Changing land use : IKEA Batu Kawan

Question 1

What change occurred?

Answer 1

Retail land use has moved from the CBD to the rural urban fringe.

Question 2

Location :

Answer 2

• George Town ( CBD ) is on the north east coast of Penang Island
• IKEA ( CS ) is located in Batu Kawan, on the mainland.
• IKEA in Batu Kawan is 34km south-east from George Town ( CBD )

Question 3

Causes :

Cheaper land prices

Answer 3

• IKEA was built on a greenfield site, which meant construction timelines were faster, and there was no need to remove existing infrastructure.
• Greenfield sites are less risky to build on because brownfield sites can be contaminated.
• The cost of the land IKEA was built on is much cheaper than the cost of land in CBD.
• Since the cost of land is cheaper, it encouraged commercial land use to change from the CBD to the rural-urban fringe.

Question 4

Causes :

Bigger space / space for expansion

Answer 4

• Less buildings and more open space at the rural-urban fringe, so retailers have more room to expand and grow their businesses.
• Large amounts of open space also means more car parking space, allowing shoppers to easily visit the complex.
• IKEA has 470,000 sq ft of retail space and over 1950 parking bays.

Question 5

Positive effects on Batu Kawan :

Answer 5

• Help improve the economy of Batu Kawan
• Provided jobs in the local area.
• Improving the income of local people helps strengthen the economy because the local people have more money to spend in the community.
• Local people can pay more tax to the local government.
• Hires over 200 employees and expected to receive over 6 million visitors per year.

Question 6

Negative effects on Batu Kawan :

Answer 6

• Negative effect on the natural environment.
• Increase in congestion, air pollution and noise pollution
• Caused by increased car traffic + buses coming to the area. These vehicles release CO2 into the atmosphere and further contribute to noise pollution through horn and engine noise.

Question 7

Negative effects on George Town ( CBD )

Answer 7

• Urban decay
• Furniture shops in George Town CBD are struggling as more people go to IKEA rather than the shops in the CBD, leading to urban decay. This has made local business owners less profitable.
• More people move to the rural urban fringe in search of work, leaving the CBD.