Location criteria for schools in Ipoh central business district / Sabariah Mansor

It is well known that urban areas are fragile places and in constant change. The special values in the city are closely related to the wide range of services made available. The rapid development of cities across the world had resulted to rapid growth of population. Since the study of central business district as the core element in urban planning, the needs to emphasize the prominent use of urban land become vital. Ipoh in like many other colonial cities, the urban planning system is conventional. The city centre with projected population of 32,500 people by the year 2020 is facing the fatal issue of scarce urban land. There are many reasons to likely relate to the issue, nevertheless the use of urban land is questioned. It is synonym that any development in urban planning has the highest linkage to the public amenities and facilities. The need to provide these elements are tremendously important and as to accommodate the growing population in coordination with the Guidelines & Planning Standards as advocated by Town & Country Planning Department. The schools in Ipoh central business district is believed to correlates with the suitability use of urban land. The schools are inappropriately located as it implicates many aspects in terms of safety, traffic congestion, non-conducive learning environment, uncomplimentary uses of land, social impacts and contributes to the inefficiency of urban use. This study has proven that the schools in Ipoh CBD are facing problems related to the suitability of its location. There are significant findings based on the observation, public opinion survey and interview with the stakeholders as it has confirmed the inappropriateness of these schools within Ipoh CBD. The need to plan for a sustainable development does not only imply on high impact development as though schools grounds are foremost basic facilities for the society. The recommendations made from this study are widely applicable and adaptable for town and urban planning for school facilities of Ipoh CBD as well as other schools throughout the country.