Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
integrated terminals and stations for public transportation is ranked sixth with
Daerah Sentral having the highest sustainability score. The next indicator is the
premises that are awarded grade 'A' status. This indicator shows that only Daerah
Sentral is sustainable compared to other planning blocks. It also indicates that
business premises in JBCC, especially the restaurants, do not achieve the standards
specified by the Department of Health JBCC. Figure
8
also shows that all the
planning blocks are sustainable on the basis of existence of centralized sewerage
services. This indicator shows that 82.05 % of the residential areas in JBCC are
enjoying sufficient level of centralized sewerage services. The last ranked indicator
is the happiness index whereby all planning blocks, except for Kangkar Tebrau,
are categorized as sustainable. [Happiness index stipulates that majority of the
respondents must be satisfied with their daily life and surroundings.] Kangkar
Tebrau, in particular, is found to be not sustainable.
5 Conclusion
Sustainability is a broad concept that encompasses many aspects of the social,
economic and environment. The study demonstrates how suitable indicators can be
used for the assessment of sustainable urban development. Proper selections of
SMART indicators are very important. The use of spatial indicators, with sufficient
spatial content provided, can contribute to a better implementation of assessment
of areal sustainability. It can also give more understanding and interpretation of
spatial information by producing to-be-seen map.
From the overall assessment, we can see that the majority of planning blocks
located near city centres such as Daerah Sentral, Pelangi, Teluk Danga, Larkin,
Majidee and Tampoi are sustainable because these planning blocks are areas of
people's attraction. This study also shows how placement of business premises,
recreational areas, community facilities and roads are important to maintain urban
sustainability.
Acknowledgments The authors are grateful and acknowledged those who have assisted and
contributed so extensively to this chapter. Especially, we would like to thank the Johor Bahru
City Council (MBJB) who has provided us with the data and information to ensure the successful
completion of the manuscript.
References
Black JA, Paez A, Suthanaya PA (2002) Sustainable urban transportation: performance indicators
and some analytical approaches. J Urban Plan Dev 128:184-209
Broekhof S, Van Marwijk R (2012) The role of spatial information for planning sustainable cities.
In: Paper presented at the proceedings of FIG working week 2012 on knowing to manage the
territory, protect the environment, evaluate the cultural heritage. Rome, Italy, 6-10 May 2012
