Iskandar Malaysia, formerly known as Iskandar Development Region (IDR; ms, Wilayah Pembangunan Iskandar) and South Johor Economic Region (SJER), is the main southern development corridor in

Johor Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. It was established on 8 November 2006. Iskandar Malaysia, which is formed by major cities such as

Johor Bahru Johor Bahru (), colloquially referred to as JB, is the capital city of the state of Johor, Malaysia. It is located at the southern end of Peninsular Malaysia,along the north bank of the Straits of Johor, opposite of the city-state Singapore. T ...

Iskandar Puteri Iskandar Puteri is a Cities of Malaysia, city which functions as the administrative capital of the state of Johor, Malaysia (Kota Iskandar) and represents the seat of government of the state of Johor (Menteri Besar of Johor, Executive branch & ...

Pasir Gudang Pasir Gudang is a city in Johor Bahru District, Johor, Malaysia. The main industries are transportation and logistics, shipbuilding, petrochemicals and other heavy industries, and oil palm storage and distribution, which is located in Johor Port ...

, together with their surrounding areas, is Malaysia's second largest urban agglomeration with a population of 2,500,000, after

Greater Kuala Lumpur Greater Kuala Lumpur is the geographical term that determines the boundaries of Metropolitan Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. Though similar to the term "Klang Valley", there remains a variation between the two. It is similar to Greater London and Great ...

. Iskandar Malaysia's development is guided by the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) and the Circle of Sustainability, ensuring that the region grows holistically into a prosperous economy with a high-quality living ecosystem and a resilient environment. Iskandar Malaysia's generous land area, strategic location and abundant ready infrastructure boosted its 9 promoted sectors which are Electrical & Electronics, Petrochemical and Oleo-Chemical, Food & Agro-Processing, Logistics, Tourism, Creative, Healthcare and Financial. With a target of 3 million population and RM383 billion in cumulative investment by 2025, the thriving economic environment is complemented by the growth in the social and environmental facets. Environmentally, the development of Iskandar Malaysia is through a Green-focused Agenda, whereby a green and sustainable environment is one of the main agenda. ‘Iskandar Malaysia Low Carbon Society Blueprint’ is acknowledged locally and globally and has driven many stakeholders in the region to adopt various green programmes and initiatives that benefit the businesses and community. Iskandar Malaysia is also developed to be a Smart City which encompasses the 6 dimensions of Smart Economy, Smart Governance, Smart Environment, Smart Mobility, Smart People and Smart Living and, is proud of its achievement in the creation of this pilot program for Smart cities across Malaysia and the region. The development of Iskandar Malaysia is planned, promoted and facilitated by

Iskandar Regional Development Authority Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA; ms, Pihak Berkuasa Wilayah Pembangunan Iskandar; Jawi: ڤيهق برکواس ولايه ڤمباڠونن إسکندر) is the body responsible for the direction, policies and strategies in relation ...

History

The special economic zone of Iskandar Malaysia grew out of a 2005 government requested feasibility study by the

Khazanah Nasional Khazanah Nasional Berhad is the sovereign wealth fund of the Government of Malaysia, entrusted with growing the nation's long-term wealth via distinct commercial and strategic objectives. Khazanah's commercial objective is to grow financial as ...

which found that the development of such a zone would be economically, socially and developmentally beneficial.Iskandar Regional Development Authority & Iskandar Malaysia Information Pack, 23 February 2007
Khazanah Nasional, pg 3, retrieved 3 March 2009 The National SJER Planning Committee (NSPC), hearing Khazanah's findings, put it in charge of developing a sustainable, holistic approach to development in the region. Iskandar Malaysia was singled out as among the high-impact developments of the

Ninth Malaysia Plan The Ninth Malaysian Plan ( ms, Rancangan Malaysia ke-9), abbreviated as '9MP', is a comprehensive blueprint prepared by the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) of the Prime Minister's Department and the Finance Ministry of Malaysia with approval by the ...

, put into action by the then

Prime Minister of Malaysia The prime minister of Malaysia ( ms, Perdana Menteri Malaysia; ms, ڤردان منتري مليسيا, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) is the head of government of Malaysia. The prime minister directs the executive branch of the fede ...

(

Abdullah Badawi Abdullah may refer to: * Abdullah (name), a list of people with the given name or surname * Abdullah, Kargı, Turkey, a village * Abdullah (film), ''Abdullah'' (film), a 1980 Bollywood film directed by Sanjay Khan * ''Abdullah: The Final Witness' ...

) in March 2006 to cover the period of 2006 to 2010. In November 2006, the Prime Minister, Chief Minister of Johor,

Abdul Ghani Othman Abdul Ghani bin Othman ( Jawi: عبدالغاني بن عثمان; born 14 November 1946) served as the 14th Menteri Besar of Johor in Malaysia from 1995 to 2013. He is a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a component par ...

and Khazanah revealed the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP).

Area

The development region encompasses an area of 4,749 km² covering

Johor Bahru District The Johor Bahru District is a district located in the southern part of Johor, Malaysia. The heavily suburban/suburbanizing district covers an area of and has a population of 1.71 million. The district capital is Johor Bahru City and the admi ...

Kulai District The Kulai District is a district in the state of Johor, Malaysia. Its district capital is Kulai Town. It covers Kulai Town, Ayer Bemban, Bandar Putra Kulai, Bukit Batu, Indahpura, Bandar Baru Kangkar Pulai, Kelapa Sawit, Saleng, Sedenak, ...

and part of

Pontian District Pontian District ( ms, Daerah Pontian) is a district located in southwest part of the Malaysian state of Johor. It borders Batu Pahat and Kluang Districts to the north and Kulai and Johor Bahru Districts to the east. Etymology The name o ...

. 5 local government authorities have jurisdiction over the covered area, including

Johor Bahru City Council Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB; ms, Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru) is the city council which administrates Johor Bahru city centre and other areas of the Iskandar Malaysia area in Johor, Malaysia. This agency is under Johor state government. M ...

Iskandar Puteri City Council The Iskandar Puteri City Council (MBIP; ms, Majlis Bandaraya Iskandar Puteri, Jawi: مجليس بندارايا إسكندر ڤوتري) is the city council which administrates Iskandar Puteri City in Johor, Malaysia. This agency is under J ...

Pasir Gudang City Council The Pasir Gudang City Council (MBPG; ms, Majlis Bandaraya Pasir Gudang, Jawi: مجليس بندارايا ڤاسير ڬودڠ) is the city council which administrates Pasir Gudang in Johor Bahru District, Johor, Malaysia. This agency is under J ...

Kulai Municipal Council Kulai Municipal Council ( ms, Majlis Perbandaran Kulai, Jawi: مجليس ڤربندرن كولاي) is the local authority of Kulai District in Johor, Malaysia. It was formerly known as Kulai District Council ''(Majlis Daerah Kulai (MDKu)'' from ...

, Pontian Municipal Council. The population of Iskandar Malaysia is slightly over 2 million in 2020.

Comprehensive Development Plan

Physical Development Plan

The Physical Development Plan (PDP) was designed to guide the development of land within Iskandar Malaysia to help promote the CDP's overall goals of economic development and quality of life. To that end, the CDP includes two major subdivisions among land

zones Zone or The Zone may refer to: Places Climate and altitude zones * Death zone (originally the lethal zone), altitudes above a certain point where the amount of oxygen is insufficient to sustain human life for an extended time span * Frigid zone, ...

, "Basic Zoning Districts" and "Special Overlay Zones". There are several dozen primary "Basic Zoning Districts" governing the use of land in commercial, residential, industrial and other sectors, including determining the density of development and what mixed-use may or may not be allowed.Free Access Zone under IDR scrapped
MEERA VIJAYAN, 5 April 2007,

The Star (Malaysia) ''The Star'' () is an English-language newspaper in Malaysia. Based in Petaling Jaya, it was established in 1971 as a regional newspaper in Penang. It is the largest paid English newspaper in terms of circulation in Malaysia, according to the A ...

Also governed by the "Basic Zoning Districts" are such special use zones as green space, wetlands, cemeteries and governmental developments. "Special Overlay Zones" are areas that require exceptional treatment. For example, the "Johor Bahru CBD" allows exceptions to general commercial plot ratio and height because the zone is the commercial and financial centre of Iskandar Malaysia and the capital city of Johor. Similarly, the "Iskandar Puteri Central Planning Area" is given special handling. Other "Special Overlay Zones" cover environmentally sensitive areas, historic areas, coastland, development around highways and rail stations and the "Water Catchment Zone" around the Sultan Iskandar Dam.

Commercial development

The commercial focus of the CDP is on six services identified as "pillars", including creative, educational, financial, healthcare, logistics and tourism. The CDP included the establishment of the Iskandar Investment Berhad, a commercial investment holding company created to oversee and encourage regional development.Iskandar Regional Development Authority & Iskandar Malaysia Information Pack, 23 February 2007
Khazanah Nasional, pg 4, retrieved 3 March 2009 The CDP promotes the "Strategic Catalyst Development" goals of developing waterfront areas, promoting tourism, expanding healthcare and iconic areas, and mixing commercial and residential development. It also incorporates a "Business Incentives and Support Package" (ISP) discussed by Prime Minister Badawi on 22 March 2007 which allows special incentives to encourage investment in certain concentrated hubs in the flagship zones. The specific zones involved were revealed in October 2007 and at that time included only Medini Iskandar Malaysia, which is a mixed-development zone incorporating leisure, residential, financial and high-end industrial components. Incentives include tax exemptions for qualifying companies for income from qualifying activities,IRDA Announces 10 Year Tax Relief For Developers In Node 1 of Iskandar Development Region
Iskandar Malaysia, 9 October 2007, Malaysia exemption from Foreign Investment Committee rules, and flexibilities under the foreign exchange administration rules, including those restricting the numbers of "foreign knowledge workers".

Doubling sizes

On 22 February 2019, Iskandar Malaysia will growth corridor which doubled in size and will include at least two new districts which is

Kluang Kluang ( Jawi: كلواڠ), formerly Keluang, is a town in Kluang District, Johor, Malaysia. Kluang was founded in 1915 as the administrative capital of central Johor by the British. It is located in the centre of the state and is within 90 min ...

and

Kota Tinggi Kota Tinggi is a town and capital of Kota Tinggi District, Johor, Malaysia. Kota Tinggi is also the name of the district, Kota Tinggi District, where the town is situated. Kuala Sedili or Tanjung Sedili, a small fishing town located 37 km ...

. The region was 2,217 sq/km previously and will cover an area of 4,749 sq/km, which includes parts of

and Pontian.

Major projects 2006-2025

Iskandar Coastal Highway The Iskandar Coastal Highway (ICH) (formerly Johor Bahru West Coast Parkway) (Malay Language, Malay: ''Lebuhraya Pesisir Pantai Iskandar (LPPI)'') or the stretch of road that includes Lebuhraya Sultan Iskandar, Persiaran Sultan Abu Bakar (formerl ...

Johor Bahru East Coast Highway The Permas Jaya-Pasir Gudang Highway http://www.federalgazette.agc.gov.my/outputp/pua_20140227_P.U.%20(A)%2053-Perintah%20Jalan%20Persekutuan%20(Malaysia%20Barat)%20(Pindaan)(No%203)%202014-latest.pdf or Johor Bahru East Coast Parkway, Federal R ...

Johor Bahru Eastern Dispersal Link Expressway The Johor Bahru Eastern Dispersal Link Expressway is a controlled-access highway entirely within Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. The expressway connects the end of the North–South Expressway Southern Route at Pandan to the Johor–Singapore ...

* Johor Premium Outlets *

Kota Iskandar Kota Iskandar (Jawi: كوتا إسكندر) (formerly Johor State New Administrative Centre (JSNAC)) is the administrative centre of the state of Johor, Malaysia and its seat of government (Executive branch & Legislative branch of the Johor stat ...

Larkin Sentral The Larkin Sentral (Jawi: لرکين سينترل) (formerly Larkin Bus and Taxi Terminal) is a bus terminal located in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. It has direct bus services to and from many cities and towns in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapor ...

Legoland Malaysia Resort Legoland Malaysia Resort is Malaysia's first international theme park, which opened in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, Malaysia on 15 September 2012 with over 40 interactive rides, shows and attractions. It is the first Legoland theme park in Asia and s ...

Senai–Desaru Expressway Senai–Desaru Expressway, SDE ( Malay: ''Lebuhraya Senai–Desaru''), is an expressway in Johor, Malaysia. It connects Senai in central Johor to Desaru in eastern Johor. Measuring a total length of , it is the third east–west-oriented expres ...

* Asia Petroleum Hub * Tanjung Bin Power Plant * Southern Gateway CIQ * Iskandar Puteri HSR *

Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System , , , , , The Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS Link) is an international cross-border rapid transit system that will connect Johor Bahru, Malaysia and Woodlands, Singapore, crossing the Strait of Johor. It will ...

* RAPID Pengerang Refinery * Forest City * Princess Cove * Ibrahim International Business District IIBD * Desaru Coast * Puteri Harbour * Iskandar Sentral * Southkey Mall * Gerbang Nusajaya * Educity * Sunway Iskandar * Iskandar Malaysia Bus Rapid Transit * Pontian bridge

Transportation

Air

The region is served by

Senai International Airport Senai International Airport, formerly known as Sultan Ismail International Airport ( is an international airport in the town of Senai, Kulai District, Johor, Malaysia, serving Johor Bahru and the southernmost region of Peninsular Malaysia. The a ...

which is located in

Senai :For the Malaysian town with the same name, see Senai.'' Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Industrial (SENAI), Portuguese language for ''National Service for Industrial Training'' is a network of profitable secondary level professional schools es ...

. Six airlines,

AirAsia Capital A Berhad, () operating as AirAsia (stylized as ''airasia'') is a Malaysian multinational low-cost airline headquartered near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the largest airline in Malaysia by fleet size and destinations. AirAsia operate ...

Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

Malaysia Airlines Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB; ms, Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad), formerly known as Malaysian Airline System (MAS; ), and branded as Malaysia Airlines, is the flag carrier airline of Malaysia and a member of the Oneworld airline alliance. (The ...

Malindo Air Batik Air Malaysia (formerly known as Malindo Air) is a Malaysian full service carrier, an associate carrier of Indonesian Lion Air Group, with headquarters in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. The original name Malindo signifies a cooperative ...

Jin Air Jin Air Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean low-cost airline. As of April 2018 it operates flights to six domestic cities and 26 international destinations. It launched its first long haul route, between Incheon and Honolulu, in December 2015. It has ...

and Xpress Air, provide flights internationally and domestically.

Train

The region consists of Johor Bahru Sentral,

Kempas Baru Kempas is a suburb in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. The Kempas Medical Centre is located in Kempas. Transportation The suburb is accessible by Causeway Link route 112 from Johor Bahru Sentral railway station Johor Bahru Sentral (also known a ...

and Kulai Station.

Sea

Puteri Harbour International Ferry Terminal

For cargo ports, the region consists of

Johor Port Johor Port ( ms, Pelabuhan Johor) is a port in Pasir Gudang, Johor, Malaysia, built in 1977. It is an integrated multi-purpose port facility providing bulk cargo, Intermodal container, container and Break bulk cargo, general cargo services. It is ...

and

Port of Tanjung Pelepas The Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP, UN/Locode: MYTPP) is a container port located in Iskandar Puteri, Johor Bahru District, Johor, Malaysia, and is part of the APM Terminals Global Terminal Network, which holds a minority share in the joint ventur ...

. For passenger service boats, the region consists of Johor Bahru International Ferry Terminal in Stulang, Johor Bahru, Kukup International Ferry Terminal in

Kukup Kukup ( Jawi: ; ) is a small fishing village in Pontian District, Johor, Malaysia. It is famous for its open-air seafood restaurants built on stilts over the water. Regularly scheduled ferries connect Kukup with Tanjung Balai in Indonesia. Kukup ...

, Pasir Gudang Ferry Terminal in

and Puteri Harbour International Ferry Terminal in

Road

Iskandar Puteri houses Gelang Patah, GP Sentral, Kota Iskandar, Taman U, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah terminals. Johor Bahru houses JB Sentral,

, Taman Johor Jaya and Ulu Tiram terminals. Kulai houses Kulai terminal. Pasir Gudang houses Masai and Pasir Gudang terminal. Pontian houses Pontian Public Transportation terminal. Grab operates in the city. The internal roads linking different parts of the region are mostly federal roads constructed and maintained by

Malaysian Public Works Department The Malaysian Public Works Department (JKR; ms, Jabatan Kerja Raya Malaysia) is the federal government department in Malaysia under Ministry of Works Malaysia (MOW) which is responsible for construction and maintenance of public infrastructure ...

. The five major highways linking the Johor Bahru Central Business District to outlying suburbs are

Tebrau Highway Tebrau or Teberau is a mukim and a town in Johor Bahru District, Johor, Malaysia. It is the third largest mukim in the district. Administrative area * Bandar Dato' Onn * Adda Heights * Taman Delima * Taman Daya * Taman Setia Indah *Taman Mount A ...

and

in the northeast,

Skudai Highway Skudai Highway ''(Lebuhraya Skudai)'', also known as Senai Highway (Lebuhraya Senai), Jalan Tun Abdul Razak or Jalan Skudai, Federal Route 1, is a 29 kilometre partial-access highway in Johor, Malaysia, from the town of Senai in Kulai District t ...

in the northwest,

in the west and

in the east.

Pasir Gudang Highway Pasir Gudang Highway, also known as Federal Route 17, is a highway in Johor Bahru District, Johor, Malaysia that connects Tampoi North in the west to Pasir Gudang and Tanjung Langsat in the east. Pasir Gudang Highway is a four-laned highway, unl ...

and the connecting Johor Bahru Parkway cross Tebrau Highway and Skudai Highway, which serve as the middle

ring road A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop, bypass or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city, or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist i ...

of the metropolitan area. The

Johor Bahru Inner Ring Road Johor Bahru Inner Ring Road, (JBIRR) or Jalan Lingkaran Dalam, Federal Route 188, is a multi-lane federal ring road highway that circles the Johor Bahru Central District in Johor, Malaysia. The highway was the most expensive road infrastructu ...

aids in controlling the traffic around the city center of

. Access to the national expressway is provided through the North–South Expressway and

. The

Johor–Singapore Causeway The Johor–Singapore Causeway is a causeway consisting of a combined railway and motorway bridge that links the city of Johor Bahru in Malaysia across the Straits of Johor to the district and town of Woodlands in Singapore. Historically f ...

links the city to

Woodlands, Singapore Woodlands () is a planning area and residential town located in the North of Singapore. As of 2019, the town has a population of 254,733. It is the densest planning area and is the regional centre for the North Region of the country. The ...

with a six-lane road and a railway line terminating at the

Southern Integrated Gateway The Southern Integrated Gateway ( ms, Gerbang Selatan Bersepadu) refers to a complex at Bukit Chagar, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia incorporating the city's main railway station, JB Sentral, and a :customs, :immigration, and quarantine comple ...

. The

Malaysia–Singapore Second Link The Malaysia–Singapore Second Link ( ms, Laluan Kedua Malaysia–Singapura, zh, 马新第二通道) is a bridge connecting Singapore and Johor, Malaysia. In Singapore, it is officially known as the Tuas Second Link. The bridge was built to re ...

, located west of the metropolitan area, was constructed in 1997 to alleviate congestion on the Causeway. It is linked directly to the

Second Link Expressway The Second Link Expressway is a controlled-access highway in Johor, Malaysia. It runs from Senai, Kulai District near the Senai International Airport, international airport to the Malaysia–Singapore Second Link at Tanjung Kupang, Johor Bahru ...

, Johor Bahru Parkway, the railway station, and the North–South Expressway. Further expansion of other major highways in the city were currently in the process.

References

{{Economy of Malaysia Geography of Johor * Development Corridors in Malaysia 2006 establishments in Malaysia Metropolitan areas of Malaysia