Overview of the George Town Land Use and Population Survey

The George Town Land Use and Population Survey is a unique partnership between the World Heritage Office, Jabatan Perancangan Bandar & Desa Penang (JPBDP), Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang (MPPP) and Think City Sdn Bhd.

It was launched by the Chief Minister of Penang, Y.B. Lim Guan Eng on 6th November 2009. The survey will collect basic population and employment information on every residence, businesses, government agency, religious/clan association, educational institution and non-governmental organization (NGO) within the core and the buffer zone of the World Heritage Site – an area with over 5000 building bounded by Jalan Transfer to the west, Jalan Dr. Lim Chwee Leong on the south, and the north-eastern coastline.

The recent listing of George Town as a World Heritage Site makes it timely for the documentation of the social and economic characteristics of the area. The data collected will help MPPP – the owners of the data - identify community needs, document and advertise businesses, and form the basis of the long term planning for the area. It will also contribute as the baseline information for JPBDP to prepare the Special Area Plan, which is an obligation under the UNESCO World Heritage listing.

The first phase of the survey will commence in the middle of November and run through to January 2010. It will be undertaken by trained data collector (pembanci) with a uniform and ID tag. The simple survey form should take around 5 minutes of people’s time. The data will be treated confidentially and there are no questions about income or personal finances.

Residents of George Town can find out more about the survey and track its progress on www.surveygeorgetown.com, and send in their inquiries through the site.