THE JOHOR BAHRU HOUSING MARKET AND ITS SPATIAL PRICE CHARACTERISTICS

Abstract

The spatial structure of house prices refers to the distribution of house prices over space, that is, how house prices vary within a city (Tan, 2002) This study attempts to develop an understanding of the residential real estate market in Johor Bahru and to appreciate the spatial price distribution of residential property using GIS. From the above, it is hoped that a better understanding of the extent of housing class segregation in Johor Bahru and locational influences on the various housing classes can be achieved. The study gave an overview of the housing market in Johor from various perspectives and highlighted various government policies with regard to the housing market. The findings of this study reveal observable instances of locational segregation of housing classes and that different locational criteria affect different housing class in Johor Bahru. Attempts to explain the findings with urban economics theories and local government policies and regulations were made to enable a clearer appreciation of the overall situation. The study also serves as an introduction for further research opportunities in the built environment and real estate market of Johor. Foreseeable research limitations and difficulties in this area were also highlighted as part of this study.