Abstract
Good urban governance administration system is the key to a successful physical planning development. A local authority of a local government concentrates on planning administration and executes the policies and strategies either the federal or state, or even the local’s policies and strategies. Based on its characteristic as the lowest level of government, it becomes the best authority to regulate and monitor the development process within their territory. The significance of a local authority in providing quality living environment invites various academia and professionals to ponder the best urban governance system at a local level. However, there are issues with regards to financial and technical capacity of a local authority, its legal limitation and development instrument adopted in providing urban services for coastal reclamation area in Malaysia. The aim of this paper is to investigate the capability of local authorities in Malaysia in implementing their function as drawn by the legislation. Hence, this paper examines the roles and functions of a local authority as the lowest level of government administration agency in providing urban services; collecting revenue; safeguarding the physical environment in Malaysia, particularly when dealing with development in a coastal reclamation area. Primary data collection was gathered through face-to-face interview sessions involving government agencies and stakeholders. Legal documents, policies and development plans were then analysed to support the primary data for further understanding of the issues concerning the capacity of a local authority especially when providing urban services within its area. The study is expected to provide a new approach to local authorities in Malaysia in providing quality living environment in terms of development procedure, the role and function, legal empowerment, and decentralisation of function particularly in enhancing the current practices at local level.
Highlights
Malaysia is a small country that covers 330,290 km2 of a total land area including Sabah and Sarawak [1]
The expected outcome of this study is to provide a new approach to local authorities in Malaysia in providing a good quality living environment in terms of development procedure, role and function, legal empowerment as well a Corresponding author: mohammad1744@salam.uitm.edu.my as new guidance in sustaining the financial expenditure decentralisation of function for local authorities
This paper focuses on the local authority empowerment towards a quality living environment for coastal reclamation area
Summary
Malaysia is a small country that covers 330,290 km of a total land area including Sabah and Sarawak [1]. The process of town planning in Malaysia had started from Malay Sultanate era, expended by the British colonialists, and had undergone various changes after the independence of Malaysia in 1957 until the introduction of the Town and Country Planning Act 1976 (Act 172). These changes were aimed to create a happy quality living environment in line with the increasing socio-economic condition of the people and country. A practical organisational and administrative structure plays an important role in ensuring the consistency of the physical planning and the organisation resilient
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