The spatialities of extended infrastructure landscapes: the case of Malaysia’s Melaka Gateway project

Creighton CONNOLLY

doi:10.1080/01426397.2021.2021161

The spatialities of extended infrastructure landscapes: the case of Malaysia’s Melaka Gateway project

Creighton CONNOLLY

Research output: Journal Publications › Journal Article (refereed) › peer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper contributes to emerging research that seeks to understand how China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is transforming the processes of urbanisation through more nuanced and situated analyses of its spatial, political-economic and discursive dimensions. In doing so, the paper focuses on the proposed Melaka Gateway project in Southwestern Malaysia, which is a privately financed initiative, slated to be the largest artificial island project in Southeast Asia, including a deep sea port, cruise ship terminal and eco-resorts off the UNESCO World Heritage city of Melaka. In line with the focus for this special issue, this paper examines the political, ecological, and socio-cultural transformations that such speculative infrastructure projects generate, even as they remain incomplete. Conceptually, the paper argues that a landscape political ecology approach can help to understand the conjoined political, ecological and discursive dimensions bound up with transnational infrastructure projects at multiple scales.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	212-223
Number of pages	12
Journal	Landscape Research
Volume	48
Issue number	2
Early online date	10 Jan 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397.2021.2021161
Publication status	Published - 2023

Bibliographical note

Earlier versions of the paper were shared at the International Convention of Asia Scholars Workshop on ‘Ambivalent Infrastructures’ in 2019, and the Sheffield Urban Institute’s Workshop on Extended Infrastructure Landscapes in 2020, which both helped the formulation of the arguments presented. Thanks is also due to the editor, Vanesa Castán Broto, and two anonymous reviewers for helpful suggestions.

The author would like to acknowledge the funding from the Landscape Research Group [Landscape Research Fund, 2020], which provided funding for this research.

Keywords

infrastructure
urban political ecology
Malaysia
extended urbanisation
landscape
Belt and Road Initiative
mega projects
land reclamation
Infrastructure

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1080/01426397.2021.2021161

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01426397.2021.2021161

Cite this

@article{f69c0232ab65498585fa9d64eaf1c773,

title = "The spatialities of extended infrastructure landscapes: the case of Malaysia{\textquoteright}s Melaka Gateway project",

abstract = "This paper contributes to emerging research that seeks to understand how China{\textquoteright}s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is transforming the processes of urbanisation through more nuanced and situated analyses of its spatial, political-economic and discursive dimensions. In doing so, the paper focuses on the proposed Melaka Gateway project in Southwestern Malaysia, which is a privately financed initiative, slated to be the largest artificial island project in Southeast Asia, including a deep sea port, cruise ship terminal and eco-resorts off the UNESCO World Heritage city of Melaka. In line with the focus for this special issue, this paper examines the political, ecological, and socio-cultural transformations that such speculative infrastructure projects generate, even as they remain incomplete. Conceptually, the paper argues that a landscape political ecology approach can help to understand the conjoined political, ecological and discursive dimensions bound up with transnational infrastructure projects at multiple scales.",

keywords = "infrastructure, urban political ecology, Malaysia, extended urbanisation, landscape, Belt and Road Initiative, mega projects, land reclamation, Infrastructure",

author = "Creighton CONNOLLY",

note = "Earlier versions of the paper were shared at the International Convention of Asia Scholars Workshop on {\textquoteleft}Ambivalent Infrastructures{\textquoteright} in 2019, and the Sheffield Urban Institute{\textquoteright}s Workshop on Extended Infrastructure Landscapes in 2020, which both helped the formulation of the arguments presented. Thanks is also due to the editor, Vanesa Cast{\'a}n Broto, and two anonymous reviewers for helpful suggestions. The author would like to acknowledge the funding from the Landscape Research Group [Landscape Research Fund, 2020], which provided funding for this research. ",

year = "2023",

doi = "10.1080/01426397.2021.2021161",

language = "English",

volume = "48",

pages = "212--223",

journal = "Landscape Research",

issn = "0142-6397",

publisher = "Routledge",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The spatialities of extended infrastructure landscapes: the case of Malaysia’s Melaka Gateway project

AU - CONNOLLY, Creighton

N1 - Earlier versions of the paper were shared at the International Convention of Asia Scholars Workshop on ‘Ambivalent Infrastructures’ in 2019, and the Sheffield Urban Institute’s Workshop on Extended Infrastructure Landscapes in 2020, which both helped the formulation of the arguments presented. Thanks is also due to the editor, Vanesa Castán Broto, and two anonymous reviewers for helpful suggestions. The author would like to acknowledge the funding from the Landscape Research Group [Landscape Research Fund, 2020], which provided funding for this research.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - This paper contributes to emerging research that seeks to understand how China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is transforming the processes of urbanisation through more nuanced and situated analyses of its spatial, political-economic and discursive dimensions. In doing so, the paper focuses on the proposed Melaka Gateway project in Southwestern Malaysia, which is a privately financed initiative, slated to be the largest artificial island project in Southeast Asia, including a deep sea port, cruise ship terminal and eco-resorts off the UNESCO World Heritage city of Melaka. In line with the focus for this special issue, this paper examines the political, ecological, and socio-cultural transformations that such speculative infrastructure projects generate, even as they remain incomplete. Conceptually, the paper argues that a landscape political ecology approach can help to understand the conjoined political, ecological and discursive dimensions bound up with transnational infrastructure projects at multiple scales.

AB - This paper contributes to emerging research that seeks to understand how China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is transforming the processes of urbanisation through more nuanced and situated analyses of its spatial, political-economic and discursive dimensions. In doing so, the paper focuses on the proposed Melaka Gateway project in Southwestern Malaysia, which is a privately financed initiative, slated to be the largest artificial island project in Southeast Asia, including a deep sea port, cruise ship terminal and eco-resorts off the UNESCO World Heritage city of Melaka. In line with the focus for this special issue, this paper examines the political, ecological, and socio-cultural transformations that such speculative infrastructure projects generate, even as they remain incomplete. Conceptually, the paper argues that a landscape political ecology approach can help to understand the conjoined political, ecological and discursive dimensions bound up with transnational infrastructure projects at multiple scales.

KW - infrastructure

KW - urban political ecology

KW - Malaysia

KW - extended urbanisation

KW - landscape

KW - Belt and Road Initiative

KW - mega projects

KW - land reclamation

KW - Infrastructure

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85122824033&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/01426397.2021.2021161

DO - 10.1080/01426397.2021.2021161

M3 - Journal Article (refereed)

SN - 0142-6397

VL - 48

SP - 212

EP - 223

JO - Landscape Research

JF - Landscape Research

IS - 2

ER -

The spatialities of extended infrastructure landscapes: the case of Malaysia’s Melaka Gateway project

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this