Twenty two students from the 3rd Year, Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning Programme, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Built Environment, UTM visited Batam on 3rd. November 2015 as part of the academic activities for the course SBEP3243 Planning Practice. The objective of the visit was to expose students to the planning practice in neighbouring countries. The visit was led by Dr. Gobi Krishna s/o Sinniah, a senior lecturer who is teaching the course.
During the visit, the students were briefed on the development and planning system in Batam by Mr. Aidil Sahalo, from Badan Perencanaan Daerah Kota Batam. The students had the opportunity to visit a new township and housing development known as Orchard Park. The brief on the development of the project was delivered by the main contractor of Agung Podomoro Land, the developer of the project. Other places visited included the Batamindo Industrial Area, the oldest industrial area in Batam known for its manufacturing and shipping industries, Batam Centre and Barelang Bridge that connects seven (7) islands in the Batam region.