Iskandar Malaysia

Iskandar Malaysia, formerly known as Iskandar Development Region (IDR; Wilayah Pembangunan Iskandar) and South Johor Economic Region (SJER), is the main southern development corridor in Johor, Malaysia. It was established on 8 November 2006. Iskandar Malaysia, which is formed by major cities such as Johor Bahru, Iskandar Puteri and Pasir Gudang, is part of the Johor Bahru Conurbation. It also lies within the original Indonesia–Malaysia–Singapore growth triangle, along with Singapore and Riau, Indonesia.

History
The investment corridor of Iskandar Malaysia (IM) grew out of a 2005 government requested feasibility study by the Khazanah Nasional which found that the development of such a zone would be economically, socially and developmentally beneficial. 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. IM was singled out as among the high-impact developments of the Ninth Malaysia Plan, put into action by the then Prime Minister of Malaysia (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) in March 2006 to cover the period of 2006 to 2010. In November 2006, the Prime Minister, Chief Minister of Johor, Abdul Ghani Othman and Khazanah revealed the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP).

In 2007, the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia (JMCIM) was established to meet annually and review cooperation and developments in IM. During the 16th meeting of the JMCIM on 14 July 2023, it was announced that that a task force, led by the Ministry of Trade & Industry from Singapore and Ministry of Economy from Malaysia, would be formed to study the feasibility of setting up a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). At the end of the 10th Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat on 30 October 2023, it was reported that while the finer details (e.g. location and scope) of the SEZ plan are being worked upon, a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) on the SEZ is expected to be signed on 11 January 2024.

Area
The development region encompasses an area of 4,749 km2 covering Johor Bahru District, Kulai District and part of Pontian District. 5 local government authorities have jurisdiction over the covered area, including Johor Bahru City Council, Iskandar Puteri City Council, Pasir Gudang City Council, Kulai Municipal Council, Pontian Municipal Council.

The population of Iskandar Malaysia is slightly over 2 million in 2020.

Population by local government area
The population table is based on the official census of 2020 for the local government areas within Iskandar Malaysia.

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, "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. 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. 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, 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 growth corridor doubled in size and will include at least two new districts which is Kluang and Kota Tinggi. The region was 2,217 sq/km previously and will cover an area of 4,749 sq/km, which includes parts of Kota Tinggi, Kluang and Pontian.

Major projects 2006-2025

 * Iskandar Coastal Highway
 * Johor Bahru East Coast Highway
 * Johor Bahru Eastern Dispersal Link Expressway
 * Johor Premium Outlets
 * Kota Iskandar
 * Larkin Sentral
 * Legoland Malaysia Resort
 * Senai–Desaru Expressway
 * Asia Petroleum Hub
 * Tanjung Bin Power Plant
 * Southern Gateway CIQ
 * Iskandar Puteri HSR shelved
 * Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System
 * 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
 * Iskandar Malaysia Rapid Transit

Air
The region is served by Senai International Airport which is located in Senai. Six airlines, AirAsia, Firefly, Malaysia Airlines, Malindo Air, Jin Air and Xpress Air, provide flights internationally and domestically.

Altrough, Iskandar Malaysia Planning a New airport in Gelang Patah is shudule to open on 2047.

Train
The region consists of Johor Bahru Sentral, Kempas Baru and Kulai Station.

Many of all the lines of the Iskandar Malaysia will be in the future.

Sea
For cargo ports, the region consists of Johor Port in Pasir Gudang and Port of Tanjung Pelepas in Iskandar Puteri.

For passenger service boats, the region consists of Johor Bahru International Ferry Terminal in Stulang, Johor Bahru, Kukup International Ferry Terminal in Kukup, Pontian District, Pasir Gudang Ferry Terminal in Pasir Gudang and Puteri Harbour International Ferry Terminal in Kota Iskandar, Iskandar Puteri.

Road
Iskandar Puteri houses Gelang Patah, GP Sentral, Kota Iskandar, Taman U, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah terminals. Johor Bahru houses JB Sentral, Larkin 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 five major highways linking the Johor Bahru Central Business District to outlying suburbs are Tebrau Highway and Johor Bahru Eastern Dispersal Link Expressway in the northeast, Skudai Highway in the northwest, Iskandar Coastal Highway in the west, and Johor Bahru East Coast Highway in the east. Pasir Gudang Highway and the connecting Johor Bahru Parkway cross Tebrau Highway and Skudai Highway, which serve as the middle ring road of the metropolitan area. The Johor Bahru Inner Ring Road aids in controlling traffic around the city center of Johor Bahru. Access to the national expressway is provided through the North–South Expressway and the Senai–Desaru Expressway. The Johor–Singapore Causeway links the city to Woodlands, Singapore with a six-lane road and a railway line terminating at the Southern Integrated Gateway. The Malaysia–Singapore Second Link, 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, Johor Bahru Parkway, the railway station, and the North–South Expressway. Further expansion of other major highways in the city were currently ie process.

Iskandar Malaysia Bus Service (BIM) was a joint venture between the Johor State Government and the Iskandar Malaysia Public Transport Corporation (PAIM), under the supervision of the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) that operated 16 routes in 2014.