To finance 'BSB Sustainable City'
Koo Jin Shen
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, September 10, 2011
$7.5m research proposal to be put forward
RESEARCHERS from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) have put forward a $7.5 million research proposal to study and understand issues that may arise during the implementation of the Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) Development Masterplan.
The research proposal, called "BSB Sustainable City", will attempt to tackle issues that are related to the successful implementation of the BSB Masterplan, said Gabriel Yong, the Coordinator for the Environmental and Sustainable Development Research Cluster in UBD.
The BSB Development Masterplan is a 25-year plan to turn the capital into one of the most liveable cities in the world.
Yong said that they were optimistic that the proposal would receive funding, noting that they would be aiming for the Science and Technology Fund Phase III from the Economic Planning and Development Department (JPKE).
He also noted that the BSB Masterplan was a good place to start sustainability research, as the ultimate goal for the plan was to turn the capital into a modern, self-sustaining city. He said that the research proposal would comprise of 17 projects that look at various aspects of the development.
"We have three on environmental technology, four on environmental monitoring and management, five projects on Kampong Ayer and five more on sustainable economy," he noted.
He said that for projects on environmental technology, they were aiming to study the implementation of technology developed overseas.
These include the incorporation of "Bioswells", a nature-inspired river filtration system and projects involving "Biomimicry" which looks into how to apply natural processes into human construction, said Yong.
For Environmental Monitoring and Management, they will look into the 'Eco Corridors' that were part of the development masterplan.
The Kampong Ayer projects will look particularly into the heritage and history of the capital's water village. According to Yong, the research done there would also contribute towards turning the historical village into a UNESCO world heritage site.
Projects on sustainable economy would look into how viable it would to turn local commercial projects to help run the city.
"One of the projects looks into sustainable consumption, on the viability of environmentally friendly products while other projects look into how to turn local heritage into commodities," said Yong.
Yong is confident that the research proposal is well worth the effort and funds.
He said considering the scope of the project, the funds they ask for is actually quite small. "We are expecting the returns to be significantly more," he said.
He added that it is not just money, but also the passion and drive of the researchers involved. "The cluster is a group of researchers in different disciplines," Yong said, adding that they have already begun research work despite not having the funding.
He further said that they also incorporate part of the research into hands-on-projects done by University courses, which help engage local students to be interested in local development. "We will also have positions for about 20 fully paid research assistants," he said.
From The Brunei Times (link to online article here):
RESEARCHERS from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) have put forward a $7.5 million research proposal to study and understand issues that may arise during the implementation of the Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) Development Masterplan.
The research proposal, called "BSB Sustainable City", will attempt to tackle issues that are related to the successful implementation of the BSB Masterplan, said Gabriel Yong, the Coordinator for the Environmental and Sustainable Development Research Cluster in UBD.
The BSB Development Masterplan is a 25-year plan to turn the capital into one of the most liveable cities in the world.
Yong said that they were optimistic that the proposal would receive funding, noting that they would be aiming for the Science and Technology Fund Phase III from the Economic Planning and Development Department (JPKE).
He also noted that the BSB Masterplan was a good place to start sustainability research, as the ultimate goal for the plan was to turn the capital into a modern, self-sustaining city. He said that the research proposal would comprise of 17 projects that look at various aspects of the development.
"We have three on environmental technology, four on environmental monitoring and management, five projects on Kampong Ayer and five more on sustainable economy," he noted.
He said that for projects on environmental technology, they were aiming to study the implementation of technology developed overseas.
These include the incorporation of "Bioswells", a nature-inspired river filtration system and projects involving "Biomimicry" which looks into how to apply natural processes into human construction, said Yong.
For Environmental Monitoring and Management, they will look into the 'Eco Corridors' that were part of the development masterplan.
The Kampong Ayer projects will look particularly into the heritage and history of the capital's water village. According to Yong, the research done there would also contribute towards turning the historical village into a UNESCO world heritage site.
Projects on sustainable economy would look into how viable it would to turn local commercial projects to help run the city.
"One of the projects looks into sustainable consumption, on the viability of environmentally friendly products while other projects look into how to turn local heritage into commodities," said Yong.
Yong is confident that the research proposal is well worth the effort and funds.
He said considering the scope of the project, the funds they ask for is actually quite small. "We are expecting the returns to be significantly more," he said.
He added that it is not just money, but also the passion and drive of the researchers involved. "The cluster is a group of researchers in different disciplines," Yong said, adding that they have already begun research work despite not having the funding.
He further said that they also incorporate part of the research into hands-on-projects done by University courses, which help engage local students to be interested in local development. "We will also have positions for about 20 fully paid research assistants," he said.
From The Brunei Times (link to online article here):
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