Please cite this article in press as: Barau, A.S. Tension in the periphery: An analysis of spatial, public and corporate views on landscape change in Iskandar Malaysia. Landscape Urban Plan. (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2016.04.007 ARTICLE IN PRESS G Model LAND-2899; No. of Pages 11 Landscape and Urban Planning xxx (2016) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Landscape and Urban Planning j our na l ho me pa g e: www.elsevier.com/locate/landurbplan Research paper Tension in the periphery: An analysis of spatial, public and corporate views on landscape change in Iskandar Malaysia Aliyu Salisu Barau Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences Bayero University Kano PMB 3011, Kano Nigeria h i g h l i g h t s • Special economic zones constitute serious threats to the integrity of peri-urban landscapes. • Governments apply pro-investor planning instruments in the urban peri-urban areas. • Rapid land development in the peripheries foster marginalisation of the poor. • Public perceive little direct benefits from capital influx into peripheries. a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 21 July 2015 Received in revised form 31 March 2016 Accepted 4 April 2016 Available online xxx Keywords: Inequality Emerging economies Planning Fragmentation Ecosystems Southeast asia a b s t r a c t Southeast Asian urban peripheries have recently become destinations for the global capital influx. In this region, governments are promoting investments in the peripheries through planning and development of special economic zones. The implications of the ongoing transformations of the peripheries on people and ecosystems are least investigated. This study examines landscape change in one of the largest SEZs in Southeast Asia, Iskandar Malaysia—from investors, people and landscape data points of view. The short time changes (2006 and 2010) in the composition of urban built-up areas, mangroves, forests, and agricultural landscapes were calculated using GIS and FRAGSTATS. The study also used the Rasch model to measure public perceptions on the implications of the changing urban peripheries. On the other hand, the analysis of investors’ advertorial handbills and leaflets revealed their views on the transformation of landscapes of urban peripheries. Thus, between 2006 and 2010, urban built-up areas increased by 25.8, and this has caused agricultural landscapes to decline by 15.5% while mangroves and forests decreased by 12.4% and 3.9% respectively. Unsurprisingly, the public showed widespread dissatisfaction with the effects of the recent investments on the functions of landscapes in urban peripheries.According to the study findings, investors showed apathy towards protection of critical ecosystems. Indeed, the new land development activities explicitly promote exclusion of the poor members of the society. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction For centuries, urban peripheries have been subjects of schol- arly discourses. Indeed, the 19th century theoretical assumptions of Racardo and Von Thünen and the 20th century works of Alonso, Christaller, Lösch and more recently Krugman’s 1991 core-periphery model have guided analysis of spatial, social, and economic relations between cities and their peripheries (Mather, 1986; Baldwin, 2001; Forslid & Gianmarco Ottaviano, 2003; van Leeuwen, 2010). In the 21st century, globalisation has exposed urban peripheries of the emerging economies to the influx of investments from very distant places. At least, there is evidence E-mail address: aliyubarau1@yahoo.co.uk from some of these countries that the rapid transformation of urban peripheries exerts pressure on landscapes and exacerbates poverty and inequality (Padgham, Jabbour, & Dietrich, 2015). Nev- ertheless, governments in these transitioning economies promote capital influx into urban peripheries even when it undermines pub- lic interest and the provisions of the local planning institutions (Akc ¸ alı & Korkut, 2015; Vongpraseuth & Choi, 2015). According to de Noronha and Vaz (2015), small and medium towns have become the main targets of economic growth driving the massive transfor- mation of landscapes of urban peripheries. Traditionally, urban planners, geographers, and policymakers have depended on what Jiao (2015) called arbitrary spatial metrics to measure rapid urban growth. However, the multiple conse- quences of capital influx are complex (O’Mara & Seto, 2014). Here, it is important to stress that spatial metrics remain critically impor- http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2016.04.007 0169-2046/© 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.