EARTH DAY - 22 APRIL 2008

Earth Day was started in 1970 by a man named John Mc Connell. It was originally held on the annual celebration of the March Equinox and still is by many people. On April 22, 1970, 20 million people across America celebrated the first Earth Day. It was a time when cities were buried under their own smog and polluted rivers caught fire. Now Earth Day is celebrated annually around the globe. Through the combined efforts of the U.S. government, grassroots organizations, and citizens like you, what started as a day of national environmental recognition has evolved into a world-wide campaign to protect our global environment. However, now it is generally celebrated on April 22nd worldwide.Earth Day is a day to celebrate our Mother the Earth, this planet of ours that is unique certainly in our solar system and probably rare in our galaxy and universe, in that it can sustain life. It is a day to say a special thankyou to Nature by doing something nice for her.

SOCIOLOGY + ANTHROPOLOGY + GEOGRAPHY = URBAN PLANNING ?

I have been taught a subject on TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING for 7 years in my first and master degree. I am working as a Town Planner for more than 16 years in private and public sector. In my personal view, urban or town planning is only related to physical and land use planning. However indirectly, social, economy and environment sector are also relevant to urban planning . Now I am studying in a School of Social, Development and Environmental Studies of UKM to pursue my PHD. In order to gain more knowledge and assist my thesis writing, I read a lot of books on sociology, anthropology and urban geography. Prior to my discussion with Dr Hamzah and Dr Juneinah, I think these three subjects are related to Urban Planning. Below is my conclusion and understanding how SOCIOLOGY, ANTHROPOLOGY , GEOGRAPHY ARE RELATED TO URBAN PLANNING.

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Firstly, lets take a look the SOCIAL SCIENCE aspect before we go in depth the above topic. The social sciences are a group of academic disciplines that study human aspects of the world. They differ from the arts and humanities in that the social sciences tend to emphasize the use of the scientific method in the study of humanity, including quantitative and qualitative methods.The social sciences, in studying subjective, inter-subjective and objective or structural aspects of society, are traditionally referred to as soft sciences. This is in contrast to hard sciences, such as the natural sciences, which may focus exclusively on objective aspects of nature. Nowadays, however, according to proponents of this view, the distinction between the hard sciences and many of the so-called soft sciences is blurred. Currently, it is a matter of fact that some social science subfields have become very quantitative in methodology. Conversely, the interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary nature of scientific inquiry into human behavior and social and environmental factors affecting it have made many of the so-called hard sciences interested on some aspects of social science methodology.

SOCIOLOGY

Sociology is the scientific or systematic study of society, including patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and culture. Areas studied in sociology can range from the analysis of brief contacts between anonymous individuals on the street to the study of global social interaction. Numerous fields within the discipline concentrate on how and why people are organized in society, either as individuals or as members of associations, groups, and institutions. Sociology is considered a branch of social science.

Urban sociology is the sociological study of social life and human interaction in metropolitan areas. It is a normative discipline of sociology seeking to study the structures, processes, changes and problems of an urban area and by doing so providing inputs for planning and policy making. Like most areas of sociology, urban sociologists use statisticial analysis, observation, social theory, interviews, and other methods to study a range of topics, including migration and demographic trends, economics, poverty, race relations, economic trends, and etc

ANTHROPOLOGY

Anthropology consists of the study of humankind, Central to anthropology is the concept of culture and society, and that our species has evolved a universal capacity to conceive of the world symbolically, to teach and learn such symbols socially, and to transform the world (and ourselves) based on such symbols.

Urban anthropology is a branch of anthropology that focuses on cultural and social processes in urban areas. The cultural systems of cities as well as the linkages of cities to larger and smaller places and populations as part of the world-wide urban system.

GEOGRAPHY

Geography is defined as the discipline that describes and analyses the variable character, from place to place, of the Earth as the home of human society. As such, geography is an integrating discipline, studying many aspects of the physical and cultural environment that are significant to understanding the character of areas or the spatial organziation of the world. Geography provides a basis for understanding the world in which we live. Geography is also the study of the past and its features, inhabitants, and phenomena. Nonetheless, modern geography is an all-encompassing discipline that foremost seeks to understand the world and all of its human and natural complexities-- not merely where objects are, but how they have changed and come to be.

Human geography is a branch of geography that focuses on the study of patterns and processes that shape human interaction with the environment, with particular reference to the causes and consequences of the spatial distribution of human activity on the Earth's surface.

Urban geography is the study of urban areas. That is the study of areas which have a high concentration of buildings and infrastructure. These are areas where the majority of economic activities are in the secondary sector and tertiary sectors. They probably have a high population density. It can be considered a part of the larger field of human geography. However, it can often overlap with other fields such as anthropology and sociology. Urban geographers seek to understand how factors interact over space, what function they serve and their interrelationships. Urban geographers also look at the development of settlements. Therefore, it involves planning city expansion and improvements. Urban geography, then, attempts to account for the human and environmental impacts of the change. Urban geography differs from urban studies where it focuses on the city in the context of space throughout countries and continents

URBAN, CITY, OR TOWN PLANNING

Urban Planning is the discipline of land use planning which explores a very wide range of aspects of the built and social environments of urbanised municipalities and communities. Urban planning can be described as a technical and political process concerned with the welfare of people, control of the use of land, design of the urban environment including transportation and communication networks, and protection and enhancement of the natural environment. Town and Country Planning is the land use planning system by which governments seeks to maintain a balance between economic development and environmental quality. Another key role of urban planning is urban renewal, and re-generation of inner cities by adapting urban planning methods to existing cities suffering from long-term infrastructural decay.

THEREFORE, I REALLY APPRECIATE AND PASSIONATE URBAN AND COUNTRY PLANNING MORE THAN BEFORE. SOCIOLOGY, ANTHROPOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY ACTUALLY PLAY SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN HUMAN ACTIVITIES AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT FOR THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE. THROUGH THIS LEARNING AND PHD PROCESS, I HOPE AND WILL GAIN MORE KNOWLDEGE ABOUT HUMAN WELL BEING IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL, NATURE, ECONOMIC AND PHYSICAL.

References

· Wallace, Ruth A. & Alison Wolf. 1995. Contemporary Sociological Theory: Continuing the Classical Tradition, 4th ed., Prentice-Hall
· Wallerstein, Immanuel. (2003) "Anthropology, sociology, and other dubious disciplines." Current Anthropology
· Sydel Silverman Introduction Current Anthropology, Vol. 33, No. 1, Supplement: Inquiry and Debate in the Human Sciences: Contributions from Current Anthropology, 1960-1990 (Feb., 1992)
· Wheeler, Stephen (1998). "Planning Sustainable and Livable Cities", Routledge; 3rd edition
· The City is the Frontier, Charles Abrams, Harper & Row Publishing, New York, 1965.

THE THEORY OF NETWORK SOCIETY

On 4 April 2008 lecture on Globalization and Development by Assoc Prof Dr Hamzah Jusoh of National University of Malaysia (UKM) had mentioned about Manuel Castells and The Network Society. He explained how a network society is a society where the key social structures and activities are organized around electronically processed information networks.The network society goes further than the information society that is often proclaimed. Castells argues that it is not purely the technology that defines modern societies, but also cultural, economical and political factors that make up the network society. Influences such as religion, cultural upbringing, political organizations, and social status all shape the network society. Societies are shaped by these factors in many ways. Below is my summary preliminary study and findings about MANUEL CASTELLS :THE THEORY OF NETWORK SOCIETY.

INTRODUCTION
Information has been a central theme in 21st century research, just as capital was in the 20th century. It is frequently said that society is now living in an information age, which has provided various information technologies (i.e. the internet and cellular phones). However the "information age" has not been clearly defined. Although many define the current economy as an information economy, there is still no universally accepted definition to refer to the current society. Currently, over thirty different labels for referring to contemporary society are used in academic fields and casual conversation (Alvarez & Kilbourn, 2002). Some of these labels include: information society, global village, digital society, wired society, post-industrial society, and network society. Some of the terms describe the same phenomena, while others do not.

WHO IS MANUEL CASTELLS?

Manuel Castells was born in Spain in 1942 and grew up in Valencia and Barcelona. He studied law and economics at the Universities of Barcelona and Paris. He received a doctorate in sociology and a doctorate in human sciences from the University of Paris-Sorbonne. He moved to the United States in 1979. Among the numerous scholars trying to define this new society, he is the most foremost and unique, in terms of at least two aspects:

a. He is an incredibly prolific and energetic theorist on the subject of the information age. He has written over twenty books, published over one hundred academic journal articles, and co-authored over fifteen books. He is currently a professor of Sociology and City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley. He has also served on many national and international organizations such as: the Advisory Council to the United Nations Task Force on Information and Communication Technology, the International Advisory Council to the President of South Africa on Information Technology and Development, the United Nations Secretary General's High Level Panel on Global Civil Society and the United Nations, and UNESCO.

b. His critical viewpoint toward networks and the information economy has made him more unique than other information economists and sociologists. Castells is distinguishable from “the Utopians who have taken over the information society camp” (Duff, 1998, p. 375), since he believes that the dark side of a new economy is embedded in the intrinsic characteristics of new technologies. Thus, Castells maintains a deterministic view of technology, whereas the Utopians regard information technologies as instruments for human evolution.

THEORY OF THE NETWORK SOCIETY

Manuel Castells’s theory of the network society has a unique place among the many attempts by social scientists to come to terms with the contemporary dynamics transforming the fabric of everyday life around the globe. It provides the single most comprehensive framework through which to connect, in an integrated analysis, very diverse phenomena, from the globalization of production to the renewal of democracy at the local level. This makes it the lone contender as the grand narrative of the present, signaling the return of sociological macrotheory after years of postmodern pessimism about the possibility, or even desirability, of such a project.

It brings to a close three decades of research on the “postindustrial” or “information society,” two concepts which, as Castells convincingly argues, are inadequate to frame the present. In their place, the theory of the network society opens up new perspectives on a world reconstituting itself around a series of networks strung around the globe on the basis of advanced communication technologies. Indeed, networks, as the name indicates, are what the theory is all about. Its central claim is that in all sectors of society we are witnessing a transformation in how their constitutive processes are organized, a shift from hierarchies to networks. This transformation is as much an organizational as a cultural question. There is a deep relationship between how social processes are organized and the values they embody. An uneasy adaptation of the structural and cultural logic embedded in a myriad of projects, each reflecting imperfectly the particular agendas of its members, is what drives the evolution of the network society.

SPACE OF FLOWS

Traditionally we find a prevalent idea of space being a passive form, while time is considered a separate and active entity. Castells makes the argument that space should not be disconnected from time. He asserts that space is a dynamic entity related to time, and rejects the concept that it will disappear as to create a global city. Space is defined by this idea as "the material support of time-sharing social practices". He goes on to define the space of flows as "the material organization of time-sharing social practices that work through flows" The concepts of the “space of flows” and, somewhat less developed but equally consequential, “timeless time.” Space and time are the foundations of all aspects of social life, and the analysis of their transformations goes a long way toward unifying the theoretical framework. Despite the structural dominance of flows, places do not become obsolete as long as people have bodies as we know them.

Rather, the space of flows and the space of places interact, transforming cities and creating entirely new urban agglomerations, the metropolitan regions. This interaction is at the core of the new, nonlinear character of (urban) geography and the fragmented character of contemporary societies held together less by physical contiguity than by informational networks.

CONCLUSION

Manuel Castells argues that the technological revolution that began in the late 70s in Silicon Valley has had a profound impact on all aspects of society. The changes, he argues are most apparent in the new relationships between the economy, state and society that have been formed. He suggests that an increase in the flexibility of management, a decentralization of production and an increased reliance on networking has caused many of the immediate changes taking place. Castells suggests that it is through the decline in the labor movement and the devaluing of the laborers that capital has become an increasingly powerful network. This, he suggests has caused networks such as labor, criminal or mafia groups, and financial markets to be realized on a global rather than local scale. By looking at how new relationships and identities are being conceived of in what he calls the informational age, Castells is able to theorize about the ways in which technology and information have will continue to transform society.

Through the globalization of the production and consumption of goods, the energies going into the process have become decentralized and fragmented. This is what Castells suggests is a major factor in the uneven development of differing regions. Since productivity and development depend on symbolic communication, information processing and a technological skill, information and technology become the crucial factors in a developed society. From this, he is able to suggest that the new mode of development is informational. Rather than conforming post-industrialism as a way to describe the current period, Castells argues for what he calls informationalism. He suggests rather than being concerned with economic growth or marketing output as the industrialism was, the informationalism era is primarily concerned with technological development. Increased technological development is clearly expected to take place via increased knowledge.

Castells argues that the government or state is one of the primary motivators of technological progress. He uses Russia as an example of how stasis can cause a lack of technological development and therefore a lack of overall development. He suggests that during the 1980s, capitalism went through a restructuring that produced what he calls, "informational capitalism". He shows how the new capitalism has moved beyond the boundaries and space and time to incorporate a global economy based on technology and knowledge.

SOURCES

· The Network Society: A Cross-Cultural Perspective by Manuel Castells,Cheltenham, UK; Northampton, MA, Edward Edgar (2004), (editor and co-author)
· The Network Society: From Knowledge to Policy. Center for Transatlantic Relations by by Manuel Castells (2006) (co-editor)
· The Rise of the Network Society, The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture, by by Manuel Castells Vol. I. Cambridge, MA; Oxford, UK: Blackwell (1996) (second edition, 2000)

ECONOMIC CORRIDORS OF PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

On 4 April 2008 I have a great opportunity to attend half day seminar on Economic Corridors of Peninsular Malaysia organised by MALAYSIAN INSTITUTE OF PLANNERS (MIP) at Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre. In 2007, we have witnessed the birth of 3 corridor development master plans in Peninsular Malaysia i.e Iskandar Development Region (IRDA), Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) and East Corridor Economic Region (ECER). The master plans are long term plans and are aimed to unleashed the economic potential of the corridors and enhances the people's quality of life and their income level.

This was partly the resultant of the identification of growth conurbations in the National Physical Plan and the call for a more balanced development growth in the country. All three corridors of the Peninsular Malaysia will bring about great change to development and allocation of funds and budget is based on these master plans projects. This seminar have explored and udpated planners in its current progress. 3 main speakers involved in this seminar are :

a. Encik Ismail Ibrahim from IRDA with the topic of "The Comprehensive Development Plan of Iskandar Development Region" have explained that aims of IRD to be a sustainable region of international standard. The beacon of new growth, IDR will spur economic developments that actuate Malaysia's global potential. Recognising the need for sustainable development, social and environmental issues features heavily on its agenda. IDR's commitment to these causes are evident in its manifestation within the IDR Masterplan.IDR is the ideal place to do business within the Johor-Singapore-Indonesia (JSI) Triangle. It offers state-of-the-art physical infrastructure and a world-class business environment like excellent logistical facilities, cyber cities, and central business administration. South Johor as a whole complements Singapore's growth strategy with an environment that provides an alternative "quality of life" that is not readily available in the Island State.

b. Y Bhg Dato' Jebasingam Issace John from ECER with the topic of East Coast Economic Region Master Plan had explained that ECER is covering the states of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and the district of Mersing in Johor, is set to become Malaysia's latest and most exciting region offering diverse business opportunities to potential investors.Located strategically in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, the ECER is well placed to become a major trade and industrial gateway, offering investors access to the vast, burgeoning markets of the Asia Pacific region and beyond, encompassing a vibrant market of about two billion people. The main objective of the ECER Master Plan is to accelerate the growth of the East Coast Economic Region in a viable, equitable and sustainable manner. This is undertaken via programmes and projects to raise incomes and reduce poverty by expanding employment prospects through the introduction of high impact, catalytic projects to spur development in the region

c. Encik Azli Razali from NCER with the topic of Northern Corridor Economic Region Master Plan had explained thatNCER development programme is a Government initiative to accelerate economic growth and elevate income levels in the north of Peninsular Malaysia – encompassing the states of Perlis, Kedah, Pulau Pinang and the north of Perak. The NCER initiative will span from 2007 to the end of the 12th Malaysia Plan period, i.e. 2025.There are a number of objectives behind the NCER initiative. Firstly, the programme is part of the Government’s commitment to helping the Region maximise its economic potential and closing the development and income gap between the different regions in Malaysia. Secondly, the Malaysian economy aims to move towards higher value-add and knowledge-based economic activities to drive further increases in per capita income. The NCER has the potential to make Malaysia a regional leader in a number of these sub-sectors.

The overall theme for the Northern Corridor initiative is “increasing value add from existing industries”, emphasising transformation and expansion of the agricultural, manufacturing, tourism and logistics sectors in the Region. The North, already the rice bowl of the country, has the potential to be at the forefront of the transformation of Malaysia’s agricultural sector, embracing commercial-scale farming and the latest technologies to become a modernised food zone, increasing exports of premium fresh and processed agricultural products and helping Malaysia to meet its food self-sufficiency objectives in staple foods such as rice. Already a home to one of the most important sectors of the economy – namely the electrical & electronics (E&E) sector – the NCER initiative will seek to accelerate the sector’s move towards higher value-add activities such as design and R&D.

Key tourism assets such as Langkawi and Pulau Pinang will be enhanced to attract higher-yielding tourists, thereby increasing per capita tourist spending and the size of the tourism industry in the Region. Together with the strengthening of existing sectors namely agriculture, manufacturing and tourism, the NCER initiative will also seek to develop new industries in the Region, such as the cultivation of new commercial crops and the promotion of downstream activities in the agricultural sector, the promotion of new manufacturing activities such as biotechnology, sustainable materials and oil and gas, and the leveraging of the NCER’s well-established transport infrastructure and geographical proximity to Thailand and Sumatera to become the processing, logistics and trade centre for the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT).

QUESTIONS

a. How are them these plans incorporated into Federal Department of Town and Country Planning (FDTCP) of Peninsular Malaysia's Development Plan system?

b. What is the legal status of these Master Plan?

c. Who is the custodian of these Master Plans?

d. Will they create competing markets?

e. Are these plans competing or complementing each other?

f. Will they boost Malaysia economy for next 10-15 years?

g. Will Penang and Johore Bahru are globalization cities for the next 10 years?

h. The 3 economic corridors will provide international standard of facilities and infrastructures to attract foreign investors... Will our local authorities and cities (which fall in the economic corridors) are more efficient?

The ironics about this seminar are :

a. 2 of the paper presenter are FDTCP senior town planner officers (Encik Ismail Ibrahim and Y Bhg Dato' Jebasingam Issace John) - I am so pround for both of you. I can see you so passionate of your job thats why you can deliver your paper and anwer the questions so confident.

b. These 3 economic corridors are sitting in one place and try to 'talk and communicate each other'- I hope they do not competing but complementing each other.

Thank you MIP for organising this seminar and 3 papers presented will assist my research. I hope MIP will organise a Seminar on Sabah and Sarawak Economic Corridors.

SHOULD RESEARCH QUESTION IS RELEVANT AND CLEAR?

The Research Question Should Be Relevant

Questions that clearly demonstrate their relevance to society, a social group, or scholarly literature and debates are likely to be given more weight by reviewers. Of course the relevance of a research question, not to mention the question of who finds it relevant, will vary widely according to the funding source. As a general rule, research is more likely to be funded if it is seen as part of a larger intellectual project or line of inquiry, not just a way for the researcher to get a degree. Below are two common ways to demonstrate this in your proposal.

Fill in the missing piece. If your proposal can lay out a given field or dilemma and then point to a specific portion that is missing in that field or dilemma -- a gap which will be filled by the answer to your research question -- your research is likely to garner a great deal of support. Reviewers will note its importance and recognize its relevance to a larger community of researchers.

Make connections. Even if you are working on a narrow topic or in a specific place, ask questions that help relate the research to broader trends, patterns, and contexts. Doing this will help show how funding a seemingly distinct research project helps fuel larger debates. For example, show how someone working in a small town in Outer Mongolia will help understand the broader process of post-Soviet economic transformations.

The Research Question Should Be Clear

Clear questions tend to be short, conceptually straightforward, and jargon-free. This does not mean they have to be overly simplistic; but save your theoretical gymnastics and abstract disciplinary language for the analysis. Work to keep your questions as lucid and simple as possible. This may be easier in some cases than in others, but some of the strongest and most theoretically sophisticated proposals we reviewed were framed by some of the simplest, most straightforward research questions. In contrast, the most complicated questions tended to appear in proposals where the researcher seemed more interested in demonstrating his/her theoretical knowledge than in engaging the research itself. Below are simple ways to keep your question clear.

Ground the questions. Keep your questions close to the topic or place you are researching. Questions that are too abstract or obtuse make it difficult for the reader to determine your question's relevance and intent. You must still link your question to a larger context, but ground that connection in temporal and spatial specifics.

Limit variables. If a question is burdened with too many variables or too many clauses it becomes both difficult to read and difficult to research. Here are two contrasting examples from the SSRC web site: a question like "Was the decline of population growth in Brazil the result of government policies?" is much easier to understand than "Was the decline in population growth in Brazil related more to sex education, the distribution of birth control, or resource depletion?" You may talk about all these factors in your proposal, but the first question allows the reader to focus on the central aspect of your research rather than the variables surrounding it.

The Research Question Should Be Researchable

Research questions need to be clearly "doable." One of the most common rationales for rejecting proposals is that the question is simply too expansive (or expensive) to be carried out by the applicant. There are many questions that you will need to ask yourself to avoid this pitfall. Above all else, consider your limitations. Many very practical questions need to be considered when choosing your research question. First among them is: How long will the research take to carry out? Next, do you have the appropriate background to carry out the research? Are there ethical constraints? Is the project likely to be approved by your advisor and your university's committee for the protection of human subjects? Can you obtain the cooperation from all the necessary individuals, communities and institutions you need to answer the question you have asked? Are the costs of conducting the research more than you will be likely to raise? If I can't complete this project well, can I break it down and address the most important component? Remember that writing a research question is an iterative process and such concerns need to be carefully considered in your research design and budget.

source : University of California, Institute of International Studies

WHY RESEARCH QUESTION IS IMPORTANT?

Research Question

Your research question is the most critical part of your research proposal -- it defines the proposal, it guides your arguments and inquiry, and it provokes the interests of the reviewer. If your question does not work well, no matter how strong the rest of the proposal, the proposal is unlikely to be successful. Because of this, it is common to spend more time on the researching, conceptualizing and forming of each individual word of the research question than on any other part of the proposal.

To write a strong research question you will need time. Step away from your computer; consider what drew you to your topic. What about it animates and matters to you? Listen to yourself and start formulating your question by following your own interests. Remember, you will spend a lot of time researching and writing about the proposed project: if it does not interest you in the beginning, it will certainly become very difficult to write about in the end.

Next, extensively research your topic. What have people said about it? How have they framed their research? What gaps, contradictions, or concerns arise for you as you read, talk to people, and visit places? After you have done this you can go back to your computer or note pad and start crafting the question itself. When you do, consider that a strong research question should be evocative, relevant, clear, and researchable.

The Research Question Should Be Evocative

Evocative questions are ones that catch the interest of the reviewer and draw her/him into the proposal. Equally important, they easily adhere in the reviewers' memory after reading the proposal. Questions tend to be evocative because of the ways they engage with challenging topics: they pose innovative approaches to the exploration of problems, and because of this the answers found are far from obvious. There is no single way to form a conceptually innovative question. However, some of the following qualities are common to successful proposals.

Make it timely. Evocative questions are often distilled from very contemporary social or theoretical concerns. For example, questions regarding the energy crisis, international tribunals, nationalism, or the rise of anti-globalization protests are likely to peak the interests of others because they are questions whose relevance will be clearly discernable for reviewer.

Frame it as a paradox. Frame your question around a provocative paradox. For example, why have indigenous organizations in Bolivia markedly declined while the number and quantity of funding sources has increased? Or why have violent conflicts over forest resources increased in the last ten years while the very people involved in these conflicts have become less and less dependent on forest resources for their livelihoods? There are many potential answers to these questions, and your research may ultimately challenge your own expected explanation -- but this in itself is a relevant discovery. These types of paradoxes pull the reader into the proposal and set up a situation whereby the research will fill in a provocative piece of the puzzle and make clear a much-needed broader understanding.

Take a distinctive approach. Finally, a question that approaches an old problem in a refreshingly new way, or proposes a surprising angle of analysis on a difficult dilemma, is likely to prove evocative for reviewers. This could involve a new methodology, a new conceptual approach, or the linking of two previously disparate fields of knowledge. These innovative approaches both develop confidence in the intellect of the researcher and hold promise for new understandings and insights to old and difficult questions.

source : University of California, Institute of International Studies

WHAT IS RESEARCH QUESTION?

On 18 March 2008, I met my supervisor Assc Prof Dr Hamzah Jusoh and he ask me to find out what is Research Question?

DEFINITION

The word RESEARCH means "finding out" or "discovery", by use of systematic effort, information or answers to something you want to know. You RESEARCH by asking questions and by searching for answers to those questions which are satisfactory, methodological valid, and balanced. You cannot RESEARCH if you do not want to know anything, that is, you must have something you would like to know more about before you can do RESEARCH. You begin with a QUESTION or QUESTIONS. If you have none, you will find no answers or will not know when you have found one. Since you will be assigned to write a RESEARCH paper, a paper written without a question in mind will NOT be a RESEARCH paper.

The research question is one of the first methodological steps the investigator has to take when undertaking a research. The research question must be accurately and clearly defined. Choosing a research question is the central element of both quantitative and qualitative research and in some cases it may precede construction of the conceptual framework of study. In all cases, it makes the theoretical assumptions in the framework more explicit, most of all it indicates what the researcher wants to know most and first.

DEVELOPING RESEARCH QUESTION

It's absolutely essential to develop a research question that you're interested in or care about in order to focus your research and your paper (unless, of course, your instructor gives you a very specific assignment). For example, researching a broad topic such as "business management" is difficult since there may be hundreds of sources on all aspects of business management. On the other hand, a focused question such as "What are the pros and cons of Japanese management style?" is easier to research and can be covered more fully and in more depth.

How do you develop a usable research question? Choose an appropriate topic or issue for your research, one that actually can be researched.Then list all of the questions that you'd like answered yourself. Choose the best question, one that is neither too broad nor too narrow. Sometimes the number of sources you find will help you discover whether your research question is too broad, too narrow, or okay?If you know a lot about the topic, you can develop a research question based on your own knowledge. If you feel you don't know much about the topic, think again. For example, if you're assigned a research topic on an issue confronting the ancient Babylonian family, remember, by virtue of your own family life, you already know a great deal about family issues. Once you determine what you do know, then you're ready to do some general reading in a textbook or encyclopedia in order to develop a usable research question.

source : Empire State College, State University of New York http://www.esc.edu/esconline/across_esc

VISIONS OF DEVELOPMENT

After 3 days reading books with title DEVELOPMENT IN THEORY AND PRACTICE : PARADIGMS AND PARADOXES by Jan Knippers Black and ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT : THEORY AND PRACTICE FOR A DIVIDED WORLD by Stuart R.Lynn, I can make a conclusion in form of questions need to be addressed:

1. What lies behind the development and economic development discourse?


2. What interests and agendas have driven the development and economic development discourse?


3. Do development and economic development theory served served generally to strengthen human cooperation dan improve the quality of life?


4. What way can the relevance of development and economic development studies be revitalised and sustained?

The review attempted here hopefully can contribute towards re-vitalising development and economic development studies as scholarly fields and accord them their deserved status, as well as to provide a strong intellectual foundation to rededicate and reaffirm developent as an historic enterprise to advance human well-being and dignity.

QUESTIONS ON KUALA LUMPUR CITY REGION

In my literature review on city region, National Urbanization Policy and Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2020, a few questions I try to answer in order to understand more the role of Kuala Lumpur as National Capital City:

1. In what ways are Kuala Lumpur City Region capabilities to generate wealth enhanced or threatened by international flows of capital, people, goods and information?
2. What policy strategies can be devised to create and sustain local competitive advantages and to ensure economic growth, while bringing wasteful inter-regional competition for mobile investments under control?
3. How can social well-being and environmental quality be secured in Kuala Lumpur City Region when these often seem to be endangered by increasing urbanization and globalization?
4. How do we plan for the public interest in Kuala Lumpur City Region with multiple publics?
5. What alternative institutional arrangements need to be developed to deal with strategic region-wide policy issues and to ensure effective governance of inter-regional relations in the emerging new world order?
6. Can Kuala Lumpur City Region be the architects of our own future?
7. Why is Kuala Lumpur City Region growing rapidly precisely at a moment in history when some analysts are claiming that the end of geography is in sight, and that the world is turning into a placeless space of flows?
8. How have forms of economic and social organization in Kuala Lumpur City Region responded to globalization, and what new problems have been created as a consequence?
9. What main governance tasks do Kuala Lumpur City Region face as they seek to preserve and enhance their wealth and well-being?
10. How can we define the public interest in culturally heterogeneous Kuala Lumpur City Region ?

KUALA LUMPUR IS A CITY REGION

GENERAL

A city region is an urban area comprising a number of cities, large towns and larger urban areas that, through population growth and expansion, have physically merged to form one continuous built up area. It is thus a polycentric form of agglomeration. A city region is easily confused with a metropolitan area. A metropolitan area actually consists of many neighborhoods, while a city region consists of many different metropolitan areas that are very close to or connected with one another. Most of the time these separate metropolitan areas that make up a city region are somehow dependent on each other and in conjunction economically and socially, hence the formation of one city region.

A city region is something which has always been around, but we have seen an increase in city regions in the era of globalization. City region have increased for many reasons, including:

· Globalization, which has brought the world closer physically and socially;

· Relocation of businesses and corporations outside city boundaries ;

· The loss of the centrality of the city ;

· Migration away from the city due to crime and greater affluence of suburbs;

· Exportation of labor moved industries away from cities

KUALA LUMPUR CITY REGION IN THE CONTEXT OF KLANG VALLEY

source : Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan, 2020

A more appropriate term of reference for Kuala Lumpur’s sub-national context is the Kuala Lumpur and its city region (KLCR). The KLCR refers to the entire Klang Valley Region as originally defined by the Klang Valley Study (1972) together with much of the Kuala Langat district and the remaining part of the Sepang district where the KLIA is located. It covers a total area of approximately 4,000 square kilometres, which is about 40 percent larger thanthe size of the Klang Valley Region of 2,843 square kilometres. The KLCR is one large urban entity which incorporates the complete range of urban functions. However, it is important to distinguish between Kuala Lumpur, which is an administrative unit and the much larger KLCR which represents the total urban entity within which Kuala Lumpur is located and functions in many ways as the nucleus of the KLCR. Kuala Lumpur’s role, status and specific functions within the overall KLCR must be defined within the context of the wider total urban entity. Similarly, in view of their symbiotic relationship, the planning of Kuala Lumpur must take full account of developments in the KLCR as a whole.

Kuala Lumpur’s principal functions will be redefined as a consequence of the MSC, the relocation of federal government administrative functions to Putrajaya and the wide range of city functions and activities that are now part of the KLCR. Furthermore, as the proportion of built-up land area and population of Kuala Lumpur declines in relation to that of the entire KLCR, the role of Kuala Lumpur is likely to be increasingly specialised. The City must focus on developing its strengths in the top-end services and manufacturing industries to enable them to operate within larger market catchments on an international, national and subnational scale.

The core urban functions will continue to be located within the city centre of Kuala Lumpur. Thus the headquarters of transnational companies, the top end hotels and shopping outlets, recreational and entertainment centres will be located in the city centre, as will specialised training facilities, professional services and specialist medical services. In addition, Kuala Lumpur will also be a focus for the development of knowledge-based and high value added manufacturing industries. As the capital of the nation, Kuala Lumpur will continue to house the major knowledge-based institutions, religious and cultural facilities. Befitting their international and national status, theseinstitutions and facilities must be enhanced considerably.

LITERATURE REVIEW ON CITY REGION

GENERAL

Today there are more than three hundred cities or city regions around the world with populations greater than one million people. In 1950, only one city – New York – had a population of at least 10 million people. According to the UN (2001), at least 16 cities or city regions had populations in excess of ten million by 2000. The projections for the next 50 years indicate that urban growth rates will rise steadily, particularly in the developing world. This development poses many deep challenges to researchers and policymakers alike, not only in the context of urban governance and management.

The outstanding importance of cities as nodal points of a world-wide network was recognized by Peter Hall back in 1966. Since then, most of the research conducted on cities or city regions has focussed primarily on the world’s leading financial and economic centres (i.e. New York, London, Tokyo, Frankfurt) and on their role in a network of globally connected cities (Sassen, Friedman). While the outcome of these pioneering projects has provided researchers with valuable insights, research on the changing role of larger cities in the developing world is less advanced – despite the fact that urban growth rates in these cities are much higher than in the cities of the north. According to the UN, twenty-four of the thirty largest cities or city regions will be located in less developed countries by 2015.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The challenge of conducting research on large and important cities is that the significance of any given city is defined very differently by the authors of various studies. This divergence of views reflects both the diverse nature of cities and also differences of approach taken in the study of cities. In this section, we provide a short overview of the different understandings of the significance of large cities by introducing the terms world city, global city, informational city, mega city, and global city-region. Of course this is only a narrow selection made from a wide range of terms used to describe cities. However, in the context of our own study on Global City Regions as Changing Sites of Governance, we consider the following definitions to be extremely valuable for developing a framework of analysis.

The concept of global city-regions can be traced back to the "world cities" idea of Hall (1966) and Friedmann and Wolff (1982), and to the "global cities" idea of Sassen (1991). We build here on these pioneering efforts, but in a way that tries to extend the meaning of the concept in economic, political and territorial terms, and above all by an effort to show how city-regions increasingly function as essential spatial nodes of the global economy and as distinctive political actors on the world stage. In fact, rather than being dissolved away as social and geographic objects by processes of globalization, city-regions are becoming increasingly central to modern life, and all the more so because globalization (in combination with various technological shifts) has reactivated their significance as bases of all forms of productive activity, no matter whether in manufacturing or services, in high-technology or low-technology sectors.

Sassen (1991) defines global cities as, "cities that are strategic sites in the global economy because of their concentration of command functions and high-level producer service firms oriented to world markets; more generally cities with high levels of internationalisation in their economy and in their broader social structure". Thus, they are both centres of production and innovation as well as a home to markets. Manuel Castells describes the new urban phenomena as the informational city, adapted to his global information society concept. The key issues within his definition are the new communication technologies and infrastructure. This includes information technology, telecommunications, air transportation, and the accordingly necessitated infrastructure. Furthermore, he takes financial and economic performance into consideration. The informational city is to be seen as embedded in a global system of networked information flows.

CONCLUSION

These city-regions are expanding vigorously, and they present many new and deep challenges to researchers and policy-makers in both the more developed and less developed parts of the world. The processes of global economic integration and accelerated urban growth make traditional planning and policy strategies in these regions increasingly inadequate, while more effective approaches remain largely in various stages of hypothesis and experimentation. Global City-Regions represents a multifaceted effort to deal with the many different issues raised by these developments. It seeks at once to define the question of global city-regions and to describe the internal and external dynamics that shape them; it proposes a theorization of global city-regions based on their economic and political responses to intensifying levels of globalization; and it offers a number of policy insights into the severe social problems that confront global city-regions as they come face to face with an economically and politically neoliberal world.

At a moment when globalization is increasingly subject to critical scrutiny in many different quarters, this book provides a timely overview of its effects on urban and regional development, one of its most important (but perhaps least understood) corollaries. Conventionally, if one lives in an apparently rural area, suburb or county town where a majority of wage-earners travel into a particular city for a full or part-time job then one is (in effect) residing in the city region. In studying human geography, urban and regional planning or the regional dynamics of business it is often worthwhile having closer regard to dominant travel patterns during the working day (to the extent that these can be estimated and recorded), than to the rather arbitrary boundaries assigned to administrative bodies such as councils, prefectures, or to localities defined merely to optimise postal services.

KUALA LUMPUR....GLOBALIZATION CITY?

Being the premier city and the capital of a nation with a highly trade oriented economy that aspires to be fully developed by the year 2020, Kuala Lumpur’s vision, goals, functions and growth must be seen both from the national and the broader global perspective, especially within the context of development of the Asia Pacific Region. With globalisation gathering pace, Kuala Lumpur will encounter more challenges within a new international development era. The nation’s capital should be made ready for a competitive international role in the world of the 21st Century. In the light of hanges in the last twenty years and anticipated changes in the near future for a holistic development and good governance

The decline in trade barriers, the vast improvements in transportation and communication systems and networks over the last few decades have enhanced the volume of international trade in goods and services. Accompanying these are the enhanced international mobility of human resources, short and long-term capital and the growth in the number, strength and influence of transnational companies. The world economy has consequently become more integrated and global in nature. Major economic activities especially manufacturing have become more dispersed globally as processes within the production chain of increasingly more complex consumer and capital goods move to places that offer the best competitive advantage.

The global dispersion of production and marketing activities of transnational companies requires the global dispersal of management, control and support. This is achieved by the establishment of regional headquarters offices in strategically located cities which can offer suitable infrastructure, supporting services, living environment and other ancillary activities. Many cities that have assumed an important role by providing a base for the efficient conduct of international business have attained the status of ‘global’ or ‘world’ cities. Examples of top ranked global city are London, New York, Paris and Tokyo. Others that play more of a regional or sub global role within the Asia Pacific Region are cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney.

In addition to the globalisation trend, another factor that is and will influence the growth of the nation and that of Kuala Lumpur is the increase in the importance of the knowledge-based economic activities especially those relating to the development of information and communication technology (ICT). Industries that generate knowledge such as research and development in biotechnology, computer software multimedia applications, new technology for the computer and other hardware and industries that process, distribute and manage information such as educational institutions, telecommunication and Internet systems, advertising and professional services are the key drivers of the Knowledge-Based Economy (K-Economy).

LESTARI ROUND TABLE DIALOGUE

Today I have a chance to attend one day a Round Table Dialogue "MODELLING THE COMPLEXITY OF LIVABLE URBANIZATION" organised by Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), National University of Malaysia (UKM) and Centre for Advance Spatial Analysis (CASA), University College London, United Kingdom in Equatorial Hotel Bangi. The Livable City is a normative idea that has been developed to help guide thinking about the way our cities function and develop.

The purposes of the dialogue are :

a. To present the state of international and local effort in modelling the complexity of urbanization;

b. To discuss issues pertaining to information needs and modelling perspectives given the changing urbanization process for sutainable development; and

c.To develop a collaboration for future research in urbanization and sustainability modelling.

I met my friends from Federal Department of Town and Country Planning (FDTCP), Encik Kamalruddin Shamsudin, Deputy Director General 1, Puan Noraziah and Puan Shamsaini. Dr Jalaludin and Dr Siva from FSSK are also attended. A few interesting papers have been presented such as :

a. Modelling and Visualising Sustainable Urban Change: Current and Future Research Agendas by Prof Michael Batty from CASA, United Kingdom;

b. Local Variation of Racial Integration /Segregation in Seremban by Prof Dr Ruslan Rainis from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

c. Modelling the Reality in Planning and Decision Support System : Experience in Malaysia by Prof Dr Alias Abdullah from International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)

d. Heuristic Approaches to Urban Liveability by Assoc Prof Dr Ray Wyatt from University of Melbourne, Australia

e. Decision Support System for Urban Sustainability Planning by Prof Dr Ahris Yaakup from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)

f. Modelling the Complexity of Urbanization by Assoc Prof Abdul Hadi Harman Shah from LESTARI, UKM.

The conclusion from the dialogue:

a. The multiple and overlapping structures and actors that makeup the urbanization process have made attempts at managing it difficult;

b.Over time better tools and conceptualizations are developed to allow for a better understanding of the city;

c. Current efforts at achieving the good life in the city are oriented towards developing sustainable cities;

d. Human-oriented and environmentally friendly, with features that make it attractive and make living in it conveient, safe, and pleasant; a high degree of sustainability is a component of this characteristic;

e. The concept of livability is represent the characteristic that "depends on the attractiveness of an area as a place in which to live, work, invest, and do business;

f. A city may be physically beautiful, but if it suffers from high unemployment, it probably will also suffer from crime and other social problems; and

g. Economically viable and efficient

NVivo 7- QUALITATIVE RESEARCH SOFTWARE

Today, 28 February 2008, I attended half day Nvivo 7 Workshop organised by Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, National University of Malaysia (UKM). The workshop has been conducted by Assoc Prof. Dr. Noriah Mohd Ishak from Education Faculty, UKM. I really enjoyed the workshop and I find that NVivo is a powerful tool in allowing us to manage our data and record ideas. NVivo's search and modelling functions are proving to be invaluable in helping me understand the data and the interactions that are occurring. Here are the summaries of the workshop.

Qualitative research is all about exploring issues, understanding phenomena and answering questions. Unlike quantitative research, which uses numbers to arrive at conclusions, qualitative research uses unstructured information – like field notes, interview transcripts and survey responses. If we need to handle very rich text based information, where deep levels of analysis on both small and large volumes of data are required, is our solution. It removes many of the manual tasks associated with analysis, like classifying, sorting and arranging information, so we have more time to explore trends, build and test theories and ultimately arrive at answers to questions.

The software lets us manage, shape and make sense of this information quickly and easily. Qualitative research software helps people to manage, shape and make sense of unstructured information. It doesn't do the thinking for us; it provides a sophisticated workspace that enables us to work through our information. With purpose built tools for classifying, sorting and arranging information, qualitative research software gives us more time to analyze our materials and discover patterns, identify themes, glean insight and develop meaningful conclusions.

SETTING UP OUR PROJECT

With NVivo 7, we can hit the ground running. It's easy to navigate, imports a wide range of data and facilitates teamwork.

The days of double handling are over. Map out our project steps - setting up frameworks to organize our ideas before we have even started. We can create our own documents, and import and export a range of data including Microsoft Word documents.

The new face of research software. NVivo 7 is designed using Microsoft Windows XP guidelines. Its familiar look makes it easy to learn and to teach.

A new standard in security. Our project database and documents are stored together in a single file, reducing the risk of file corruption and allowing your project to be completely portable.

NVivo 7 speaks our language. We can work in a combination of languages in the same project, including character based languages such as Japanese.

Bringing teams together. An inbuilt merge function allows us and our colleagues to work separately on copies of the same project and then merge them together.

WORKING WITH OUR DATA

Working with our data has never been easier or more powerful. NVivo 7 provides tools that allow us to work to far greater depth than we thought possible.

Organizing our data. Highlight key points and assign visual 'codes' to them - allowing us to quickly track them down and collate them later. They're just like markings made with highlighter pens. If we are performing repetitive tasks, NVivo 7 also offers auto-coding options.

Recording our insights. Just like notes scribbled in a margin, NVivo 7 allows us to edit and annotate our documents after they've been imported. We can also create memos to capture more detailed thoughts, and link them to our research documents.

Change the way we view relationships. Our 'relationships' tool allows us to explore and query evidence about relations between items, processes and people

MAKING SENSE OF OUR DATA

NVivo 7's superior querying and graphical tools let us go back and revisit our information, test theories and explore our concepts.

Let our curiosity get the better of us. Use NVivo 7's multiple level 'undo' function to try new ways of working and then retrace our steps back to safe ground. NVivo 7 is the only qualitative research software in the world that offers an undo function.

Question everything. 'Queries' bring us even closer to our data - we can find patterns, pursue hunches and view information in a range of contexts. Designed to mirror commonly used Internet search engines, queries can also be saved and re-run through new data.

A picture paints a thousand words. 'Models' allow us to graphically display new ideas, connections and findings in real time.

"Thank you to Encik Rahim of FSSK and Assoc Prof. Dr. Noriah for the great job. You really assist us to make the workshop is successful. I hope to attend the Nvivo 7 workshop again"