOVEMBER 2005

11 MIP 4th Council Meeting Venue : MIP Office. Time : 4.30 pm - 8.00pm

12-13 British Council : Education UK 2005 Postgraduate Fair Venue : KL Convention Centre (KLCC). Time : 1 pm - 7 pm

17-18 JPBD & MIP : Konvensyen Kebangsaan Sempena Hari PerancanganBandar Sedunia 2005 Venue : Renaissance Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.Time : 8.30 am

17 MIP Planning Excellence Awards & World Town Planning Day Dinner2005 Venue : Grand Ballroom, Renaissance Hotel. Time : 7.30 pm - 10.30 pm

21- 22National Planning Seminar 2005 : - Sustainable Land UseDevelopment Shah Alam

22 Forum On “China and India”. “Strategizing Malaysia’s CompetitivePosition” Venue : Putrajaya Marriot Hotel. Time : 8.00 am - 5.15 pm

23 PSDC : Tea Talk : Incentives and Filing Tax Return Venue : BilikGerakan, Level 6, Kompleks Kerja Raya. Time : 4.00 pm

26 Pure Love Time Family Malaysia for World Peace (PLTFMWP) : The100- City World Peace Initiative - Inaugural convocation of theUniversal Peace Federation (UPF). Malaysia Chapter. Venue : KLCC. Time : 2.00 pm - 6.00 pm

26 Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat : MajlisRumah Terbuka Hari Raya dan Deepavali. Venue : Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur. Time : 3.00 pm - 6.00 pm

28 Malaysian Toray Science Foundation (MTSF): Invitation to MTSF 12thPrize Presentation Ceremony. Venue : Hotel Nikko, Kuala Lumpur.Time : 10.00 am

28 Sambutan Minggu Alam Sekitar Malaysia Peringkat Kebangsaan.Venue : Padang MPK1, Jln Mahkota, Kuantan. Time : 8.30 am

December 2005

2 Malam Kimia 2005 (Institute Kimia Malaysia) Venue : Eastin Hotel,Petaling Jaya. Time : 7.30 pm

2 Majlis Perasmian Publisiti Draf Rancangan Struktur Negeri Sembilandan Draf Rancangan Tempatan Daerah Jempol, Pelancaran G189 danPenyampaian Watikah Perlantikan Ahli Lembaga Rayuan NegeriSembilan. Venue : Hotel Royal Adelpin, Seremban. Time : 8.30 am

6 PSDC Advisory Panel Meeting 02/2005 Venue : Bilik Gerakan 1,CIDB, 10th Floor, Grand Seasons Avenue. Time : 2.30 pm

9 BIM : Commonwealth Secretariat Visit to BIM Venue : Board Room,BIM Secretariat. Time : 2.30 pm

9 REHDA : Seminar on “House Buyers’ Protection” Venue : PWTC,Kuala Lumpur. Time : 2.00 pm - 5.30 pm

10-14 EABEX ‘05 : Forging East Asian Business Synergies (PSDC)Venue : KLCC

12- 13USM : “International Conference on Construction & Real EstateManagement (ICCREM 2005) - The Challenge of Innovation Venue : The Bayview Beach Resort, Penang

15- 16Taklimat Pemahaman Perancangan Wilayah Dalam Konteks AKTA172. Venue : INTAN, Bukit Kiara Kuala Lumpur. Time : 8.30 am

15 Asian Development Bank Business Opportunities Seminar (PSDC). Venue : Manhattan 1, Level 14, West Wing Berjaya Times SquareHotel, Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur. Time : 9.00 am - 3.30 pm

15- 17CI Premier Pte Ltd - CI Premier Conference Annoucement 2005 to2007. 8th International Conference on STEEL, SPACE & COMPOSITESTRUCTURE - call for paper status

16- 17 Asia Land Seminar : Building Defects & Maintenance PlanningRegulation for Sub-Division of Building for Strata Titles. Venue : Holiday Villa Subang

16 Junior Chamber KL Mandarin : Invitation for Nomination of “ TheOutstanding Young Malaysian Awards 2005” (TOYM 2005) Venue : Sunway Hotel

19 Selangor & Wilayah Persekutuan Water Watch : Majlis PelancaranPersatuan Pengawatan Air Selangor & Wilayah Persekutuan(S3W)/Laman Web Interaktif. Forum Awam : Rang Undang-undangIndustri Perkhidmatan Air (IPA). Venue : Hotel Crystal Crown, Petaling Jaya Time : 10.45am - 5.30 pm

19 EAROPH : Programme Committee Meeting No 1, 2006-2007 Venue :EAROPH Secretariat Office Kem. Perumahan & Kajian TempatanPusat Bandar Damansara Kuala Lumpur. Time : 10.00 am

20 BAR : Press Conference of Joint Meeting between Professional Bodies& Boards on Scale fees Venue : BAR Council Secretariat (MajlisPeguam Malaysia). Time : 10.00 am

21 NASPEC : Meeting 4/500 (14) Venue : Bilik Perdana, 7th Flr,Matrade, Wisma Sime Darby, Kuala Lumpur. Time : 2.30 pm

22 Kerajaan Negeri Kedah Darul Aman : Majlis Perasmian Publisiti danPenyertaan Awam Draf Rancangan Struktur Negeri Kedah Darul Aman2002- 2020 Venue : Tingkat 7, Dewan Besar MBSA, Menara MBSA,Alor Star. Time : 9.30 am

23- 24National Seminar on Housing & Property Development Law Venue : Holiday Villa Subang

JANUARY 2006

6 MIP : Research & Publication Committee Meeting Session 2005/2007Venue : MIP Office. Time : 4.30 pm

9 MIP : 5th Council MeetingVenue : MIP Office. Time : 5.00 pm

12 JPBD Selangor : Penyediaan Buku “Selangor Selepas 2005Merancang Sebuah Negeri Maju” Time : 7.30 pm - 8.15 pm (dinner),8.15 pm - 10.30pm (meeting)

13 Kem. Perdagangan Antarabangsa & Industri Malaysia : MesyuaratPerdagangan Sektor Perkhidmatan Venue : Bilik Mesyuarat, Tingkat4, MITI Time : 9.00 am

19 CIDB : Mesyuarat Jawantankuasa Teknikal Amalan Pemulihan AlamSekitar Dalam Industri Pembinaan (Tea) BT 1/2006. Venue : BilikMesyuarat Teknologi Binaan, Tingkat 8, Grand Seasons Avenue, No72, Jalan Pahang, Kuala Lumpur Time : 10.00 am

19 MIP : Education & Student Affairs Committee 2005/2007 Venue : Fakulti Senibina, Perancangan & Ukur UITM Shah Alam. Time : 10.00 am

21 MIP : Amendments to the Town Planners ACT, ACT 538. Venue :AJM Planning & Urban Design Group Sdn Bhd. Time : 10.00 am

24 INTAN : “Jemputan Menghadiri Ceramah ‘INTAN Executive Talk’Venue : Dewan Seri Baiduri, INTAN, Bukit Kiara. Time : 10.00 am - 12.00 pm

26 UiTM : Majlis Menandatangani Memorandum Persefahaman di antaraUiITM & Business Learning Alliance Sdn Bhd di dalam mewujudkan“Centre for Integrity Audit” di UiTM Venue : Dewan Konferen II,Suruhanjaya Sekuriti, Persiaran Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur. Time :10.00 am- 12.30 pm

26 PSDC : MITI Annual Dialogue 2006 Venue : Level 10, Bilik Gerakan,CIDB Time : 10.00 am

MIP EXCELLENCE AWARDS 9

SENARAI PEMENANG MIP EXCELLENCEAWARDS 2005

Kategori 3 - Pembangunan Semula, Pemeliharaan dan Pemuliharaan

Majlis Perbandaran Pulau PinangPerancang Bandar : Maimunah bt Mohd Shariff

Pemaju : Majlis Perbandaran Pulau PinangProjek : Inner City of Georgetown - Urban Renewal, Penang

Kategori 3 - Pembangunan Semula, Pemeliharaan dan Pemuliharaan

Majlis Bandaraya Johor BahruPerancang Bandar : Hajah Aishah bt Abd Kapi

Pemaju : Datuk Bandar, Majlis Bandaraya Johor BahruProjek : Program Pembangunan Semula Presint Bandaraya Lama,

Daerah Sentral, Johor Bahru

Kategori 5B - Pembangunan Bandar Baru (Bagi keluasan melebihi 500 ekar)

RJ Planning ConsultantPerancang Bandar : Rahani bt. Jusoh

Pemaju : Plenitude Holdings Sdn BhdProjek : Taman Desa Tebrau (Perancangan Semula Pelan

Induk Taman Desa Tebrau)

NOTICEThe 34th Annual

General Meeting

of the

MALAYSIAN

INSTSITUTE OF

PLANNERS

will be held on

Saturday 25th

March 2006

at 9:00am

at the

Impiana KLCC

Hotel & Spa

Kuala Lumpur

BERITA PERANCANG

A few months back, we read about the felling of an old andhuge Jati tree in Penang to make way for new quarters forgovernment health personnel near the Penang Hospital.Tree-lovers fumed over the episode and wondered why thePenang Municipal Council did not take action againstpersons who cut down the tree. A spokesman from thePenang Municipal Council was quoted as saying that thePublic Works Department (PWD), the developer of theproject, did not have permission to chop down the tree.

Permission is only required in respect of plans to fell a treein a local authority area, if the tree is covered by a TreePreservation Order. The Tree Preservation Order (‘TPO’) isa legal tool designed by planning lawyers to protect treesin local planning authority areas for the public’s enjoyment.The Order will specify the geographical area it covers aswell as the location and species of tree/trees it covers.There can be no cutting down or digging out of suchtree/trees except with the express permission of theplanning authority. The TPO is widely practiced in England,many European countries, Australia and North America. InScotland, TPOs are usually promoted in situations wherethe planning authority has accepted the principle ofexpansion of established urban areas but regards theretention of specified high amenity trees as a criticallandscape and amenity factor. In countries that haveutilised the TPOs since the 1970’s, there is a well-recognised tradition of incorporating both mature andnewly planted trees in development schemes.

The TPO was introduced in Malaysia only in 1995 in anamendment to the TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT (Act172) (‘TCPA’) that inserted Part VA in respect of TPOs intothe TCPA. As provisions of the TCPA are only applicable inthe various states in Peninsular Malaysia only uponadoption by the State of the various Parts and provisions,the TPO provisions would only be applicable if such Statehas adopted Part VA. By virtue of powers under Part VA ofthe TCPA, the local planning authority has become the‘guardian’ of trees in their areas.

There are however, some problems with the provisions ofTPO under Malaysian planning law. A first reading of theprovision in Section 35A would reflect the ‘teeth’ of the law

where sub-section 4 provides that anyone who goesagainst the TPO commits AN OFFENCE and uponconviction would be liable to a fine not exceedingRM100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6months or both. Whether or not this ‘set of teeth’ has beenused for biting those who illegally cut down trees is anothermatter. One must then proceed to find out the data onenforcement. Indeed the grapevine from most localauthorities have it that a large number of local authoritiesare worried about the enforcement aspects of the TPO andthat is why a number of states have been slow to adoptPart VA of the TCPA. This worry could be addressed by theState Town and Country Planning Departments bypreparing guidelines for carrying out the procedural,technical and legal aspects of the TPO provisions.Accurate data is necessary for the effective preservation oftrees and G.I.S. is a viable tool to greatly assist in keepingand updating accurate information about trees in the localauthority areas.

It would also be wise for local planning authorities toinclude in their annual budgets, an allocation for thetraining of ‘Tree Officers’, with the aim of setting up aspecial unit for tree preservation possibly within theirlandscape departments. These tree officers could be sentto study ‘arboriculture’, the science that studies how treesimpact on land and buildings.

Another problem with the provision on TPOs under theTCPA is with regard to the possible situations listed downin section 35A(3) which states that the prohibition on fellingtrees under a TPO would not apply to the felling of a tree(a) which is dying or dead; (b) for the prevention ofimminent danger; or (c) if it is to comply with any writtenlaw. Two problems may arise.

First, the section does not expressly specify who is todetermine when a tree is dying or dead or is an imminentdanger. This means that these factors could be raised asdefences in any action to convict a person or body for theoffence of contravening section 35A. It would be prudent toinsert the words “ Upon determination by the local planningauthority” before the words beginning section 35A(3) itselfin order that such determination is made properly andaccurately by the local planning authority.

(Contd. on Page 18)

“TREE PRESERVATIONORDERS UNDER MALAYSIAN PLANNING LAW : TEETH WITHOUT THE BITE”

by Dr. Sharifah Zubaidah Syed Abdul KaderInternational Islamic University Malaysia

“If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees” ~ Hal Borland ~

PLANNING & THE LAW10

BERITA PERANCANG

ROUND-UP 11

ROUND TABLE ON TOWNPLANNERS RULESA Round Table on the Town Planners Rules was held on the 21st ofJanuary 2006 at the good office of the President in Bandar Sunway.The Board of Town Planners prepared the draft rules and a copy wasforwarded to MIP for comments. The draft rules includes the followingitems :-

• Administration• Registration of Graduate Members and Registered Town

Planners• Code of Professional Conduct• Advertising & Soliciting• Partnership with Other Persons• Registration of Body Corporate practicing as Town Planner• P r o f e s s i o n a l

A s s e s s m e n tExamination

Attendees to theRound Table wereupon invitation thatwas extended toCouncil Members andseveral Fellow andCorporate Memberswho have beeninvolved in drafting the acts relevant to town planning. Among thosepresent on that day were:-

Puan Norliza HashimYBhg. Dato Hj.

Zainul AyubMr. T. MahesanMr. Lim Tee SeongMr. Lim Yau LeePuan Khairiah TalhaTn.Hj. Ezrin ArbiEn. Ismail IbrahimEn. Suhaimi IsmailAssoc Prof Wan Mohamed Yusoff bin AbdullahEn. Mohd Zamri HusinEn.Md.Nazri Mohd.Noordin

The round table members in their review and deliberations on the draft

rules, noted the need to also amend the Town Planners Act 1995 (Act

538) to incorporate enabling clauses in the main Act, before the rules

can be formulated. Thus a second Round Table is scheduled on the

18th February 2006 and any other members interested to join future

Round Tables on the rules and amendments to the Act, can contact

MIP to state your interest or email direct to the President [email protected]

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR . . . Terraced Housing Layout : a show ofhands?

One of the writings that caught my attentionin the planning blogs section of the BERITAPERANCANG, November 2005 is aquestion asking readers for some kind of ‘ashow of hands’ who thinks the terracedhousing layout is ideal. In this short note, Iam not showing a hand of favour to aparticular type of ‘ideal’ layout over another,but simply to raise questions before weattempt to propose any forms of decision.

In spite of the blog not elaborating what an‘ideal’ layout is, it seems to raise fewinteresting points regarding theconfiguration of the layout itself. Amongwhich it questioned firstly, the relevance ofservice roads that runs parallel with the mainroad in the layout. Secondly, it indicatedhow the junctions could be risky and couldcreate traffic congestion in ‘extreme cases’.And thirdly, it pointed out how back lanes inthe layout become ‘inaccessible’ and‘redundant’ allegedly blaming residents forfencing them up. It concluded as if to signalthat the time has eventually come to reviewthe layout and the planning standards of theterraced housing layout. Although it doesnot state what type is the terraced housinglayout, it seems to implicate that grid-likelayouts are associated with terraced housingand as such they are not ‘ideal’.

But the first question we should raiseregarding this issue is how do we measurean ‘ideal’ housing layout? Do we have themeans of measuring it? If housing layout perse involves spatial arrangement, how do wemeasure a good ‘spatial arrangement’? Theblog also seems to suggest that the terracedhousing layout is associated with ‘grid-like’layout as opposed to ‘tree-like’ layout. Arewe then suggesting that the ‘tree-like’layout, with mainly cul-de-sacs, and is moreimpermeable and broken-up a betteralternative?

I believe the best way of attempting toanswer these questions and some otherrelated questions are by evidence and notmerely based on theories. What appears tobe the best practice in some other locationsmay not be so in another location. Havingsaid that, we should also be careful in givingjudgements on a particular layout.

Saniah Ahmad Zaki (Membership No: 397/98)

BERITA PERANCANG

FEATURE12

PLANNING MALAYSIAThe Malaysian Institute of Planners have published the third volume of their journal, Planning Malaysia, in 2005. The firstvolume was published in 2003 followed by the second volume in 2004. Volume four is now underway and due to bepublished soon.

Articles included in Volume 1:• Incorporating Sustainable

Development Objectivesinto Development Plansthrough StrategicE n v i r o n m e n t a lAssessment Muhammad FarisAbdullah & Ishak Ariffin.

•Environmental Concern inLocal Planning Practice Foziah Johar.

•Ecotourism Planning :Who is ReallyResponsible? Badaruddin Mohammed &Abdul Aziz Hussin.

•Towards a SustainableBuilt Environment:E n v i r o n m e n t a l l yConscious Planning,Design and Construction Norhayati Mahyuddin.

• Rural Sustainability: An Examination of the Practice ofSustainable Development Principles in Rural Community inMalaysia Ibrahim Ngah.

• Managing Urban Development Process by Using SpatialInformation System: A Case Study of I-Space Alias Abdullah, Muhammad Faris Abdullah & Fauzan Nordin.

• USM Pushing the Frontiers of Town Planning Lee Lik Meng.

• The Suburbanisation of the Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan Region Jamalunlaili Abdullah.

Articles included in Volume 2:•Creating the Essence ofCities: The Putrajaya’sExperienceJebasingam Issace John.

•A Study to Evaluate Child-friendly Neighbourhoodsthrough a Set of Child-friendly Indicators Alias Abdullah & NikMunerahanim NikMuhammad.

•The Evaluation ofBeaches in NorthernMalaysia Badaruddin Mohammed,Rahmat Azam Mustafa,Adrin Abdullah, A. GhafarAhmad & Shida IrwanaOmar.

• Urban Land Use Change and The Langat Basin EcosystemHealth Shahruddin Idrus & Abdul Samad Hadi.

• Application of Land Use Approaches in Controlling IndustrialWastewater Discharge into River Muhammad Faris Abdullah.

Articles included in Volume 3:• Planning Eductaion,

Accreditation and Inter-Professional Links Mohd Thalha Alithamby.

•Electronic Local AuthorityManagement System Tan Thean Siew.

•A Study on the Demandof Spatial Planning andDecision Support Systemin Malaysia Muhammad FarisAbdullah, Alias Abdullah,Mansor Ibrahim &Dazilah Abdul Samad.

•The Technology of AssetManagement andMaintenance Culture inEnsuring SustainableDevelopment Khairiah Talha & KCLeong.

• Tessellation Planning and Honeycomb Housing Mazlin Ghazali, Michael J. Durack & Mohd Peter Davies.

• The Application of the Concept of Defensible Space forSecured Housing Environment Saari Omar & Megat Arif Shah Megat Omar.

Articles included inVolume 4:

•How We Failed to Planfor HabitabilityLee Lik Meng, AldrinAbdullah, Tan Sook Fern,Nuwati Badrulzaman andAhmad Sanusi Hassan

•Cairo’s al-Azhar Park:Millennium DevelopmentGoals Etched in GreenKhaled el-Khishin

•Knowledge Cities:Examining TheDiscourse SmartVillages, Internet Citiesor Creativity EnginesAli A. Alraouf

• A Preliminary Investigation of a Model on the Decision toImplement Teleworking in the Japanese BusinessOrganisationsAbdul Azeez Kadar Hamsa and Masao Miura

• An Integration of Multicriteria Analysis With GIS in theMalaysian National Physical PlanNor Sallehi Kassim and Rafikul Islam

BERITA PERANCANG

FEATURE 13

For many people in Johor, Muar had always beenregarded as just a pensioner’s town. Not so for Batu Pahat,another coastal town an hour’s drive southwards towardsthe capital of the state, Johor Bahru. In those days, BatuPahat was regarded as the Paris of the east.

Unlike Muar town (actually called “Bandar Maharani” orQueen’s Town), which closed down for business whennight falls, Batu Pahat came to life with its own notoriouscollection of night spots. It was heaven for business peopleon the road. The fact that it did not grow to become likePattaya or Hatyai in Thailand must have something to dowith the religious roots of the residents.

Looking back at the town through the years, I now realisethat the earlier assumption that Muar would continue to lagbehind other towns and remain just a pensioner’s townwas indeed premature and gravely in error. For the firsttime visitor to the town, it would be difficult to find anyvestige of its past legacy as a pensioner’s haunt.

It is now an infuriatingly over-crowded town. Friends call ita motorist’s hell-hole, and a town planner’s nightmare.

From the planner’s perspective, if ever we need to learnwhat urban sprawl means in a Malaysian setting, spend ashort holiday in the town. Just spend half an hour drivingalong Jalan Bakri from the town centre towards YongPeng, and you will understand what I mean.

A bit of trivial data and nostalgia. The District of Muar is notvery large, just over 2300 square kilometers. According tolocal historians, Muar played a significant role in theformation of the Johor Sultanate. It was in Muar that SultanMahmud Shah, first Sultan of Johor, fought the Portugueseafter the fall of Malacca. The battle took place in 1519, andthe location was Sungai Bentayan, which now still runsthrough at the edge of the town. Sultan Abu Bakar (thegreat grandfather of the present Sultan of Johor) wasregarded by many as the principal drive-force in themodernization of the town.

Muar is divided into two halves by the Muar river. In theolden days, the only way to cross it was by ferry. Back in1962, when I reported for work as a rookie AssistantSuperintendent of Customs at the Muar Royal Customs &Excise Department, which overlooked the murky river, theferry was the only means of going across to the northern

part of the district. Nowadays, local residents and visitorsare blessed with two bridges, the second completed andoperational in 2005.

Modern infrastructure networks have led to theestablishment of a modest but respectable industrial zonein Tanjung Agas, on the northern side of the town. Thecommercial and administrative centre, as before, remainedon the southern part of the town.

New landscapeBack to the present. According to media reports in June2005, a sizeable mixed development project will soonbecome part of the landscape of Tanjung Agas. Locatedstrategically facing the Straits of Malacca, a stone’s throwaway from the town centre and easily accessible via theSultan Ismail bridge (the first bridge for the town), theproject will probably be a sell-out. According to preliminaryinformation, the developers are offering some 1500residential properties and almost 400 commercialproperties.

A recent announcement by Johor Menteri Besar, DatukAbdul Ghani Othman, should bring cheer to the residentsof the town. According to news report, Muar is to have its“Bandar kedua”, which I take it to mean a satellite town.The good news is that with the creation of the satellitetown, sited not too far away from the second bridge, theState Government will be able relocate all the governmentdepartments away from the maddening traffic jams of thetown centre – a mini Putrajaya of sorts for northern Johor.The bad news is that the residents have to wait for at leastanother 2 years.

Building the satellite town near the second bridge thusachieves several objectives for the state planners. One, itshould reduce the traffic jams in the town centre. Two, itshould lead to the creation of another growth centre for thedistrict, as part of the spillover as a result of the creation ofthe mini Putrajaya for the town. Third, it should lead to abetter quality of life for the town residents.

Abdul Ghani, however, stressed that this is only apreliminary idea. Nothing concrete has been formulated ormapped out. He explained that the State PlanningDepartment has been asked to submit its basic proposal inmid Februry 2006. Only upon receipt of such proposal willthe State Government undertake a comprehensive study.

In the absence of any other detailed information on thesatellite town project, it would be difficult at this juncture tomake any sensible or meaningful comment - apart fromwarmly welcoming it and wishing it every success that itdeserves. We know that the State Government has itshands full at the moment. Apart from the Johor secondcauseway project (which is actually a federal privatizedventure undertakeng by Gerbang Perdana), the StateGovernment is for the moment concentrating its attentionon the Danga Bay project and the revival of thatcontroversial Floating City project (since abandoned)alongside the beach frontage not too far away from JohorBaru town centre. (Contd. on Pg 18)

A Satellite Town forMuar?

by Salleh Buang

Dr. Salleh Buang is a former Deputy Dean, Faculty of Law,International Islamic University, author of many authoritativeproperty related books and articles including the MalaysianTorren System, Land Acquisition and Law on HousingDevelopers. He has a weekly column in Utusan Malaysia, NewStraits Times and MASSA. He can be contacted [email protected].

!!A Village Appraisal Guidance has been produced to help

the Sabahís rural communities prepare a Village Appraisal

for their respective areas. The Guidance outlines the

advantages of producing a Village Appraisal, sets out

guidelines on how to prepare it and who to be involved;

and shows how the document could lead to tangible results

for Sabah’s rural communities.

The idea of a Village Appraisal is already in existence in

other countries. The Village Appraisal for Sabah was first

mooted during the preparation of four new District and

Local Plans for the districts of Sandakan, Tuaran, Kuala

Penyu and Beaufort. These plans were completed in

February 2005 through the Danida-sponsored

Environmental Local Planning (ELP) Project Sabah 2001-

2005.

The Village Appraisal was found to be an excellent way by

which local people affected by the preparation of the four

district local plans could get directly involved in the

planning of their respective districts; and in particular, in

the detailed planning of their respective kampungs. The

rural communities in the Sabah and particularly the

affected villages in the Sandakan, Tuaran, Kuala Penyu

and Beaufort districts have actively participated in the

preparation of their district plans. In fact, it was found

during the ELP Project for Tuaran, the rural communities

have prepared a “kampong plan” for their respective

villages. The ELP Project team therefore merely

incorporated these diagrammatical plans into the Village

Appraisal concept so that they are within its general

guidelines. The kampong plan needed to be elaborated, so

to speak, so that they can be adopted as “Supplementary

Planning Guidance”1 as part of the main Draft Tuaran

District Local Plan 2004.

A Village Appraisal is not specifically necessary for some

villages if they are already covered by specific Local Plans

or the more detailed Action Area Plans. Instead it may be

more appropriate to prepare a planning or development

brief for the areas. Nevertheless, although not compulsory,

it is recommended that every village should consider

preparing a Village Appraisal, as it helps to provide a more

coordinated approach to new development in the local

community area.

The Village Appraisal should be reviewed from time to time

depending on the need for such a revision in the light of

current circumstances. However, any subsequent review

must be subjected to further scrutiny, initially by the Sabah

State Town and Regional Planning Department; and then

by the respective Municipal or District Councils or Town

Boards, which will finally adopt it as Supplementary

Planning Guidance to reflect and complement the adopted

District Plan Policies.

A crucial component in the Village Appraisal is the active

involvement and participation of the people who live in the

local community. The Village Appraisal should be prepared

by and for the community and will only be considered for

adoption as Supplementary Planning Guidance once it has

been through due process of public participation and

acceptance by the majority of the local residents.

Village Appraisals are “holistic” or comprehensive in scope.

They set out a vision for the future planning of the

community area and identify the actions needed to tackle

issues of interest whether social, cultural, economic or

environmental. These may vary from village to village.

This “bottom up” approach to community planning is an

effective and efficient way of involving local people in the

planning system. A Village Appraisal's unique approach

creates and instills the people's interest in community's

affairs and could enhance the spirit of “gotong royong” that

fosters harmony, and greater sense of belonging.

The Sabah experience suggests that a Village Appraisal

should be produced within a year of starting the

preparation process. If it takes any longer than two years,

it could lose momentum and it may then be difficult to keep

people interested and informed.

BERITA PERANCANG

FEATURE14

1 Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) is advice which adds to or refines information set out in the District Plan. It can take the formof a design guide, a planning brief, a Village Appraisal; or supplement other specific policies in a District Plan. It is issued separately tothe District Plan but must be clearly cross-referenced to the relevant policies.

SPG needs to be prepared in consultation with the local community, businesses, and the general public and other interested parties.Their views must be taken into account and incorporated in the final document.

"Boyd Joeman is a Member of theRoyal Town Planning Institute, UK,and is the principal of QCPPerunding based in Kota Kinabalu.Trained in the UK, he was attachedto the Sevenoaks District Council,UK, for more than a decadebefore returning to Malaysia.He is a member of the Pro-Tem Committee for MIP Sabah."

VILLAGE APPRAISALS

~ by Boyd Joeman

!!The first step is to discuss and agree on a ‘Vision’ for the

village, based on how the local community foresee change

over the next five, ten or twenty years. Some of the

considerations include whether the village should stay

basically unchanged, or major new infrastructure and

development which would radically change the way of life

be preferred, or does the community want just a few extra

services such as electricity, a paved road and a balai raya

(community hall).

The implications of realizing the vision must be

understood. For example, a new road would reduce travel

times/costs to a nearby market. This would also make the

village more competitive in marketing local produce;

increase land prices overall and along the road in

particular; enable people to live in the village but work in

larger urban areas; and open up the village to external

influences in terms of culture and land demand. These

implications would make the village a more attractive place

to live or to visit. So there are pressures working to

consolidate the village but these also act to fragment the

village by diluting land ownership and local culture and

tradition.

The contents of Village Appraisals can cover a wide range

of issues and opportunities. The community need to decide

what will be the main areas to focus on. No one else

should set the agenda or determine priorities for action on

behalf of the community. Essentially, a Village Appraisal

contains the following :

1. A Plan of the Village Reference Area2 (VRA) boundary

showing the proposed location of all plot allocations.

This would be subject to later survey by the Land and

Survey Department but until that time acts as the

accepted basis for land allocation within the VRA.

2. A Sketch Plan (not necessarily to scale) showing the

locations of all existing buildings, uses and infrastructure

within the village centre;

3. A plan and written details of any proposed buildings,

uses and/or infrastructure within the VRA;

4. A description of current village activities (e.g. agriculture,

hunting, fishing) and any shortcomings or constraints

which the village would like to overcome in future;

5. A written description of the villageís future economic

development strategy. This should be linked to any

physical proposals and contain details of any proposed

activities which the village intends to promote;

6. A written report setting out the issues of concern to the

community;

7. An Action Plan and proposed timescale for

implementation of particular projects; and

8. An assessment of broad phased costs of each project

(including labour and materials) and details of whether

the project can be undertaken by the village or requires

any outside assistance.

At the outset of a Village Appraisal it is important to raise

the people's awareness about the preparation of the

document. Thus, there should be plenty of publicity and

consultation to ensure that everyone knows and

understand the issues and opportunities and actions they

wish to consider for the future of the whole community.

The Village Appraisal translates the community's visions

and aspirations into a coherent plan and feasible projects,

which will enable this plan to take shape.

The Village Appraisal can be used for a number of

purposes. The following are just a few examples.

• for carrying out environmental improvements;

• for allocating land for orchards and cultivation, e.g. fruits,

vegetables, padi etc.;

• for identifying local need for housing and locating new

residential areas;

• for locating community facilities;

• for providing community transport;

• for reopening a closed village shop;

• for creating a new play area and place for young people

to meet; and

• for producing a community newsletter.

Under the Sabah Cap 141 (Town and Country Planning

Ordinance 1950 (amended 2002), Municipal and District

Councils are required to prepare District and Local Plans

for their respective areas. These statutory plans set out

land use policies to guide development, aid decisions on

planning applications and manage change across an

entire Municipal and District area. Village Appraisals are

prepared within the framework of the statutory District or

Local Plans. They amplify the broad land use policies and

proposals by giving them a local dimension.

BERITA PERANCANG

VILLAGE APPRAISALS 15

2 A VRA is an area within the assumed jurisdiction of a Ketua Kampong. The area boundary is determined by agreement between the

ketua kampongs and recognized by the State Land and Surveys Department and District Councils.

(Contd. on Page 17)

BERITA PERANCANG

FEATURE16

INTRODUCTIONMalaysians, and most importantly the citizens of Selangor,should take pride in the Prime Minister YAB Datuk SeriAbdullah Ahmad Badawi’s statement, made in his speechduring the official opening of the tropical fruit orchards inMalacca on November 15, 2005, “Each state dreams ofturning into a developed state as Selangor Maju 2005,Kedah Maju 2010, and Melaka Maju 2010, they all aim forthis, which is all well and good!” (15 November 2005).What was said is in conjunction with the Vision 2020 totransform Malaysia as a whole into a developed country.

However, there are many relevant questions pertaining tohow these states hope to achieve the status of adeveloped state within the specified aimed period of time.Questions such as, what should be the level ofmeasurement and indicators to be used to assess state’sdevelopment? Who will be responsible in producing theseindicators and indices? Should these indices andindicators be restricted to only socio-economic, efficiencyof state-governance, entrepreneurship performance andinfrastructure development, or should they also be utilizedto monitor investment levels in manufacturing sectors andinfrastructure, and many more? What is the definition andbenchmark of a developed state; is the evaluation onlyfrom a physical aspect, or should it encompasses thehuman, social and religion aspects as well? And moreimportantly, will the people’s mentality progress parallel tothe physical development in question?

EVALUATION APPROACHThe approach in evaluating development is both intricateand descriptive. Economic accomplishments are oftenused as the universal indicators of competitiveness(OECD1 defines developed countries should have thePurchasing Power Parity (PPP) of equal or more thanUSD10,000 or RM37,000). It is general knowledge thatSelangor, with a population of 4.3 million (as equivalent tosome other developed countries like New Zealand - 4.03Million, Singapore - 4.19 Million, and Ireland - 3.97 Million),is the country’s pioneering state in areas such as industry,commerce, infrastructure, and information andcommunications technology (ICT). Selangor obtainedUSD11,782 or RM43,830 for its PPP in the year 2003. Forthis, the State Government of Selangor deserves plauditfor their continuous commitment and effort in developingthe state, and of course using the chosen indicators asproduced by the IMD, Switzerland2 to measure their levelof achievements.

The Selangor Competitiveness Study Report3 was madethe foundation of measurement for Selangor Maju 2005.The report outlined four main indicators encompassing i)economic performance, ii) government efficiency, iii)commerce and business efficiency, and iv) the standard ofinfrastructure. The findings of the study concerning onlythe 75 chosen criteria in order of 1 till 20 is as stated inTable 1. Selangor achieved 69% (or 52 out of 75indicators) in 2003 and 77% (58 out of 75 indicators) in2004. The minimum requirement for a state to beconsidered developed is 70%, thus Selangor can beconsidered a developed state on a lower level. Withencouraging economic growth rate of 8.1% in 2004, it isbelieved that Selangor’s achievement of developed statestatus will remain, and in all likelihood, will improve.

Table 1: Status of Competitiveness, in the positionrange 1- 20 ( Hard & Soft Data) for 2004

COMPETITIVENESS INDICATORSFOR BENCHMARKINGDEVELOPED STATES’ VISION INMALAYSIA- A case of Selangor Maju 2005

by Dr. Alias AbdullahInternational Islamic University Malaysia

(MIP Council Member 2005-2007 and Researchand Publications Committee Chairman)

No. CRITERIA POSITIONA ECONOMIC PROGRESS1 Real GDP growth 12 Employment growth 23 Export of good (% of GDP) 34 Current account balance

(% of GDP) 55 Unemployment rate

(% of labour force) 56 Consumer price inflation 67 Resilience of the state 18 Relocation threats of production 3

B GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY1 Collected total tax revenue

(% of GDP) 72 State government domestic

debt (% of GDP) 143 Serious crime 154 Interest payment (% of

current revenue) 165 State government foreign

debt (% of GDP) 166 Management of public finance 17 Adaptability of govt policy 28 Government decisions 29 Legal framework 210 Transparency 411 Bureaucracy 512 Public Service 513 Investment Incentives 514 Social cohesion 615 Personal security and

private property 1216 Public sector contracts 1817 Bribing and corruption 19

C BUSINESS EFFICIENCY1 Overall productivity – real growth 12 Labour force (% of population) 13 Labour force growth 2

C Business Efficiency (Contd)4 Compensation level 75 Agricultural productivity (PPP) 146 Industrial productivity (PPP) 197 Corporate bodies 18 Attitude toward globalization 49 Values of society 410 Labour relations 511 Skilled labour 612 Image abroad 1013 Health, safety and

environmental concern 14

D INFRASTRUCTURE1 Internet costs 22 Total public expenditure on

education (% of GDP) 33 Air transportation per capita 44 Roads (density) 65 Fixed telephone lines 56 Mobile telephone costs 67 Secondary school enrolment 128 Electrical cost for industrial

clients 159 Internet users 1310 Investment in telecomunication

(% of GDP) 1511 International fixed

telephone costs 1612 Dependency ration 1913 University education 214 Interest in science and

technology 615 Knowledge transfer 816 Environmental laws 917 Health infrastructure 1018 Communication technology 1419 Communication technology skills 1420 Quality of life 17

1 Refer to Organization for Economic Co-operation andDevelopment (OECD) at www.oecd.org

2 Refer to “IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2004”, June2004, Institute for Management Development: Switzerland

3 Refer to National Productivity Centre (NPC), Laporan KajianStatus Daya Saing Negeri Selangor, 2003/2004 - the study wasundertaken by NPC, UIAM (through IIUM Entrepreneurship andConsultancies Sdn. Bhd.) and UiTM

!!

BERITA PERANCANG

COMPETITIVENESS INDICATORS 17

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT UNDP REPORT2005 and MALAYSIA QUALITY OF LIFEREPORT 2005 REINFORCE SELANGORDEVELOPED-STATE CLAIMThis claim was reinforced by the United Nations HumanDevelopment Report 2005 produced by the UNDP4, whichmarked the level of Malaysia’s achievement in the year2000 as within the range of moderate, with an HDI Index of0.796, and a ranking of 61 among 177 countries. Selangorhowever achieved an HDI Index of 0.817 and was rankedthird in the country, after Kuala Lumpur (0.861) and PulauPinang (0.828). The UNDP has set an HDI Index of 0.85for high developed, 0.80-0.84 as developed, 0.75-0.79 asmoderately developed, and less than 0.75 asunderdeveloped. The measurement of HDI by UNDPMalaysia integrated three aspects, age and a healthy andprosperous lifestyle, education status, and standard of

living/quality of life (see a map in page 18 of November2005 Berita Perancang).

As is it with the Malaysia Quality of Life Report 2004produced by the Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’sOffice5, which exhibited Selangor’s improved position ascompared to other states in Malaysia. From the aspects ofTotal Household Monthly Income and Gini Coefficient in2002, Selangor was ranked second after Kuala Lumpur(See Table 2). In addition to this Selangor boasts of its lowrate of poverty, 1.1% and extreme poverty 0.2% in 2002.Selangor also has the second highest number of internetusers in Malaysia, which allows the state to progressaccordingly with, “negeri cemerlang, gemilang danterbilang” concept especially in the ICT and knowledgesectors (i.e., knowledge communities). The percentage ofachievement in tertiary education, 33.78% and illiteracy of3.67% place Selangor second by national standards.

NO ARTICLE 1990 1995 (96) 2002 Rank by State, most current year1 Min Total Household Monthly Income (RM) RM1,658 RM3,162 RM4,406 22 Gini Coefficient 0.4440 0.4238 0.4234 23 Poverty (% household) 7.6 2.2 1.1 24 Extreme poverty (% household) 1.1 0.5 0.2 25 Total of registered vehicles per 1000 population 178 156 149.5 76 Total of Telephone lines per 1000 population 235 227.6 244.1 17 Number of Internet users - - 225,262 (38.2%) year 2000 2 (year 2000)8 Patient: Physician ratio 2,287 2,021 1,543 89 Student: Teacher ratio (secondary) 20.4 19.8 17.5 1010 Student: Teacher ratio (primary) 24 23.6 20.6 811 Tertiary education achievement(%) 24.28 28.37 33.78 212 None formal education(%) 6.17 5.23 3.67 213 Water supply in rural areas(%) 85 94 98 214 Power supply in rural areas (%) 96.6 (1992) - 97.92 (2000) 8

Table 2: Data from Malaysia Quality of Life Report 2004

4 Refer to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at www.undp.org.my/Human_development_Malaysia.asp5 Refer to www.epu.jpm.my/Source:1.Penyiasatan Pendapatan Isi Rumah, 1990, 1995 & 2002, Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia2. Bank Data Negeri/Daerah 91990, 1996, 2002), Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia3. Kementerian Tenaga, komunikasi dan Multimedia (MCMC)4. Penyiasatan Tenaga Buruh, Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia

Village Appraisals (Contd. from Page 15)Briefly, a District Plan covers the whole District and a Local

Plan covers certain areas within that District. Village

Appraisals are intended for those rural areas within a

District which are not specifically covered by Local Plans.

The responsibility for preparing and implementing the

contents of a Village Appraisal rests with the village

concerned although the overall planning framework will be

through the adopted District Plan.

The communityís main aim is therefore to get the Village

Appraisal adopted as Supplementary Planning Guidance.

Once adopted, it will have a major role in influencing future

planning policy at the local level. It will not only aid decision-

making on planning applications submitted to the Municipal

and District Councils but more importantly it will give the

local community the tools to determine the future

development of their respective villages.

Preparing a Village Appraisal requires the commitment of

the whole community to ensure success. Thus, everyone in

the Community, from the Ketua Kampung, Kapitan Cina,

and Community Leaders (e.g. Community Development

Officers and Pemimpin Kemajuan Rakyat) to

Jawatankuasa Kemajuan dan Keselamatan Kampung

(JKKK), the business community; public sector; NGOs; and

schools, should be involved in Village Appraisalís

preparation. Crucially, local residents from young people to

senior citizens; people with disabilities and others and

those who have associations with the village must be

involved. The districtís Members of Parliament, Ahli Dewan

Undangan Negeri, Parliamentary Senators and others

should also be involved too. They should be able to offer

advice but the final decision on the types of issues and

opportunities to consider and include in the Village

Appraisal is up to the whole community. [end]

BERITA PERANCANG

NEW CONCEPTS IN PLANNING18

WHAT IS DEEPECOLOGY? Deep Ecology can be considered the spiritualdimensions of the environmental movement. It asksdeeper questions that get at the real causes (such asignorance and greed) behind issues as well as the"place", ethical concerns, ecological limits, and so forth.Deep Ecology recognises Homo sapiens as a singlespecies in the integrity of the ecosystem or universe,along with all the other numerous species of plants andanimals, and their relationships.

The following statements are from "The Deep EcologyPlatform" by Arne Naess and George Sessions, two eco-philosophers:

(1) The well being and flourishing of human andnonhuman life on Earth have value in themselves(synonyms: inherent worth, intrinsic). Thesevalues are independent of the usefulness of thenonhuman world for human purposes.

(2) Richness and diversity of life forms contribute tothe realization of these values and are useful of thenonhuman world for human purposes.

(3) Humans have no right to reduce this richness anddiversity except to satisfy vital needs.

(4) Present human interference with the nonhumanworld is excessive, and the situation is rapidlyworsening.

(5) The flourishing of human life and cultures iscompatible with substantial decrease of the humanpopulation. The flourishing of nonhuman liferequires such a decrease.

(6) Policies must therefore be changed. The changesin policies affect basic economic, technologicalstructures. The resulting state of affairs will bedeeply different from the present.

(7) The ideological change is mainly that ofappreciating life quality (dwelling in situations ofinherent worth) rather than adhering to anincreasingly higher standard of living. There will beprofound awareness of the differences between bigand small.

(8 Those who prescribe to the above points have anobligation directly or indirectly to participate inattempts to implement the necessary changes.

The text is courtesy of Malaysian Nature Society, takenfrom its circular on the Public Talk entitled “DeepEcology and Consciousness” by Dr. Daniel Henning atMNS Auditorium, Jalan Kelantan, Kuala Lumpur on 14February 2006. Dr. Daniel Henning is a ProfessorEmeritus of Political Science and Environmental Affairsat Montana State University, and currently a visitingprofessor at UPM, Selangor.

A Satellite Town for Muar? (Contd. from Page 13)New townshipOne nagging question. How big is thissatellite town going to be? Is it going tocover an area of more than 100hectares? Will it lead to the creation of atownship with a population exceeding10,000 people?

This is an important issue because undersection 22 (2A) and (2B) of the Town andCountry Planning Act 1976, if that kind oftownship is envisaged, the Johor StatePlanning Committee is bound by law to“request” the advice of the NationalPhysical Planning Council. The Council,established under section 2A of therecently revamped Act, is chaired by thePrime Minister.

One of the “functions” (more accurately, Iwould say, the “responsibilities”) of theCouncil is to promote the “achievement ofsustainable development in the country”(or if you prefer its new term in theplanner’s vocabulary, “smart growth”).

As an ex-Muarian, now resident inKedah, I wish the town residents “Best ofluck. And do take special care of yoursatellite town”. [end]

Tree Preservation Orders under Malaysian Planning Law (Contd. from Pg. 10)The second problem relates to paragraph (c) above, “if it is to comply withany written law”. There are two legal provisions that may undermine theeffectiveness of the TPO under the TCPA. The first relates to streetworks.Section 38(3) of the STREET, DRAINAGE AND BUILDING ACT 1974 (Act 133)(‘SDBA’) provides that ‘any tree standing within 12 feet of or overhangingany street or back-lane may be cut down or dug up by order of the localauthority’. This means that whenever the local planning authorityundertakes any road improvement projects particularly, road widening, it isat liberty to order the cutting down or digging up of trees to comply with the12 feet rule. Hence, we see many instances of trees being uprooted tomake way for streetwork. The section does not provide for the replanting ofsuch trees when such acts are done. What can be said about the SDBA isthat it may be time to amend this particular provision to be in line withMalaysia’s move towards sustainable development. The TCPA has beenamended three times over the years to include provisions on protection ofthe environment but one cannot say the same for the SDBA, which remainsa very important statute for the local planning authorities.

With regard to the episode in Penang, it may be worthy to point out thatprojects by the Public Works Department, being government projects, arenot covered by the TCPA. Section 20A of the TCPA merely prescribes aduty of every federal and state government department or agency toconsult the State Planning Committee ‘on any development activity itproposes to carry out within the State’. The effect of this is that governmentdepartments and agencies cannot be prosecuted under the TCPA for theoffence of felling trees in any of their development projects. Whether thisstate of affairs facilitates the move towards sustainable development andshould be allowed to continue are questions that should very well beconsidered by planners and policy-makers in the near future. [end]

BERITA PERANCANG

IIUM JOINTLY ORGANISEENSPADS’ EXECUTIVE WORKSHOP

Report by Muhammad Faris Abdullah

An Executive Workshop on Improving Governance throughInstitutionalisation of Spatial Planning and Decision Support Systems wasconducted in Manila on 6-9 December 2005. The workshop was part of theExpanding Expertise Network for Generating and Sharing KnowledgeRelated to Spatial Planning and Decision Support (ENSPADS) researchprogramme. Funded by the ASEAN-EU University Network Programme,the workshop was jointlyorganised by InternationalIslamic University Malaysia,International Institute for Geo-Information Science & EarthObservation, University ofTrento and University of thePhilippines, and hosted by thelatter at their Diliman campusin Manila. The main agenda ofthe workshop was to look intothe potential and constraints ofinstitutionalising spatialplanning and decision supportinto everyday decision-makingprocesses in planningpractices.

Participants of the workshopincluded academics andexecutives from Malaysia, theNetherlands, Italy and thePhilippines. From Malaysia, adelegate of fourteen membersparticipated by presentingdiscussion papers and activelyinvolved in metaplandiscussions. Maptalk demonstration session Some members of Malaysian delegates at

Pagsanjan Laguna

Study tour to Pagsanjan, one of the tourisimarea in the Philippines

Dinner hosted by the University of thePhilippines-Diliman

Presentation of papers during workshop

ROUND-UP 19

BERITA PERANCANG

20 SPECIAL

Now that the planning stage is over, they are alsolooking at getting seconded officer from ourDepartment to oversee the full implementation of thisproject, given our experience in developingPutrajaya.

We also have always included planning agenciesfrom Sabah and Sarawak in our annual SeniorOfficers’ Meeting and even held some meetingsthere. For example, for our last meeting in Penang inJuly 2005, 33 agencies from Sabah and Sarawak wereinvited.

On a social level, Sabah and Sarawak have alsobeen invited to join in our bi-annual SUKNA (SukanNasional), though to date, only Sabah manage tosend a contingent.

Lastly, within JPBD, we have 21 staffs from Sabah andSarawak working with us (13 from Sabah, 8 fromSarawak).

I will continue these communications andcollaborations with Sabah and Sarawak, because Iknow it does help to improve the nation’s overallplanning.

Having said that, as Secretariat to the NationalPhysical Planning Council, whose function amongothers is to coordinate the nation’s planning system, Iknow more can be done to improve this relationship.For now we have to be aware that these two stateshave their own planning ordinance and land codesas well as some sort of political sovereignty, whichgives them rights to carry on their own way of doingplanning.

BP : The proposed Town and Country Planning Act(Amendment) 2003 to include provisions forHeritage Conservation have been shelved anda new Heritage Act has been proposed in itsplace. How do you see the role of JPBD, localplanning authority and practicing townplanners, in the development, control andmanagement of heritage buildings and sitesnow that the legislation is put under thejurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture, Arts andHeritage? How will the Act be implemented atthe local level (LPA)?

The subject of heritage conservation is now under thepurview of Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage.Nevertheless, JPBD under the Ministry of Housing andLocal Government, will continue to play a vital roleunder the existing provisions in the Town and CountryPlanning Act 1976 (Act 172), to plan area andmonument of heritage and historical value.

Under the provision of Act 172, JPBD still has a crucial

role in heritage conservation planning, when it comesto the preparation of development plans at thenational, state and local levels. These developmentplans will take into consideration historical areas andmonuments when formulating future plans anddevelopment policy for the area. Other than that,JPBD will also continue drafting subsidiary legislationto control development related to heritage area andbuildings in the state, in order to ensure thesustainability of these legacies.

Under the provisions of Part IV (Development Control)of the Act, the role of local planning authority (LPA) ashistorical area and monument conservator, controllerand manager will also stand. LPA will continue to playthis role through the granting of planning approval,especially application for new development in areacharacterized by immense historical importance.

Practicing Town Planners also has significant role toplay in conserving national heritage. The professionalexpertise of practicing planners could contributesignificantly to the planning of sustainable heritage.Practicing planners could contribute by gettingthemselves involve in plan making, such as thepreparation of LCP, layouts, development plans andalso by conducting research and study on anyheritage related topic, may it be under the provisionof Act 172 or the new National Heritage Act.

BP : There are talks that the structure plans and localplans preparation process is going to be carriedout in house by JPBD. If it is true, what would therole of the consultants be

For the 9th Malaysia Plan projects, the departmentwill continue to engage the private town planningconsultants in preparing various development plans(i.e. Structure Plans and Local Plans). The modusoperandi will be similar to what we are practising nowwith a few improvement to ensure better quality ofwork and output. In due course, the department willcarry out the study in house but this will not happentoo soon. There are a lot of factors to be consideredbefore we take such a big step. Manpower andexperts availability is the most important factors.Capacity building of the department need to bestudied further to ensure the projects can beundertaken within the proposed scope and time.

However, even when the department is ready toundertake these projects on their own, services of theprivate town planning consultants will still be required.The department will collaborate with the consultantsespecially on the subject/sectors which we lack ofexpertise. The department is yet to outline clearly onhow the partnership will work. But in general, theconsultant will be appointed as sectoral consultantbased on his/her expertise.

An Interview with the Director General of JPBD (Contd. from Page 28)

BERITA PERANCANG

SPECIAL 21BP : What are your plans for R & D efforts by JPBD,

what are the priority subject areas and whatproportion of JPBD's budget have beencommitted to R & D?

JPBD will continue to improve methodologies in planpreparation while concurrently undertaking researchto tackle existing urban issues and probableemerging urban problems. Existing curative measureinclude improving and updating the various planningguidelines, whilst research catering to emergingprobable urban problems will provide guidelines orpolicy guidance on gated community,telecommunication towers etc.

We are constantly improving methods in planpreparation, including better methods at evaluatingurban development land use strategy options; forexample, we are now beginning to use decisionscience methodologies, in particular spatial multi-criteria evaluation techniques, in generating andevaluating development options.

Nowadays, a number of JPBD research topics areundertaken in close collaboration with a number ofministries. Further collaboration with other agencies inthe field of risk management, in preparation of landuse guidelines, as well as undertaking risk mapspreparation is also envisaged. Agencies such asMeteorological Services, MACRES, Department ofMineral and Geosciences and NAHRIM are amongagencies identified. JPBD is also not discounting thepossibilities of a regional technological exchange inthe field of planning risk management.

Another JPBD initiative taking shape in the 8thMalaysia Plan and which will be given much attentionis the implementation of urban sustainable indicators.JPBD will continue monitoring the sustainable status ofcities in Malaysia through the implementation ofMURNInet (Malaysia Urban Indicator Network). This willprovide much needed feedback to the governmenton the sustainable development shortfall andachievement at the local authority level. On a similarfront, JPBD is heavily involved in the Safe CityProgramme and continuously monitoring the level ofimplementation of crime prevention measures at thelocal authority level. This programme involves manyagencies and further research is being initiatedapplying the Crime Prevention Throughenvironmental Design (CPTED) techniques.

Currently the R&D Budget for 2005 is about RM559,700(3.7%)of the total JPBD development budget. Thisallocation will be increased to about RM8 million or7.4% of JPBD development budget for the 9thMalaysia Plan.

BP : There have been several changes in policiesand approach in terms of layout and LCP

submission and approval process at the Statelevel. Some states require submission to PTGNegeri, whereas in other states to JPBD Negeri.How do you plan to resolve the differences inapproach with the State Government?

Since the third amendment to Act 172 in year 2001,JPBD has been making efforts to streamline andstandardise the submission and approvingprocedures for planning approval application in allstates. This effort is now producing results assubmission for new development is now going to thelocal planning authority rather than the State PTG. Wehope this change will be completed in one or twoyears time so that the whole planning system in thiscountry will be consolidated.

BP : Although there is a relatively high level ofawareness among JPBD personnel onenvironmental conservation and sustainabledevelopment, there is still shortcomings in termsof knowledge and understanding of the issuesand agenda. Will JPBD establish an Environmentand/or Sustainable Development section in viewof the important role that planners play inenvironmental planning and management?

JPBD has in the past given substantial attention toenvironmental and sustainable developmentconcerns. For instance, all statutory plans are nowrequired to include not only an environmentalchapter but also an analysis within the SustainableAssessment (SA) framework. Sustainable Assessmentbesides incorporating Strategic EnvironmentalAssessment (SEA) also includes Social ImpactAssessment (SIA). Meanwhile, for the 9th MalaysiaPlan, the Research and Development Division of JPBDhas earmarked a number of research studies tobetter handle emerging environmental concerns.

These include ecological footprint, inventory ofenvironmentally sensitive areas, analytical frameworkfor assessing environmental policies within variouslevel of statutory planning documents, ‘polluter pays’mechanism etc. Presently JPBD does not have anyintention to establish an environmental or sustainabledevelopment section. However, we hope morecollaborative research will be conducted with localand international research centres on specificenvironmental concerns. Such research outputshould be applied or disseminated to the localauthorities through relevant planning guidelines.

BP : Local town planning practices are nowgoverned by the Town Planners Act and thepolicy requiring practising town planners beingregistered with the MIP. There have been influxof foreign planning practices who have set upshop and undertaken high profile projects in thiscountry without being registered with neither the

�

BERITA PERANCANG

SPECIAL22Board of Planners or the MIP. Disregarding the existingloopholes in the law, do you feel all form ofprofessional planning practice should come under thejurisdiction Town Planners Act?

The department is not aware of the practice by foreignplanners in Malaysia, as this matter has not beenhighlighted before in any of the meeting, forum ordiscussion held for town planners, especially the TownPlanners’ Board Meeting. Nevertheless, the Departmentwould like to thank MIP for highlighting this issue. This issuewill be brought up in future Town Planners’ Board Meeting.If necessary, the Town Planner Act 1995 (Act 538) will beamended to ensure practice by foreign planners in thiscountry is well within the jurisdiction of Act 538.

BP : You initiated a commendable series of “MesyuaratBersama Perunding”. How much has these meetingscontributed towards resolving the many issues thatwere raised and how much more do you feel need tobe done?

The meeting has been very effective in dealing with someof the issues raised. What the department expect from theprivate town planning consultants are mainly theircommitment in doing their jobs and their willingness toundertake more challenges and to overcome weaknessessuch as non-performance, poor quality plans, lack ofcreativity and innovation in plan making and others.Consultants should continue learning to improvethemselves. Aspects of capacity building should be givenpriority by the consultants. On top of courses and skillimprovement, they should also look in the context of firmsmerging as planning consortiums to ensure sufficient poolof expertise and manpower. This will also help the small firmto sustain as the competition among the private townplanning consultants is greater now.

BP : What do you wish to see happens in the town planningprofession in Malaysia within the next decade?

We have come along way. Town Planning has been with ussince 1921 (84 years now). It is always being associated withthe development, guiding the use of land and eventuallytranslated into nation building. The importance of townplanning in this aspect - Nation building - is more prominentnow especially in helping the government to achieveVision 2020, where Malaysia will be, in just 16 years, adevoted nation with its people to self-reliant andprogressive. Planning has a role to play in uplifting thequality of life for people which is prerequisite of developednation. It is through planning that will provide sufficientcommunity facilities and infrastructure, preservation ofenvironment efficient use at resources and sufficient jobsand economics - in short town and country planningprofession is equally important in helping the nation toattain its developed status.

Berita Perancang Editorial team would like to record theirutmost gratitude to Dato’ Fadzil for this interview

MIP Road Shows 2006The MIP kicked off its roadshow witha visit to IIUM on February 6, 2006,followed by UiTM Shah Alam onFebruary, 8, 2005. It then moved onto Politeknik Sultan Abdul HalimMuadzam Shah, Jitra, on February12, 2006; UiTM Seri Iskandar onFebruary 14, 2006; and USM, PulauPinang on February 18, 2006. Thevisit to UTM, Skudai has beenscheduled for 27th February, 2006

The roadshow at UiTM Shah Alam on 8 February, 2006

The attentive audience at UiTM ShahAlam

Meeting with the UiTM Management

BERITA PERANCANG

CAMPUS NEWS 23Department of Urban and Regional Planning,Faculty of Built Environment,UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA.Skudai Johor Campus andJalan Semarak, Kuala Lumpur Campus

The Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty

of Built Environment at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

(UTM), a leading planning institution in Malaysia, was

founded back in the 1950s (Technical College) in Kuala

Lumpur. As the oldest planning institution in Malaysia with

more than 50 year history, the department is well

resourced and has an outstanding reputation for top class

teaching, R & D and specialized field of consultancy in

GIS, Transportation, Rural and Resource Planning,

Tourism and Urban Policy studies. In line with the

university’s vision to be a World Class University, the

department is constantly improving to provide advanced

academic knowledge and professional expertise in urban

and regional planning. Faculty of Built Environment is the

first academic institution in Malaysia to be awarded ISO

9000 certification by Lloyd’s Registered Quality Assurance

since year 2002. Since then, we have adopted innovative

management, teaching and learning techniques such as

Outcome Base Education, Problem Base Learning,

Cooperative Learning, Teaching Portfolio and Balance

Score Card to further improve our department

performance.

Presently, UTM has 2 campuses, i.e. Skudai, Johor

campus with an area of 1777 hectares and the 18-hectare

Jalan Semarak campus in Kuala Lumpur. The Diploma in

Urban and Regional planning program is offered at Kuala

Lumpur campus while the Bachelor, M Sc (by research

and taught courses) and PhD are offered at the main

campus in Skudai, Johor. In addition, part time Diploma

and Bachelor programs in Urban and Regional Planning

are offered under the SPACE program (School

Professional and Continuing Education) in both

campuses. The degree offered is a professional degree

recognized by Malaysia Institute of Planners(MIP) and

Board of Town Planners, Malaysia.

There is a total of six (6) taught course Post Graduate

programs (MSc Urban and Regional Planning, MSc

Planning – IT, MSc Planning-Housing, MSc Planning-

Resource Management, MSc Tourism Planning and MSc

Transportation Planning) offered at full and part time basis

during the July Semester. In addition, post graduate

research courses in Urban and Regional Planning at MSc

and PhD levels are also offered every semester of the

year .The M Sc Transportation Planning degree offered is

a professional degree recognized by the Chartered

Institute of Logistics and Transportation. (CLIT)

About 50 diploma, 70 undergraduates and 30postgraduate’s students are accepted into the departmenteach year and in total, the department has about 400 fulltime students. The department has attracted foreignstudents from Iran, Indonesia, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan,India and Palestine in our post graduate programs. Thereare also student under the short term attachmentprograms from Japan, Netherlands, Italy and Australiaunder the MoU agreement between UTM and therespective universities. Since 1976, the department hasproduced more than 813 Bachelors and 1146 Diplomagraduates. The first batch of MSc students was in 1990and PhD student in 1994. To date, we have trained a totalof 141 post graduate students (15 PhD and 126 MSc).

The Department has an academic strength of 25 lecturerswith wide ranging specialist’s skill and interests. There isa total of 5 Professors, 7 Associate Professors, 3 Seniorlecturers and 10 lecturers. Presently, a total of 16 staff(64% of the total staff) are PhD holders and departmentaims to have more than 75% of academic staff with PhDby year 2010. Most of the academic staff are trained bothlocally as well as in overseas (mainly UK, USA, Australia,Japan and Netherlands.) to have a wider exposure andexperience. The department has about 11 staff withcorporate membership of Malaysian Institute of Planners(MIP). Local and international prominent professors andpracticing town planners are appointed as visitingprofessor and external examiners to the department fromtime to time. The most recent appointment was ProfEmeritus Ian Maser from the United Kingdom. He was aVisiting professor and External Examiner to advise thedepartment on further improvement to the quality ofteaching and research as to remain competitive.

Other than the teaching assignments, department staffare also active in R & D and consultancy in the planningrelated activities. Some of the academic staff are alsoinvolved in research and consultancy projects funded byIntensive Research Priority Area (IRPA), Ministry ofScience and Technology, the Federal Town and CountryPlanning Department, the Highway Planning Unit, theMinistry of Tourism Malaysia, State Government, localauthorities and other government agencies. Recent majorprojects include AGISwlk System in Klang Valley, LandUse Transportation Interaction Model, Bintulu Urban andRegional Study, Cultural Heritage Management andTourism Study, Tourism Master Plan and Action Plan, theSarawak Felcra Village Rehabilitation Planning Study, thePlanning Standard Manual 2005 and the preparation ofnumerous development plan. There were also researchprojects with international funding such as Japan SocietyPromotion of Science-Vice Chancellor Council (JSPS-VCC), UNESCO, Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA), Japan Foundation and ITC, Netherlands.

Students and staff have regularly participated andachieved success in national and international awardcompetitions. And have recently won the MIP Top Scholar

�

BERITA PERANCANG

CAMPUS NEWS24CAMPUS NEWS (Contd. from page 22)Award and Best Essay - student category (2005), WorldTourism Student Summit-Beppu City Mayor award,Japan(2005) and Royal Society Malaysian Fellowshipaward (2004/05). Many are also actively involved inpublication in local and international conferences andjournal. Several books, monographs and teachingmodules have been published to help students andpracticing planners have a better understanding of urbanand regional planning.

The department has set up research laboratories (GIS lab,Urban Research lab, Environmental lab), Centre ofExcellence (Rural planning) and resource centre forteaching and research on urban and rural issues as wellas town planning. The department puts great emphasis onpractical project work including field trips and study visits.The department is also working closely with MalaysiaInstitute of Planners (MIP Southern committee) toorganize annual national seminar in UTM. Prominentpracticing planners are invited as guest lecturer and paneladvisors to complement the input on professional practiceand studio work.

Further information, please logon at http//: www.fab.utm.my.

Year Diploma BURP MSc and PhD1972 7 0 01973 4 0 01974 2 0 01975 10 0 01976 7 0 01977 14 0 01978 19 3 01979 11 9 01980 18 12 01981 13 15 01982 25 18 01983 27 20 01984 31 21 01985 29 20 01986 40 18 01987 37 19 01988 37 14 01989 18 24 01990 27 19 11991 29 12 01992 26 23 01993 34 17 21994 28 29 11995 24 29 71996 40 31 141997 37 28 81998 67 46 51999 54 47 102000 141 50 152001 91 89 102002 47 79 122003 63 34 182004 44 46 242005 45 41 17Total 1146 813 141

2006 ASAIHLConference in PenangUNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA in collaboration with The

Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher

Learning (ASAIHL) will be hosting The 2006 ASAIHL

Conference on Education for Sustainable Development

from June 19 - 22, 2006 at the Gurney Resort Hotel,

Penang. The objective of the Conference is to provide a

forum for international educators to exchange views and

present their researches on education for sustainable

development [EfSD]. In addition, the conference aims to

encourage cooperation between industry, business and

professionals and promote collaboration among

educational institutions on regional, national and global

basis.

In conjunction with the Decade on Education for

Sustainable Development [DESD], 2005-2014, the

conference aims to bring together work and research in

various fields including trans-disciplinary approaches on

EfSD and multi-stakeholder and multi-disciplinary

approaches to EfSD. The dateline for submission of

abstracts for paper presentations is 15th March 2006.

Full papers are due 30th April 2006. For further details

please visit http://eis.usm.my/asaihl/

FRESH GRADUATE REGISTER(FGR)All University Graduates who are members of the

institute are eligible to register in the FGR. The

purpose of which to assist job replacement and

training program.

Please call the secretariat.

TOWN PLANNERS GRADUATETRAINING SCHEME (GTS)• The institute is planning to embark on a Graduate

Training Scheme (GTS) which is similar inconcept to the government SKS program. Theintention is to start the program by the middle ofthe year.

• Here, we are inviting All Planning Firm registeredwith the Institute to participate in this program. Fordetails please call Md. Nazri Mohd Noordin,chairman of the Young Planners Committee at603 41054417/ 4418

BERITA PERANCANG

25NEWS FROM BOARD OF TOWN PLANNERS, MALAYSIA

i. Pembaharuan Perakuan Pendaftaran dan Pertukaran

Alamat

Perenggan 17(3)(a)Akta 538:

“Sesuatu perakuan pendaftaran hendaklah habis

tempoh pada 31 Disember tahun ia dikeluarkan.”

Seksyen 19 Akta 538 :

“Tiap-tiap Perancang Bandar berdaftar, Perancang

Bandar Siswazah berdaftar dan Perancang Bandar

asing hendaklah memberitahu Pendaftar mengenai

apa-apa pertukaran alamat perniagaannya atau

alamat surat-menyuratnya, mengikut mana-mana

yang berkenaan, dalam masa empat belas hari dari

pertukaran itu.”

Semua Perancang Bandar Berdaftar dan Perancang

Bandar Siswazah Berdaftar diingatkan untuk membaharui

perakuan masing-masing sebelum atau pada 31 Januari

tiap-tiap tahun, menggunakan Borang 5.

Masih terdapat Perancang Bandar yang belum

membaharui perakuan pendaftaran sejak beberapa tahun

kebelakang kerana tidak dapat dihubungi. Semua yang

berkenaan adalah diminta supaya menghubungi pihak

Urus Setia di telefon bernombor 03-26992192 atau

faksimili nombor 03-26987371.

ii. Keperluan untuk berdaftar

Semua pihak berkuasa tempatan di seluruh negara telah

diminta untuk menguatkuasakan Akta 538 melalui surat

Lembaga ini bertarikh 3 Julai 2003. Sementara pihak

institusi pengajian tinggi awam dan swasta juga telah

dipohon untuk memaklumkan kepada semua pensyarah

serta Ketua Biro perundingan/penyelidikan di institusi

masing-masing yang ingin menjalankan amalan

perancangan, agar berdaftar dengan Lembaga Perancang

Bandar Malaysia, melalui surat Lembaga ini bertarikh 11

Mei 2004.

Oleh itu, hanya Perancang Bandar Berdaftar sahaja

mempunyai hak untuk :

• menyediakan rancangan pemajuan;

• menjalankan kajian perancangan pembangunan dan

kajian kebolehlaksanaan dan penilaian kesan alam

sekitar berhubung dengan kegunaan tanah; dan

• menyediakan dan mengemukakan permohonan

kebenaran merancang, susunatur pecah bahagian,

lakaran dan laporan perancangan bagi maksud

membangunkan mana-mana tanah.

Manakala Perancang Bandar Siswazah berdaftar dalam

Seksyen B Daftar mempunyai sekatan-sekatannya, seperti

di peruntukkan di bawah seksyen 14 Akta 538.

iii. Reka Bentuk Cop

Reka bentuk cop untuk digunapakai oleh semua ahli

Lembaga ini telah diputuskan dalam Mesyuarat Lembaga

ini Bil. 2/2005 bertarikh 17 Mac 2005 dan Bil. 4/2005

bertarikh 29 September 2005.

KENYATAAN OLEH LEMBAGA PERANCANG BANDAR, MALAYSIA

SENARAI ANGGOTA LEMBAGA PERANCANG BANDAR MALAYSIA (JANUARI 2006)Perlantikan mengikut seksyen 4 Akta Perancang Bandar 1995 [Akta 538]

Reka Bentuk Cop Logo LPBM

5.5cm

Sebagai Nama Tarikh Tamat Lantikan Sessi1. Pengerusi Y.Bhg. Dato' Wan Mohamad Mukhtar bin Mohd. Noor 28.2.06 Kedua2. Presiden MIP Pn. Norliza bt. Hashim hingga ada perlantikan baru Pertama3. Presiden PPPB&DSM Dr. Dolbani bin Mijan hingga ada perlantikan baru Pertama4. Wakil MIP (Awam) Y.Bhg. Dato’ Mohd. Fadzil bin Haji Mohd. Khir 30.6.08 Pertama5. Wakil MIP (Awam) Y. Bhg. Dato’ Yaacob bin Nordin 30.6.08 Pertama6. Wakil MIP (Awam) Y. Bhg. Dato’ Jebasingam Issace John 30.6.08 Pertama7. Wakil MIP (Swasta) En. Mahesan a/l Thilliampalam 30.6.08 Kedua8. Wakil MIP (Swasta) En. Lawrence Chan Kek Tong 30.6.08 Pertama9. Wakil MIP (Swasta) (Pn. Norliza bt. Hashim)10. Wakil MIP (IPTA) Prof. Madya Dr. Alias Abdullah 31.5.2005 Ketiga11. Wakil LAM Ar. Dr. Amer Hamzah B. Mohd Yunus 14.2.07 Pertama12. Wakil LJM Ir. Yim Hon Wa 14.7.05 Pertama13. Wakil LJTSM En. Mohammad Azmi bin Mohd. Zin hingga ada perlantikan baru Pertama

Pendaftar Tn. Haji Mohd Azam bin Mohd Abid - -

BERITA PERANCANG

26 NEWS FROM SARAWAK & SABAH

BROWN BAG SEMINAR ONSUSTAINABLE PUBLICTRANSPORT SYSTEMSOLVING CONGESTION -IMPROVING KUCHINGPUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM MIP (SARAWAK/SABAH CHAPTER) CPDPROGRAMME

by Bong Khin Fah

MIP (Sarawak/Sabah Chapter) organised a Brown BagSeminar on Sustainable Public Transport System entitledSOLVING CONGESTION - IMPROVING KUCHINGPUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM, on 19th January 2006.This is part of the ongoing Continuing ProfessionalDevelopment (CPD) programme organised by the Branch.The event took place at the auditorium, UltimateProfessional Centre, Kuching.

The Seminar was presented by Dr. Lawrence Tseu,currently the Principal Assistant Director in charge ofUrban Development and Regional Sector in the StatePlanning Unit, Chief Minister’s Department, Sarawak,. Dr.Lawrence Tseu obtained his Masters of Urban Planningin1983 from McGill University, Montreal, and his Doctor ofPhilosophy for Research from Strathchyde University in2004. The topic of his research was ‘Congestion and CarDependency in Kuching City’.

Dr. Lawrence Tseu argued in his presentation that KuchingCity has started to lose its identity as a small, calm,pleasant and congestion free city. Car dependency, as a

result of poor transport planning and traffic management inthe city, and the inadequate awareness of green transportand the environmental consequences of traffic congestionamong its citizen, inter alia, the car culture and a car-crazed society, has increased traffic congestion and woesamong commuters. It is also a matter of fact that the publictransport services has deteriorated and declined in allaspects, and there is a failure to coordinate the planning ofurban transport and the lack of success in establishing anintegrated public transport system in Kuching.

He proposed a few measures that could be taken byvarious stakeholders in the city and these have provoked alively discourse among the participants. The starting pointwould be to look at Traffic Demand Management forKuching based on a paradigm shift to ‘predict and prevent’,as all other formulae (of the ‘predict and provide’ type)have failed. Improvement of public transport through theintroduction of bus lanes and strengthening the institutionalframework that oversees integrated public transportplanning are also inevitable if the city seek to achievesustainability in public transport system.

The seminar was attended by 50 participants from manydifferent disciplines and backgrounds. Judging from theenthusiastic participation and responses during theQuestion & Answer session, the seminar certainly hasachieved its purpose of promoting awareness andunderstanding of sustainable public transport systemamong professional practitioners, government officers,policy makers and individuals concerned with urban publictransport system and the environment.

The Institute would like to thank WP Perancang Sdn Bhd,Aki-Media Sdn Bhd, Forcom Planning and the speaker Dr.Lawrence Tseu for making the event a success.

(Please see pictures on Page 27)

MIP Sabah Pro-Tem Committee by Boyd Joeman

Chair : Alijus Hj. Sipil (Dewan Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu - DBKK)

Vice Chair : Boyd D Joeman (QCP Perunding)Secretary : Stanley Chong (DBKK)Treasurer : Annie Ong (Dhi Water & Environment

Malaysia)

Committee Members :Eleanor Wong (Town and Regional Planning

Dept, Sabah)Alphonsus Mali Salagan(Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park)Michael Wan (Consultants)

Sabah town planners formed the Sabah MIP Pro-tem

Committee in May 2005 to replace the previous Sabah

Committee, which Sabah planners considered to be no

longer active. The Sabah Committee is currently twinned

with the Sarawak to form the Sabah/Sarawak Branch of MIP.

The many activities suggested or planned in the next twoyears are designed to raise and strengthen the profile ofthe planning profession and practice in Sabah. It hasemerged that more and more Sabahans are taking up orare considering town planning as a career. There is alsothe need to create what Dr. Adrian Chong (current StatePlanning Director) called "the planning industry" in Sabahgiven the State's rapid development, especiallyurbanisation, in the last few years. Planning in Sabah hadbeen given much high profile coverage in the publicdomain, especially in the mass media, in the past fiveyears through major projects such as the EnvironmentalLocal Planning (ELP) Project (2001-2005) and the DraftSabah Shoreline Management Plan (2005). The newCommittee therefore wishes to continue this publicmomentum and to help ensure that town planningcontinues to play a major role in the planning anddevelopment of Sabah.

BERITA PERANCANG

PICTORIAL 27

Thoughtful and heavyweight comments from Mr. WilliamChan from Sarawak Transport Company covering issues

from availability of up-to-date city maps for bus routeplanning to the lacking of institutional support for

public transport. Beside him (left) is Mr. Tan Jin Kok,the Chairman of Bus Transport Companies Association

Right: Dr. Lawrence Tseu, the presenter.Left: En. Affandi Keli, Branch Chairman of MIP

Sarawak/Sabah Chapter as the moderator of the session

One for the album - the hardworking MIP Committee...

The new 'fellas' and the boss gal of MIP...

The Vice-Chairman of MIPNB (Ismail Ibrahim, right)exchanging gifts with Prof. Albrecht after the talk

Visit to JPBD BruneiMIP Council Members Prof. Dr. Mansor and

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alias with Awang Hj Daud HjDuraman, Deputy Commissioner of Town &

Planning Board, Brunei

MIPNB Committee members enjoying satayand soto with the speaker after the talk

World Town Planning Day Dinner 2005

TALK ON STRATEGICPLANNING

MIP NORTHERN BRANCH together with the PenangState Town and Country Planning Department (JPBD Penang)organised a public talk entitled “Strategic (Spatial) PlanningRevisited” by Professor Louis Albrecht from the CatholicUniversity of Leuven, Belgium on the 14th December 2005 atKOMTAR, Penang. Louis is also Co-Chair of the InternationalSteering Committee for the organisation of the 2nd WorldPlanning Schools Congress to be held in Mexico City in 11-16July 2006 (http://wpsc-06.webstudio.com.mx/). MIPNB laterhosted lunch for the speaker and MIPNB Committee Members.

28 PROFILE

After several postponements, Berita PerancangEditors finally get to meet Dato’ Mohd Fadzil Hj. MohdKhir, the Director General of Jabatan PerancanganBandar & Desa Semenanjung Malaysia (JPBD) onNovember 24th, 2005. He was so generous to spendthe whole afternoon with us. We hereby publishextracts from our conversation with Dato’ Fadzil.

BP : What is your vision of JPBD’s role in KPKT and aswell as the nation’s development in the longterm? What are your plans for your tenure asDirector General?

The ultimate vision of JPBD is to become the leadagency in town planning services in the country andeventually to the rest of the world. The role of JPBDshould go beyond its function as an advisor to theFederal Government or the Government of anyState, on matters relating to the town and countryplanning required under the TCP Act. Thedepartment is to become one of the key players inthe country’s decision making process.

The amendment of TCP Act has given more role andpower to JPBD in nation building. The establishment ofNational Physical Planning Council, extension ofpower for State Directors of Town and CountryPlanning, the creation of Regional PlanningCommittee and the reviews of the various plansprepared after a certain period so that the contentsof the plans are in tandem with the Five Years Plansare among the major responsibilities empowered toJPBD through the amendments of TCP Act.

With all these responsibilities, JPBD will become thekey player in the country’s development planningespecially those involving spatial planning.References should be made to our developmentplans (Structure Plans and Local Plans) and ourNational Physical Plan to ensure coordinationbetween socio economic planning and spatialplanning of the country. Planning Guidelines,Standards and other research findings by thedepartment can be fully utilized by otherdepartments such as National Housing Department,National Landscape Department and others in theirproject planning and implementation.

With AFTA and WTO agreement on trade liberalizationfor professional services, our planners should be morecompetitive. Not only between the local planners butalso with foreign planners. This is important to ensurethat we will not be at the losing end as a result of thetrade liberalization.

What I wish is for our practice and profession to bestronger, effective and more respectable in years tocome. Before, only a small portion of the communityknow or understand our profession. But now, thegrowing public awareness towards sustainabledevelopment, public start to recognize theimportance of JPBD in the improvement of thephysical environment. Thus, JPBD will have to playbigger role in promoting sustainable developmentthrough town planning practice and more effectiveplanning control system.

BP : Do you see a role for you as CEO in improvingrelations in the planning field betweenSemenanjung Malaysia and Sabah andSarawak? And if so how do you see your role inbetter collaboration in planning with the townplanners in Sabah and Sarawak?

Of course. Me and my predecessors have alwaysdone our share towards improving relations with townplanners from Sabah and Sarawak. The most crucialeffort in inviting them to adopt our Act 172 - we havedone this. For example during the process of the latestamendment to the Act, that is Act 1129 (that wasfinally approved in September 2001), our legal teamhave briefed these two states and in a way invitedthem to join in, but they have their own preferenceand need.

Again after the Act has been approved, in 2002 whilewe are still preparing the National Physical Plan-whichcarries the word ‘National’, we have sent the NPPcore team to brief these two states in view of gettingthem to join in. While Sabah seemed to show someinterests, Sarawak is happy to just accept the spirit ofNPP but decided that they will do their own state-wide physical plan when the time comes.

Nevertheless, this effort has not been completelyfutile as we are now helping Sabah on advisory level,in its preparation of Sabah Physical Plan.

On a project level, over a number of years our SpecialProject Unit/Regional Planning Division has beenproviding key planning inputs to the preparation ofPusat Pentadbiran Persekutuan Sarawak Masterplanwhich is located in Rambungan Sarawak.

BERITA PERANCANG MEETSDATO’ MOHD FADZIL HJ.MOHD KHIR, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF JPBD

Contd. inside on Page 20

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