The Socio-Cultural Impacts of Forest City

Abstract

Forest City is a multi-million dollar mixed development project by Country Garden PacificView (CGPV), a joint venture between Country Garden Group (based in Guangzhou, China) and Iskandar Esplanade Danga 88 Sdn Bhd. Built on four artificial islands in the Tebrau Straits, the project has been lauded as one of the catalysts that will drive the state of Johor out of sleepy backwater status to developed metropolis. However, the project has been plagued with controversy since its inception. From allegations of transboundary environmental damage to overcrowding of the property market to being the gateway of future People’s Republic of China (PRC) immigrants to Malaysia, the project’s developers and proponents have battled all manner of bad press. An extensive analysis has already been done of the environmental and economic sustainability of the Forest City development1. This article looks at the socio-cultural impact on those directly affected by its rise, as well as their efforts to overcome those predicaments.