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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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SORIYA YIN: Hello.

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My name is Soriya Yin.

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I am a visiting scholar in
MIT-UTM Sustainable Cities

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Program.

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In this video, I will be
reviewing the Segget River

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Restoration Project as a good
example of sustainable city

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tourism development in Malaysia.

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For centuries, people
have lived along rivers.

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Rivers are a source of life.

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They provide water, food,
transportation, places

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for recreation, and much more.

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For these reasons,
cities around the world

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are connected to rivers.

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As more and more people seek
to live in cities, driving up

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land prices, many
urban rivers have

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been filled in to make space
for growing populations.

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Unfortunately, filling in rivers
can worsen flooding and water

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pollution problems.

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Some countries regret having
filled in their rivers

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and are trying to restore them.

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Malaysia is one such example.

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The Segget River flows
through the center

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of Johor Bahru, the capital
of Jehovah State in Malaysia.

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The Segget River used to be the
primary waterway and a source

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of life for many people.

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When Johor Bahru
was a small town,

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people sold their
products from their boats.

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For many, the Segget
River was a source

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of their cultural identity.

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Johor Bahru has become
the second largest city

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in Malaysia.

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It was also seriously polluted.

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Many people avoided
going near the river.

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Because of its
strong odor, tourists

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had no interest in
coming to the city.

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They use it only as a
layover on their way

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to Singh Kippur, Kuala
Lumpur, or Malacca.

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In 2005, the city
decided to cover up

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the river to use it as a
sewage system and amend road.

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When the cover was
added, flooding wasn't.

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Now Johor Bahru wants to
become a world-class city.

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It seeks to expand tourism.

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To achieve this
goal, the city wants

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to restore the Segget River.

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To do this, it will
take the cover off,

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build water treatment plants,
introduce flood mitigation

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systems, and beautify
the river, making

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it attractive for
recreation and business.

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Mr. Abd Halim, a project
management officer

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from the Iskandar Regional
Development Authority,

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explained the rationale.

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ABD HALIM: We added the
[INAUDIBLE] Johor Bahru.

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So first what we call it
a [INAUDIBLE] syndrome,

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where there's no population,
declining businesses, then

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no activities.

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The River Sungai Segget
is heavily polluted,

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and they say that Johor is
smelly because of untreated

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[INAUDIBLE] of pollution.

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Again, no pollution, no
business and all that.

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So with that issue, or what we
call it [INAUDIBLE] syndrome,

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we initiated this Johor
Bahru transformation program,

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and then we seek government
funding, federal government

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funding.

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This initiative
started 2010 in detail.

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We do all the design
calculation, design detailing.

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So [NON-ENGLISH] we successfully
secured government funding,

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a ceiling cost of about 240
million for this project.

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SORIYA YIN: At first,
digging up the river

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in the middle of the city
sounded like a crazy idea.

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The cost would be substantial,
and a lot of people

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would be affected.

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My recent study
of Johor's effort

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to promote sustainable
city tourism

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found that the Segget River
Restoration Project is

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a valuable and noteworthy idea.

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Mrs. Norbaizura
Binti, a city planner,

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explained how Johor
Bahru is seeking

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to promote environmental
and cultural conservation,

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foster economic development,
and ensure physical connectivity

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and walkability.

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NORBAIZURA BINTI: So the lesson
learned, by covering the river,

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is only the upper-- the
short-term solution.

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For the long-term solution, this
is what we did on this side.

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We tried to settle the
environment issue, the flood

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issue.

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We tried to make the river
as the heart of the city.

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To make a vibrant city,
we have to do that.

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There's a lot of history
for Johor Bahru's center,

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so it's so important for
[INAUDIBLE] sanitation.

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We want to increase the
economic value, the environment,

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and the identity of Johor Bahru.

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And now we are trying
to rebranding the image

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and identity of Johor Bahru.

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We want the new brand for
Johor Bahru city center.

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So we benchmark [INAUDIBLE],
just [INAUDIBLE] like that.

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We want to promote Sungai Segget
as a new product in [INAUDIBLE]

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center, the must-visit place.

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It's good for environment.

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It's good for the
image of the city.

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It's good for the
public, the tourists.

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If you can see the future
image for Sungai Segget,

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I think all the Johor
area will be part, yes.

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SORIYA YIN: The Segget River
Restoration Projects also

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illustrate importance
of democratic governance

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as a part of sustainable
city tourism development.

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Johor Bahru has been able
to make great strides

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by consulting with stakeholders,
minimizing social impacts,

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providing fair compensation, and
building strong partnerships.

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Mr. Abd Halim explained how
democratic governance has been

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used to win the public support.

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ABD HALIM: We do a lot of
engagement with stakeholders.

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We call it a focus
group discussion,

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meetings and workshops
and one-to-one discussion.

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The first one, we started
with all the building owners,

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the big, big players like
[INAUDIBLE], City Square Public

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Bank, and all the big, big
business owners in this area.

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So we want to know,
what is their acceptance

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towards this project, including
what kind of environment

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that they want to
see within this area?

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The first proposal
design for this area,

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we want to make it as
fully pedestrianized.

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There's no motor vehicle to
be at Jalan Wong Ah Fook.

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So we want to make
it pedestrianized.

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So after we engage with all the
stakeholders, they not agree.

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They say that the Jalan Wong
Ah Fook is a main thoroughfare

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of Johor Bahru.

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There's no benefit
of doing this.

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So we come back to a combination
of river rejuvenation

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and some sort of
public transport.

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SORIYA YIN: Though
his shop was badly

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affected by the
construction, Mr. Chan Lim

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was happy with the project.

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CHAN LIM: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

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SORIYA YIN: Minimizing
social impact

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is important for public
project management,

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but having a long-term plan,
such as a city master plan,

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is a major asset
for the project.

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The plan provides
an overall framework

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and attracts resources.

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Mr. [INAUDIBLE], a board member
of Johor Area Rehabilitation

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Organization, a local
social service NGO,

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has a great hope
for the city plan.

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SORIYA YIN: This river
restoration Project

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in Johor Bahru
offers six lessons

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for other cities in developing
world seeking to promote

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sustainable city tourism.

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First, conserving and
beautifying urban environment

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is a key to promoting
sustainable city tourism.

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This may involve restoring
ecological features for use

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by both city residents
and tourists.

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Second, sustainable
city tourism needs

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to conserve urban
cultural heritage.

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This is what makes
each city unique.

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Cultural heritage
attracts tourists.

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Third, physical connectivity,
particularly walkability,

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is at the heart of
sustainable city tourism.

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Tourists must be able to walk
around a city to enjoy it.

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Fourth, sustainable city
tourism can and should

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expand the economy of the city.

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The goal is to enhance the
well-being of both locals

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and tourists.

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Fifth, democratic governance
is crucial to building

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public support for
sustainable city tourism.

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Public investment in
infrastructure, for example,

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are more likely to
serve the general public

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when the public is consulted on
design and finance strategies.

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Last and most important,
never mess up your river.

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The river will take good care of
us, if we take good care of it.

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