Proposal 5: World Class Tourism City

By Dylan Snyder anak Jensen, Nor Aisyah binti Mohd Nasir, Sherine Amira anak Beatle

REPORT INTRODUCTION

The aim of this report is to propose a comprehensive design proposal for central area planning. This is where elements and principles of a concept is applied where it it demonstrates creative and innovative design ideas in preparing a comprehensive central area planning. Ideas is developed in accordance to the site issues that were analysed.

SITE INTRODUCTION

The site chosen for this central area planing project is Langkawi's Kuah town center which is the main growth center in Langkawi island. The initial size of surveyed site covers an area about the size of 809.9 Hectares . It starts from Southern tip of the island at Jetty point and stretches all the way up north to the town center of Kuah town and then move west to cover Kelibang district. The initial site area also covers the housing development of Taman Seroja and Taman Intan, which is all the way North east to the town center of Kuah town.

Figure 1 - Key Plan, Langkawi island as a point of reference with the Malaysian state of Kedah

Figure 2 - Location Plan, Kuah town as point of reference within Langkawi island

Figure 3 - Site Plan, Kuah Town as study area for doing central area planning

CONCEPT INTRODUCTION

In this era, cities need to become more resilient, sustainable and capable of providing a high quality of life to their inhabitants. But, what does it mean to achieve a “world class” city? The most important and prevalent factors of world class communities are identified and the core elements are applied in a design. 

During the design process, the key needs and opportunities for development in the corridor were identified as connectivity (transportation), opportunity (jobs) and density and mixed use (housing). The result of synergy between citizens and the environment is a creative and globally competitive atmosphere where individuals can work, live, learn, and play. In the future, creating Pekan Kuah as a world class community is as much a culture shift as it is an infrastructure improvement in the built environment. Physical space must reflect the mentality, values and desires of the populace that the community wishes to attract.

PLANNING VISION

Transforming Pekan Kuah into a renowned tourists city driven by world class infrastructure.

PLANNING GOAL

To elevate the tourism experience in Pekan Kuah by revitalizing existing facilities and building new  state of the art infrastructure and amenities.

CONCEPT IDEA

The main idea of the concept is to enhance the tourism experience in Pekan Kuah by incorporating elements of world class infrastructure development in terms of reliable transport and traffic system, shopping experience, as well as culture exposure through the revitalizing, retrofitting and upgrading current infrastructure or even building new infrastructure. 

Figure 4 - Bubble diagram

A few major tweaks will be made to the current infrastructure development in Pekan Kuah where the element of focus will be the gateway hub to Pekan Kuah, urban landscapes and local identity, economic catalyst revitalization and shopping paradise, as well as providing appropriate housing and providing sufficient urban amenities and facilities. With these improvements being done to the study area, it is able to not just propel Pekan Kuah and Langkawi's name into the top international tourism destination, but also enhance the quality of life for the permanent residence of Pekan Kuah. 

The hub connects the town to the outside world, serves as the main entrée point for tourists and visitors. These visitors bound to Pekan Kuah will first pass by the new and improved recreation area which will serve as the welcoming gateway to Pekan Kuah. Once reached the central area, they will be presented by ample kinds of various services and activities like Hotels and Restaurant as well as sustainable high class shopping and retail area. The existing commercial area of Pekan Kuah will also be face-lifted and retrofitted to give it a little update on its appearance in the efforts to rejuvenate and bring back its relevance in the town area.  On the side note, New residential development surrounding the central and shopping area will also be erected as a strategy to overcome affordable hosing crisis faced by the locals.

Figure 5 - Concept proposal diagram

ELEMENTS OF WORLD CLASS INFRASTRUCTURE

- World Class Shopping Paradise 

- World Class Dining Experience

- World Class Cultural Representation

- World Class Living Quality

- World Class Public Transportation

PLANNING PRINCIPLES

Among some of the planning principles that were incorporated into the new development strategy are: 

- The New Urban Agenda

- The Sustainable Development Goal

- Transit Oriented Development

- Low Impact Development

- Green Infrastructure Planning

ISSUES

Issues in site area that refrain tourism experience in Pekan Kuah:

- Poor inbound and outbound experience via Jetty Point.

- Lack of public transportation to get around the town and island wide.

- Poor implementation of road designs and deteriorate road infrastructure.

- Lack of local representation in terms of town's history and local food culture.

- Dead and unattractive commercial areas.

Other issues in favor for local inhabitants are:

- Depletion in affordable housing within close proximity of town area.

- Substandard disposal of domestic waste management.

PLANNING OBJECTIVES

- To upgrade road circulation, increase transport linkages and improve public transportation services.

- To infuse local identity into future urban development projects.

- To boost the commercial activity and rejuvenate the tourism destination in Pekan Kuah.

- To transform and modernize existing public facilities and urban amenities to better serve residents and tourists.

BEST PRACTICES TO SERVE AS GUIDES

SINGAPORE

Singapore is one of the best nation to do a comparison with langkawi because both urban area are located on an island territory. Although Langkawi is far way less urbanized than Singapore, we can still look up to Singapore and follow into their footstep into a successful island city.

As an island nation, Singapore with its ever expanding population, has never cease to find a way to preserve its greenery. Singapore is known as the "City in the Gardens' where its landscape is perceived as the nation's garden. The island nation, despite its high population density, is full of lush greenery. They are still able to achieve green city status even with the problem of land scarcity.

Singapore is able to achieved this 'City in a Garden' status by manipulating the idea of garden to achieve a formal outcomes. Planners, Architects and even Landscape Architects vigorously use the idea of garden to decorate and structure Singapore Landscape.

Other than that, Singapore's track records on public transportation system has always been good over the decade. Their Public transport system is efficient and reliable. As a small island nation, Singapore must manage the movement of its people and manipulate their travel modes by encouraging the use of public transportation system. This is because Singapore wants to limit the number of traffic on the road to manage congestion and air quality in their urban areas. 

One of the ways Singapore has successfully manage this issue is by first improving its public transportation system so that it is more reliable to the public. Public transportation system in Singapore is efficient and very well strategically design to cater all citizens of Singapore. Over the years, more transit lines have been built to provide more access to public transport among Singaporeans.

In recent years, Singapore has taken the leap to implement Autonomous vehicle as one of the new ways of personalize-public transport system. They also have started to encourage more electric car ownership among citizens. Although Singapore government had always put high taxes on cars to reduce ownership - one of the ways to manage traffic congestion and pollution, Singapore are now encouraging existing car owners to which their internal combustion engine vehicle to a more cleaner electric vehicle. They made tax exclusion and incentives for electric cars ownership to encourage the adoption of this greener alternative.

STRATEGIES AND IDEAS

Strategy 1 - Declutter Traffic Congestion Issues at Jetty Point.

Figure 8 - Proposed Pick-up & drop-off point for Jetty Point Kuah

Segregate pick -up and drop-off point

- The current pick-up and drop-off point at jetty point is cramp, confusing, and very poorly organized. All inbound traffic are force to flow through that single entry point. The issue is further amplified because of the single lane exit route that creates a bottle neck effect on moving traffic trying to exit Jetty point. The narrow single lane road limits vehicle speed causing traffic to back up near Jetty point lobby.

-  Due to the width of the current pick-up and drop-off point in front of the Jetty point is no longer prohibited for expansion because of lack of space, an idea to was to propose a dedicated drop-off point. This leaves the current pick-up and drop-off point will only be utilized as a pick-up point. This will reduce the number of unnecessary traffic flow in-front of the Jetty point.

- The dedicated drop-off point will be diverted to the south side of the building where it faces the main road of Persiaran Putera. New waiting area will be made to complete with the construction of shading and sitting area to keep the users comfort in mind. Drivers will have to make a U-turn at the roundabout to reach the new drop-off point, eliminating the need for them to pass through the main lobby of jetty point.

- The exiting roundabout at the end of Persiaran Putera road that connects to Jalan Dato Syed Omar will be widened to allow easy U-turns maneuvering by future road users. Road dividers will also be installed along Persiaran Putera but only the section approaching Jetty point, starting from Langkawi Geo park. This is to ensure no illegal u-turns are being made. A dedicated right yield lane bound to Jetty point from Pekan Kuah will also be installed for the better traffic management to main lobby of Jetty point.

Figure 9 -Proposed multilevel car park for Jetty Point, Kuah.

Convert the current Jetty point parking space into a multi level parking complex.

- The current parking facilities provided at Jetty point is constantly operating at near capacity. More often than not, a majority of the vehicle park there are rental cars. These rental cars spent most of their time park unused within the parking lot meanwhile it posses difficulties for the people of public to find a parking space. These end up making people park illegally on the shoulder of the road, which can cause more traffic complication and lead to congestion. Although many efforts have been made to combat this issues such as inflicting fines and Tyre clamping by the council of local authority and traffic enforcement, local car rental companies still decide to leave their vehicle park at the parking lot. Saying in their defense, it is more convenient to retrieve their car for customer.

- In that case, it is more ideal to construct a multi level parking complex to accommodate a high demand in parking space. The construction of the new parking complex will greatly increase parking capacity, leaving lesser competition for parking space between rental car companies and the public. Rental car companies are advisably to park their vehicles on the upper level of the parking complex where is it less in use, while the lower level of the parking complex will be reserve for public use. Different rate of parking fees will be charge between the two categories for an ease of mind.

- The cladding architecture of the new parking complex will incorporate some of the design cues of the existing Jetty point building to make sure the new parking complex doesn't look out of place and there is a unity in design between the two building. The complex will only be capped at a maximum height of 4 levels. This is to avoid the disruption of view around Jetty point and Dataran Lang. aside from that, this limitation on height is also an effort to preserve the skyline of the Pekan Kuah and maintain an appropriate human scale of the project.

Strategy 2 - Provide Innovative Public Transport System

Figure 10 - Proposed bus transportation hub expansion for Jetty Point, Kuah

Provide a state of the art Transportation Hub

- Aside from ferries and flights oriented transportation hub, there is no real bus oriented transportation hub in Langkawi. Its not a surprise since Langkawi in general is lacking of bus transit services.

- To avoid inconvenience and complication, the current jetty point is proposed to be expanded to incorporate new facilities catered for the bus transit system. A new block will be built adjacent to the Jetty point which will house a new terminal central for a proposed public bus services in Langkawi.

- The site for the new terminal has been chosen for its close proximity to the Jetty Point, where it is the main area of human traffic due to the departure and arrival of visitors to Langkawi via Ferry. The site serves a practical reason since people who is entering Langkawi via Ferry can easily transit to bus services to their final destination and vice versa. Once constructed, the area will become the new one stop transportation hub in Pekan Kuah.

Figure 11- Introduction of Green public bus service

Provide Reliable Zero-Emission Green Public Bus

- Public bus services is no where to be seen on the island of Langkawi. The only buses that you will see around Pekan Kuah and Langkawi in general are tour buses that are privately rented and is brought in to island from mainland Malaysia by ferry. On top of comparably cheaper car prices in Langkawi to other states in Malaysia because of tax exclusion, the lack of mass transit system in Langkawi in general indirectly contributes to the higher rate of private vehicle ownership because there is basically no other way to move around conveniently.

- The introduction to public bus services will greatly reduce the public's dependency on private vehicle to travel. Thus, able to reduce the number of moving vehicle on the road and reduce traffic congestion as well as reduce pollutants that are released from the emissions of motorized vehicle. Modern buses fitted with electric motors instead of internal combustion engines can further help mitigate the pollution issue.

- Although bus services is proposed for this concept, it is solely targeted for distance travel around the island and not focused on Pekan Kuah town area only. In addition to that, bus as the vehicle of choice was chosen because of its minimal intervention towards the existing road infrastructure. No new infrastructure will be build unless its a new terminal or bus stops. No new dedicated lanes will be proposed due to a limited land availability in the federal island territory.

Figure 12 - Introduction of personalize autonomous transportation pods

Introduce Capsulized Autonomous Vehicle

- In exchange of bus services, the area of Pekan Kuah and its surrounding development will received capsulized  autonomous vehicle as its fair share of public transport system. The capsule vehicle will also be powered by an electric power train just like the bus. This aids in lowering emission gasses around town area and reduce pollutant level.

- The capsule vehicle is chosen for Pekan Kuah area because of its more practical size which enables it to merge and weave with current traffic situations. It is more easier to maneuver over tight corners compared to large and clunky buses especially around dense development. 

- This contraption will be autonomously driven by artificial intelligence to minimize human error in driving. Aided by an array of sensors, radar and cameras, it is proven that autonomous vehicle are more safer than the best drivers out there. Autonomous vehicle are also made to be very efficient in route calibrating and arrival time management. This will ensure the best user experience when traveling in one of these vehicle. On general, these fleet of autonomous vehicle will move in loops in preset destinations and routes around the town area, but a custom destination can be requested and the capsule vehicle will take you there, as long as its within the coverage of operating area.

- Although this technology have yet to be implemented anywhere in the world and has only gone through a few testing operation, but new advancement in technology can make this into reality. 

Figure 13 - Tesla fully electric vehicle

Encourage the use and ownership of Electric Vehicles in Langkawi

- In this day and age, electric vehicle is slowly gaining attention in the world's car market share. Its innovative environmentally friendly design make them very applicable in a world where Global warming is an issue. Little did we know, the well known internal combustion engine in current transport vehicle contributes the most in the world's green house gasses emission. Transportation alone holds a share of 28% of the world's green house gasses emission, followed by electric generation at 27% and industrial activity at 22%. 

- Electric vehicle runs on electric power and that means no emission is emitted when in operation. If the adoption of electric vehicles is successful in langkawi, this means that we are able to reduce green house gas emission and reduce the carbon footprint of each residents of Langkawi.

- But unfortunately, electric vehicle has a reputation of having limited range per charge and they also longer time to 'refuel' when compared to the conventional internal combustion engine. But in hindsight, these drawbacks on electric vehicle will not poss any roadblocks to the implementation in Langkawi because of geographical reasons.

- Langkawi island in general is quite a small territorial land, measuring only about 30 Km east to west and 22 Km north to south. The distance travel from one end of the island to another is well under the estimated range of any electric vehicle. Heck, these electric vehicle is very capable to undergo multiple trips around the island before needing to recharge. 

- To help with range anxiety, fast charging station will be constructed all across the island at strategic location such as petrol station, office districts or even tourist destinations. Meanwhile, for privately owned electric vehicle, owners can just simply charge them at home via home outlet and skipping the fuss of charging them else where. 

- To kick start the ownership of electric vehicles among the people of Langkawi, price reduction and subsidies will be applied to new electric vehicle that's entering the market. 

Strategy 3 - Redesign Traffic Junctions to Eliminate User confusion

Figure 14 - Comparison of conflict points between regular X junction vs Roundabout

Jalan Padang Matsirat - Persiaran Putera - Jalan Ayer Hangat - Persiaran Mutiara 2

- The current intersection actually serves 5 junctions including the entree for LangkawiCity development on top of the 4 mentioned above. Although that junction is not actually part of that traffic light intersection, but it is in very close proximity with that junction. The intersection posses a huge risks for road users because the very confusing lane merging and missed align road lanes. 

- In accordance to that, with the new development of LangkawiCity, the intersection is bound to face even more traffic users in the years to come when the development is up and running. To resolve this issue, a proposal to convert the current intersection into a more safer approach of a roundabout.

- A roundabout is a safer way of diverting traffic especially if its a multi junction intersection like the one as of stated. It has lesser vehicle to vehicle conflict points than a conventional 4 point intersection. There are also lesser vehicle to pedestrian conflict points too in a roundabout compared to the conventional 4 point intersection. A roundabout is also a very efficient design in road intersection because there is no need to stop for a red light when there is no other cars crossing. Vehicles are free to enter an exit a roundabout whenever they wish as long as it is safe to yield when there is no in coming traffic. This save time and helps to reduce congestion. 

Figure 15 - Staggered junction vs T junction

Pekan Rabu - Persiaran Putera - Lencongan Putra 2

- The current intersection layout is observed to be a staggered junction. But despite traffic flow is being aided by a sequential traffic light, the users of the road still sometime find it hard to navigate through the junction. The distance between junction is quite far and some lanes have to suddenly merge without clear indications on the road.

- The solution is to remove Lencongan Putra 2 from the traffic light system, leaving the traffic light to only serve traffic to and fro Pekan Rabu on Persiaran Putera. This approach would have change the characteristic of the junction from a staggered layout to a T-junction. This will address the issue of awkward traffic flow on the lengthy original junction layout.

Strategy 4 - Create a Connected Networks of Pedestrian and Bicycle lanes

Figure 16 - Example of a proper dedicated bicycle lane implementation in urban area

Dedicated Bicycle Lanes across Town Area

- Ironically, for a small town where amenities are located within close proximity between each other, there is a lack of dedicated bicycle lane. On rough observation, there is a demand for a dedicated bicycle lane of which bicycle is the preferred mode of transport by the older population residing in and around Pekan Kuah. It might be because of the sense of practicality of owning a bicycle that encourages that generation of people to travel around with them. The cost of owning a bicycle is almost little to none with significantly cheaper running and maintenance fee when compared to any motorized vehicle. Financial issues can also be the reason of why these groups of people would rather ride their bicycle over other means of transport. Its that or maybe simply because these generation of people doesn't have the rights to grant or own a driving license. 

- By constructing new bicycle lane on frequently traveled route around Pekan Kuah, this will greatly improve the cycling user experience and provide sought-after safety assurance of bicycle users on the road.

- With so, the new bicycle lane should also be made to appeal to new cycling users especially the more tech savvy, speed craving younger generations. The routes covered by the bicycle lane should be conveniently accessible, strategically calibrated to reach desired destination and easy to navigate. The more practical the bicycle lane is perceive by new potential users, the more it will attract their interest to utilize the facilities. This in turn, indirectly reduces the need for motorized travel on the road and reduces congestion as well as reduce harmful emission gases circulating the town area.

- Alongside with the new bicycle lane, other supporting infrastructure will also be erected, for example bicycle racks. Bicycle racks allow users to chain their bicycle for added security and provides them the feeling of secure when leaving their bicycle out for a while. Shades on these bicycle rack can also be install to provide extra shelter against the harsh sun and rain.

Figure 17 - Pedestrian paths with clear separations from roads 

Safe and Connected Pedestrian Paths

- Aside from that, pedestrian facilities are also crucial for safer short distance travel within the area of Pekan Kuah. Pedestrian Path around Pekan Kuah seems to be poorly manage with incomplete paths and no sign of continuous network, it also posses inconvenient access for some with lack of facilities such as ramps and tack-tile indicators for disabled people of the society. Some stretches of existing pedestrian path design also doesn't put the user's safety and comfort in mind. Along busy streets, no pedestrian fencing or bollards or even planting strips were installed to assure pedestrians' safety from road mishaps.

- The pedestrian network around Pekan Kuah will be revise to incorporate a more safer, comfortable design with the installation of bollards and planing strips on specific stretches of road where there is a potential conflict between pedestrian and vehicle. The new network will also try to connect all of the high-point area with seamless connectivity. Other facilities like ramps, tack tile indicators, rubbish bins, benches, signage, street lamps and crosswalk will also be installed to enhance the user experience of pedestrian paths around Pekan Kuah.

Strategy 5 - Showcase the True Colors of Pekan Kuah

Figure 18 : Singapore's botanical garden

Modernize Rejuvenate Existing Parks and Recreational Area

- Both the Lagenda Park and the CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) Park are considered to be one of the bigger parks in Pekan Kuah. The two major parks are situated next to each other, each consisting various types amenities and facilities such as Public Car Park, Children's playground, Skate park, Food stalls, Public toilets, Jogging track, Ponds, Beach park, a monument and many more. Although these two parks are already full of facilities and amenities, the proposal is more focused on trying to unify all of these separate spaces into one seamless urban park. 

- New, clear paths with easy to understand signage will help visitors to easily navigate through the huge park. These new linkage within the park will be installed with clear and interactive signage to further aid in user experience.

- In this modern age, society are always connected to the digital world. People carry their electronic devices everywhere they go be it the grocery store or a restaurant. But because of this attachment anxiety, people always try to avoid places where they cannot charge their devices. If their device ever runs out of a battery, they would be disconnected to the digital world. With that said, this means avoiding places like open spaces and parks where no outlet can be found to charge the device. 

- Solar powered charging kiosk will be constructed scattered all around the park to encourage more visitors turn outs. Visitors and the general public will have free access to the solar powered charging station. 

Figure 19 - River rejuvenation to promote recreational activity

Rejuvenate Sungai Kuah & Kuah Night Market Space

- The current condition of the Kuah river is dirty, with rubbish laying around in stagnant waters. This river little to no waste management over the years and it has degraded its appearance. The littering situation is further worsen by the weekly night market held along side the river on jalan Lencongan Putra 3. Visitors and vendors do not take responsibility on the cleanliness on the site and blame it on the authority for not taking care of it. Therefore, this proposal focuses on rejuvenating and retrofitting the area to up lift the appearance of the river in hopes that the community would better appreciate the river and take good care of it.

- The river will undergo a rejuvenation process through the deepening of the river bed to allow better flow of water and a reconstruction project on the river banks. The new river bank will include steps for people to descent down to the water level. The steps can also be use as sitting area where people can hang out and enjoy the calming nature of the river. Aside from that, a new path will also be created along the river for people to stroll and walk along the rover. Some new over head pedestrian bridges and stepping stone on the river bed will also be installed to aid the movement of people between two sides of the river.

- Some planting patch with shading trees and shrubs will also be created along the river to add some element of green and provide aesthetic value to the place.

- Meanwhile, along jalan lencongan putra 3, some new facilities will be prepared to facilitate the night market activities. These new addition of infrastructure includes new public toilets, allocation of several rubbish bins and a proper waste disposal area, source of running water and sufficient street lighting.

Figure 20 - Restaurants seafood dining

Create a new seafood dining hot spot

- Seafood cuisine has a soft spot in a local's food culture since Langkawi is an island territory and Pekan Kuah is a coastal town. Seafood is abundance and come about easily, it has become a staple dish in every meal in Langkawi. But if tourist wants to experience Langkawi's seafood dining, they would have to go to cenang to fulfill that craving. Pekan kuah do not have proper place and facility to provide these dining experience. Pekan Kuah is in daring need for seafood dining exposure to bring some of the focus on seafood dining back to Pekan Kuah.

A new high class  and state of the art dining facilities will be build along the coastal shores of Taman Lagenda. This will provide scenic view of the Ocean while guest can indulging on exquisite seafood choices.  

Figure 21 - Sustainable mall Concept

Create a new shopping Paradise

- Langkawi in general is in lack of shopping mall. Citizens only rely on small retail businesses when it comes to their shopping needs. A mall is great alternative to these small retail businesses since malls acts as a one stop center where everything you need is located with a building. Shopping malls provide a more comfortable shopping experience since it is air conditioned and not hot like the outdoors. People can conveniently stroll around the mall as desire. 

- Malls provide all of the facilities and services that are way more convenient for example, a secure parking facility, supermarkets, entertainment center, ample choices of food and beverages outlets as well as ample choices of clothing and accessory retailer. 

- Because of the sheer size of development, a mall usually has a big impact of environmental aspect. So, to minimize the impact of this proposed mall on the environment, the mall will incorporate several sustainable energy efficient designs for example green roofs and facade, as well as rainwater catchment system. 

- Already a duty-free haven, Langkawi will become an even more exciting shopping destination with the launch of this shopping center that comes with well planned open communal spaces that allow variety of fun activities for the visitors.

- A grand plaza at the propose shopping mall is an open-concept business area perfect for outdoor restaurants and cafes. Over the next five to ten years, the city of Kuah will receive a prestigious business center with the expansion of Shopping Paradise by improving the quality of business activities in Pekan Kuah. The proposal would revive existing retail centers and create new food destinations. The proposal would offer a variety of new settings for vendors, including fast food downstairs, bistro-style restaurants and on-site rooftop terrace bars. It will also bring an exciting and contemporary architecture to the city, while revitalizing the area along with other renovations taking place nearby.

                                                    

Figure 22 - Modern architectural style for terrace housing

Construct new affordable housing

- From the public engagement program held during site visit, we have noticed that most of the general public are complaining about the lack of affordable housing development in Pekan kuah. The public demand for housing development to be build within close approximation to the city for easy access. They also demand for housing that is properly build with organized layout and provide a sense of security. These issue can be seen through the existing housing development where some housing units share a back lane with commercial units. With that, there was no sense of security and privacy aong owners of these houses. This could be because those housing development was build prior to the introduction of the standard planning guideline of peninsular Malaysia. 

- In that case, a new housing development will be build for the public that will fulfill all their needs and the new planning guideline. The new housing development should be well organized in terms of layout and should also provide a sense of security among the new community as well as being price at an affordable value.

SCHEMATIC PLAN

The schematic plan shows the initial idea of what element of design will be proposed on the new development site area. 

New Residential Development

The new site, measuring the size of 55.4 acre is proposed to include a gated and guarded residential houses ranging in price and size to suite the needs of potential buyers. It initially planned to include an estimation of 10 units of Bungalow, 60 units of Semi Detached houses, and 300 units of terraces, 100 of which would be made to suite the standards of affordable house pricing. Other than that, this new residential development will also offer coastal view neighborhood park which can increase the value of the development. 

New Mix use Development 

The new 23.5 acre site will sit a new mix development project that targets to offer 300 units of apartment located within a high rise construction, a new state of the art shopping complex that focus 

on green sustainable design and an urban park plaza for urban recreation activities.

New Bus Transportation Hub

The 12.2 acre site will not only include a new Bus terminal hub but also a new multilevel car park to increase the parking capacity in that area. Along side with the new development of both projects, the road infrastructure in the area will also be revise.

DETAILED LAYOUT PROPOSAL

This is a detail layout proposal for overall site area. 

        

The initial 809.9 Hectare surveyed site had been reduced to just 360.9 hectare for this proposal where the key new development focus is the new residential area, the new shopping complex, the new bus terminal as well as the new multilevel parking complex.

Jetty Point Redevelopment [Transportation Hub]

The exiting Jetty Point ferry terminal will remain untouched for this proposal with only minimal intervention to integrate it with the new bus terminal. Speaking of which, the new bus terminal will be build on part of the site of the existing parking area, adjacent to the Jetty Point Kuah. Only covering a land area the size of 2.09 acre, the new bus terminal will provide up to 12 gates for buses that's transiting for passengers. 

Meanwhile, the remaining area of the existing parking site will be exchanged for a multilevel carpark to increase the parking capacity for that area. The new parking Complex will only reach up to 6 level of parking space where the new targeted capacity of the complex is 2000 vehicles. 

Langkawi City Shopping Centre [Mix use Development]

The total area of is divided and only 11.6 acre of it will be used to construct the new mix used building. The first 4 floors of the building will be reserved for commercial and retail spaces as well as some parking facilities while the rest upper floors will be dedicated for the residential apartments. The new site will also include a 6.5 acre open air plaza for urban recreation activities. 

Ocean view Garden [Residential Development]

The new residential development will promise a secure gated community and a coastal view from the neighborhood park. The finished development of this new residential area will provide 9 units of bungalows, 64 units of semi-detached houses, 214 units of terraces and 133 units of affordable terraces. 

MASTERPLANS

Transportation Hub Masterplan

The masterplan shows the new layout and placement of each new development building. Here, we can see that both the new bus terminal and the new parking complex is perfectly integrated with one another and to the existing Jetty Point ferry terminal. The new parking facilities greatly reduces the parking demand from the previous parking facility. It eases the public's experience of finding a parking space when visiting the Jetty Point, bus terminal or even Dataran Lang and Taman Lagenda.

Road layout within the region is also revised with the installation of road dividers to prevent illegal U-turns and off street parking. An enlarge roundabout is also installed at the end of Persiaran Putera, next to Jetty point ferry terminal, to assist U-turn maneuvers by cars and especially buses that are heading to the terminal.

A new pick-up and drop-off point next to the Jetty point along Persiaran Putera is also constructed to resolve some traffic congestion issues.  

Langkawi City Shopping Centre Masterplan

This masterplan shows the incorporation of green roofs on the shopping complex as a way to promote green sustainable building design. Apartments will be provided on the north tower of the structure while office spaces and condominium will be built on the south tower to offer better views of the ocean. 

The shopping mall will include the most exclusive and luxurious shopping experience with its high class popular shopping boutiques as well as the finest dining restaurant where they'll serve the freshest seafood Langkawi has to offer.

With the location of the site being next to coastal waters, the propose open air plaza will attract a lot of visitors with its amazing view and the fresh ocean air. The plaza is suitable for daily urban recreational activities or it can even be use to host weekly or annual events. 

Ocean View Garden Masterplan

One of the main selling points of this new residential development is the coastal view neighborhood park. Aside from a complete jogging track and a children's playground, this neighborhood park is included with a waterfront board walk that will residents to fully appreciate and soak in the amazing view out into the ocean. 

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, Pekan Kuah has a lot of potential to be a World Class Tourism City. If this proposal becomes a reality, it will sure catalyze the tourism industry in Pekan kuah and put its name on the world's map as one of the top must visit tourism destination.

VIDEO PRESENTATION

Here's a link to a YouTube video presentation on the Concept Proposal of World Class Tourism City, Kuah, Langkawi. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58E3FOi-Ogo

REFERENCE 

Arved Transcube Plaza. Bus Terminal Amenities. retrieved from http://www.arvedtranscube.com/bus-terminal-amenities.html

Here Mobility. Smart City Initiatives. Singapore Smart City: A Holistic Transformation. Retrieved from https://mobility.here.com/learn/smart-city-initiatives/singapore-smart-city-holistic-transformation

Saki Aono, UBC Sustainable Scholar, 2019. Identifying best practices for mobility hub. Retrieved from https://sustain.ubc.ca/sites/default/files/Sustainability%20Scholars/2018_Sustainability_Scholars/Reports/2018-71%20Identifying%20Best%20Practices%20for%20Mobility%20Hubs_Aono.pdf