Johor is working to improve its market environment to attract investors and boost the region’s prowess. The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is planned to be established in the Iskandar region, which is part of the Iskandar Development Region and South Johor Economic Region. As Johor Bahru wants to become the next “Shenzhen”, Johor Bahru City […]
Urban Planning
How to make Johor Bahru an international metropolis of Southeast Asia
How a transit system, walkable cities, and more interesting buildings could make Johor Bahru the Shenzhen of Southeast Asia. Johor Bahru has been described as the next Shenzhen due to its proximity to Singapore. Shenzhen became an economic powerhouse by becoming a special economic zone (SEZ) and building a new city in the slipstream of […]
The bad urban design of Cyberjaya: Malaysia’s ‘failed Silicon Valley’
How bad urban design set Cyberjaya up for failure Cyberjaya is a city in Selangor state, about halfway between Kuala Lumpur and Kuala Lumpur International Airport. This is a great place to build a new city. A real estate agent would put “strategic location” in their sales blurb, and on paper it is. Unfortunately Malaysia […]
The bad urban design of Forest City: Malaysia’s futuristic city making the same mistakes as its old cities
Forest City is an artificial island project in Malaysia, located in the Johor strait opposite Singapore. It was supposed to be a futuristic green city, but it’s already making the same mistakes of the badly-planned cities of Malaysia. Forest City is car-centric and not built with pedestrians or cyclists in mind. It also looks like […]
Building better new cities in Southeast Asia
New urban areas and city development projects are being built across Southeast Asia to accommodate a rapidly urbanising population. As the editor-in-chief of this urban development website, I’ve been keeping track of these new projects over the years. As I travel around Southeast Asia I’ve visited many of these new urban areas, and I’m seeing […]
Ten ways to improve Bangkok
Bangkok has changed a lot since I got here in 2001. Back then the skytrain wasn’t yet 2 years old, and the city’s first subway line was still 3 years off. The capital was littered with rusty remains of office towers, remnants of the 1997 financial crash, and international food options were basically pizza and […]
A list of ideas to improve Saigon
Having been based in Ho Chi Minh City for several years I’ve taken a deep interest in matters of urban development. It’s a fascinating time to be here, to see a city undergo such a transformation. As part of my business, I also get to travel throughout the year to other big cities of Asia. […]
Lost heritage buildings of old Saigon
An archive of buildings and streetscapes of old Saigon that have since been demolished. Saigon has been developing at a rapid pace with construction projects dotting the skyline, and more planned in the coming years. While modern buildings are welcome and overdue, some of these projects are being built at the cost of heritage buildings. […]
Endangered heritage buildings of old Saigon
Heritage buildings in Saigon have been knocked down at an alarming rate, so this page will be noting buildings that are in most in trouble. It is the hope that these buildings don’t end up on the list of lost heritage of old Saigon. This page is a work in progress that will be continually […]
