Local authorities planning for urban sustainability - towards implementing energy conservation policies in development plan

This study aims to examine lessons learned from local authorities in United Kingdom on how policies on energy conservation can be incorporated in their development plan. Two` cases of different levels of urban development and population size are chosen as case studies to understand the feasibilities of implementation of energy conservation policies in development plan. Since urban planning in Malaysia is based on British model of development plan and development control system, this study may provide directions and guidance in the implementation of energy conservation in a local planning authority area

Affordable and quality housing through the low cost housing provision in Malaysia

Housing is a major concern for all people in every corner of the world as the wellbeing of a country is reflected in its people enjoying a certain standard of living. Residential and neighbourhood satisfaction is an important indicator of housing quality and condition, which affects individuals quality of life. The factors, which determine their satisfaction, are essential inputs in monitoring the success of housing policies. Housing provision for all in any country is very crucial in order to ensure socialeconomic stability and to promote national development. Therefore the Malaysian government under its 5 year National Plan has introduced the low, medium and high cost housing categories. The housing policy in Malaysia is to provide Malaysians of all income levels, particularly the low-income groups, accessibility to adequate, affordable and quality shelter. It provides direction to housing development in the country which should emphasis human settlement of better quality of life, national integration and unity. This paper will discuss the general scenario of housing in Malaysia particularly the low cost housing

Evaluation on the application of life cycle matrix (LCM) in forecasting housing needs and housing demand in developed and developing countries

The accuracy of forecasting of housing needs and demand is crucial to the preparation of development plan because residential land constitutes a greater share of the developed area of cities. Presently, many common methods are based on aggregate method, headship rates, household size, backlog and other accounting methods. Many of these methods have their strengths and weaknesses contributed by the assumptions and ‘intelligent guesses’ used in the calculations. This paper aims to explore alternative method of forecasting housing needs and demand by using Life Cycle Matrix. As a household undergoes change of stages in family life cycle, one’s housing needs and demand are experiencing gradual change. Therefore, it is essential to consider the life cycle change of a household in the analysis and forecasting of housing needs and demands. Life Cycle Matrix was initiated in Japan in 1980s to estimate housing needs based on population cohort and household distribution pattern. Comparative analysis using LCM is also being carried out in developed countries (Japan and United Kingdom) and developing countries (Philippines and Malaysia)

Impact of urban block configuration and direction on urban temperature increase in hot, humid regions / Lin Yola and Ho Chin Siong

Urban temperature increase contributes significant effect to global warming. This phenomenon has been addressed as the real impact of rapid development which occurs in the urban area, which causes urban heat islands (UHIs). One of the influencing factors is building typology that forms urban block configuration. This study which was conducted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia aims to investigate the impact of varies of urban block configurations on the air temperature and the variables that affect it. The hypothetical model simulation was used to analyse the measures. It finds out that urban block creates the shades to the outdoor environment which blocks the surface from direct solar radiation. However, it also depends on the direction of urban block configuration towards the expose angle of solar radiation. As the conclusion, the right scenario of urban block configuration and the choice of its direction mitigate the urban temperature increase. This finding suggests planners and designers to perform the similar quantitative analysis in the earlier stage of planning

Solar Radiation and Urban Wind Effect on Urban Canyon in Hot, Humid Regions

Urban configuration modification is an efficient approach to mitigating Urban Heat Island effect. This study investigates the significant impact of solar radiation and urban wind on microclimate and thermal comfort in the different setting of urban canyon configuration. The Envi-met (V3.1 beta) simulation presents that East-West canyon direction received the worst level of air temperature and meant radiant temperature compared to when the canyon was directed perpendiculars to the wind direction (South East – North West). The finding scientifically demonstrates that in Kuala Lumpur context, with the slow urban wind speed influences, solar radiation plays the significant impact on the microclimate.© 2016. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.Keywords: Solar radiation; urban wind; urban microclimate, urban simulation

Tree canopy cover and its potential to reduce CO2 in South of Peninsular Malaysia

Urban trees provide a wide range of ecosystem services that can address climate-change mitigation and adaptation. In this study, the tree cover and their potential to store carbon in two cities (Johor Bahru and Pasir Gudang) that are developing rapidly in the south of Peninsular Malaysia have been estimated. Tree coverage was mapped using Landsat 8 Thematic Mapper satellite data for year 2016. Various digital image processing techniques namely Maximum Likelihood and a sub-pixel classification were applied to obtain tree coverage of urban trees/forest, mangrove and oil palm. Results of the study show that natural tree coverage (forest and mangrove) in the cities range between 19 % and 47 % and generally Pasir Gudang has more tree coverage compared to Johor Bahru. Johor Bahru is the centre for various business and cultural activities, thus more built up areas are found in the city. On average, trees in the cities store approximately 796,136 t carbon or 2,919,164 t CO2-eq which is about 18 % of the total CO2-equivalent emissions projected for 2025 under the Business as Usual (BaU) scenario. The mapping of tree canopy cover and estimating their potential to store carbon is important for assessing climate change mitigation

The influence of demographic variables on solid waste minimization : a case study of Shah Alam City, Malaysia

With the increasing rate of urbanisation especially in developing countries, policy makers and planner s are faced with the challenge of sustainable solid waste management. The traditional method of waste management via landfills has some environmental and health challenges associated with it. Therefore, waste minimization through recycling, reusing and reducing the quantity of waste is one major way of achieving a sustainable solid waste management. This study investigates the influence of household attributes on waste minimization knowledge in Shah Alam city,Malaysia. Through a household survey, 100 respondents were randomly chosen from the three housing types (terrace, semi –detached, bungalow) in the study area. Findings from the study revealed that respondents’ knowledge on waste minimization was above average. However, the elderly and women tended to be more knowledgeable in terms of materials to be recycled and what the colour of each waste bin in the neighbourhood signifies

Health benefit modeling and optimization of air pollution control strategies

In recent years, Malaysia is experiencing issues of continuous air pollution and transboundary air pollution. The issues are especially felt in areas that record high economic growth and rapid urbanization such as Iskandar Malaysia, a developing economic-growth corridor in Southeast Asia. This has led to increased rate of Particulate Matter emissions, which further led to increased in the rate of respiratory-related health incidences. Many epidemiological studies have proven that particulate matters in the ambient air are associated with adverse health effects. This will eventually affect the existing and future economy of Iskandar Malaysia, where the exposed population may loss their work days and face increased medical spending as well as reduced in their health. This study focuses on quantifying health and economic benefits from the reduction level of ambient Particulate Matter with a size of 10 micrometers or less in diameter (PM10) by using the Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program (BenMAP), a model which is developed by USEPA. Health impact functions are used to quantify the relationship between a change in the PM10 level and a change in the related health effects among the exposed population. Up to date, there are three air monitoring stations that are located in the Iskandar Malaysia region and are operated by the Department of Environment (DOE). The samples for this research include a continuous monitoring data on the daily mean of PM10 for 2010, the 2010 Malaysian Census Data and the number of PM10 related health cases which are specifically focused in the Iskandar Malaysia region. The final outcome of the modeling compares the co-benefits of air pollution reduction between the baseline scenario and the control scenario for PM10 level in Malaysia. The results of this study are useful in eventually optimizing and improving the existing policies and strategies for controlling air pollution and PM10 emission level in Iskandar Malaysia

Environmental impacts of construction and demolition waste management alternatives

Construction and demolition waste (C&DW) arises mainly as by-products of rapid urbanisation activities. C&DW materials have high potential for recycling and reusing. Despite its potential, landfilling is still the most common disposal method. In Malaysia, C&DW practices are principally guided by economic incentives such as low disposal cost or inexpensive virgin material outweighing recycling cost resulting in low recycling rate. The purpose of this study is to access the environmental impacts caused by landfilling and the alternatives especially in assessing the damages to human health, ecosystems, and to the resources in the future 10 y. It aims to identify the better alternatives in reducing the environmental impacts of landfilling C&DW. Life cycle assessment (LCA) used in this study assessed the environmental impacts associated with all stages, from waste production to end-of-life of waste material. LCA can help to avoid the short-sighted, quick-fix landfilling as the main solution for C&DW by systematically compiling an inventory of energy, fuel, material inputs, and environmental outputs. The environmental impact of landfilling C&DW is estimated to increase 20.2 % if the business as usual (BaU) landfilling continues to the year 2025. Recycling will reduce 46.0 % of total damages and with the shorter travel distance, the environmental damage is further reduced by 82.3 %. Applying industrial building system (IBS) to reduce waste generation at-site reduced 98.1 % impacts as compared to landfilling scenario. The negative impacts derived from landfilling activity is significantly reduced by 99.5 % (scenario 8) through shifting to IBS, recycling, and shorter the travel distance from construction sites to material recycling facilities (MRF). The what-if scenarios illustrated the alternatives future circumstances, the inclusion of the uncertainty concept, and define the future path of C&DW industry outlook. The outcome of this study is informative and useful to policymakers, particularly in defining the way forward of C&DW industry in Malaysia

Identification of suitable trees for urban parks and roadsides in Iskandar Malaysia

Urban trees provide a number of benefits, mainly for environment, community, and economy, but can also be harmful to property and human lives. Urban trees planted at roadsides with low endurance rate and unhealthiness increase the risk of tree fracture and fall which is hazardous to motorists and pedestrians. Overhanging limbs, on the other hand, can obscure streetlights, signs and traffic signals and affect road users’ vision in vicinity. These situations contribute to the cumulative maintenance burden to the local authority. This makes the study of maintenance level and suitable location for urban tree planting important. An appropriate maintenance and location can be suggested for assuring a healthy, safe, resilient and long-term survival of urban trees. Urban tree field data from two local authorities in Iskandar Malaysia region (located in the southern part of Peninsular Malaysia), Johor Bahru City Council, and Pasir Gudang Municipal Council, were obtained to achieve the objective of this study. Survey based on questionnaire was conducted to gain detailed information about the maintenance level of existing trees and their suitable locations in the cities from the professionals including urban planners, landscape architects, and certified arborists. By applying a simple scoring method to the data obtained from professionals, suitable locations for existing trees in the two cities were determined. The scores range between 0 and 300 and the highest value means less maintenance is required by the trees. Results show that Mimosup elengi tree species (Sapotaceae family) has the highest score of 300 followed by Cinnamomum verum (297) and Hopea odorata (283). Khaya senegalensis, on the other hand, with 245 score value was found to require high levels of maintenance. The results also indicate that maintenance level and suitable location for planting vary and depending on the features of the tree species. Strongest trees or limbs tend to cause less problems thus require less maintenance. Trees found in the nature (forest) including Mimosup elengi and Cinnamomum verum are usually more resilient and can tolerate a wide range of conditions and locations. This study can help reducing the risk of tree fracture and fall, prolong the life of trees, and reduce the burden of maintenance for local authorities and decision makers by providing insights to the maintenance level and suitable locations for planting and to make better management plans for urban forestry in Malaysia in the future