Community building critical to a development’s success

PETALING JAYA: A successful township development not only provides excellent facilities but cultivates a sense of community.

“No doubt the hardware is important in the development of a successful township but let’s not neglect the software as it is equally important for the sustainability of a master-planned community,” Iskandar Waterfront Holdings president and executive director Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim told TheEdgeProperty.com.

Syed Mohamed, who will be speaking at the Marketplace Series Forum in Johor Bahru on May 2, said community living can present challenges and developers have to take note of them when they develop a project.

“At the coming forum, I will highlight some of these community living issues and challenges that we are facing currently. These issues are not alien to us — for instance traffic congestion, and security and safety issues,” he said.

He said it is important to understand the current situation so that developers can better plan for future developments and, subsequently, think of ways to create a sense of community among the future residents of their developments.

“We all know that moving into the future, the trend of property development would be towards greener and smarter developments. However, no matter how green or smart, it will not be a successful township without a strong community.

“Hence, it is important for a developer, for instance, to take the initiative to form a residents’ association to cultivate the correct mindset among the residents, and cultivate the right attitude towards the concept of living as a community, so they will take care of the common areas and common properties just like their own property,” he said.

The Marketplace Series of Forums is a community project by Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute (ASLI) and the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI) to reach out to the business community to engage, influence and transform the marketplace and to build a more prosperous, flourishing society.

Themed “Building Cities, Enriching Communities”, it reflects the mutual desire of ASLI and FGBMFI to encourage sharing and deliberation on effective ways to create holistic lifestyles in developing and developed cities using Iskandar Malaysia in Johor as the point of reference.

Also slated to speak at the forum is Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd chief marketing officer Gerard Kho who will share more on the topic “The untold story: Insights on developments and new opportunities in Johor”.

In his session, Kho will provide updates on Iskandar Malaysia as well as the current development status of Medini Iskandar.

Iskandar Malaysia is said to be critical to Malaysia’s aspiration to be a developed nation as it allows Malaysia to be connected to an established regional hub, Singapore. Kho will stress how Iskandar Malaysia is emerging as an upcoming region that is and has attracted investors globally, including those from China, US, Spain, Netherlands, Australia, Korea and Japan. Hence, it is poised to be built by the global community and to eventually become a city built on diversity.

TheEdgeProperty.com managing director and editor-in-chief Au Foong Yee will also be moderating one of the panel discussions at the forum.

The topic of discussion would be “Infusing essential values for holistic living in modern cities” with Messrs KH Lim & Co barrister at law Datuk Joy Appukuttan, Johor Master Builders Association chief executive officer Sim Tian Liang and Pulau Indah Ventures Sdn Bhd general manager Suria Suppiah on the panel.

The forum will be taking place at Mutiara Hotel Johor Bahru. TheEdgeProperty.com is one of the event’s media partners.

This story first appeared in TheEdgeProperty.com pullout on April 28, 2017. Download TheEdgeProperty.com pullout here for free.