Forest City is a mega development located in Iskandar Malaysia. It will span 1,386 hectares of reclaimed land in the west coast of the Straits of Johor, which will see the creation of 4 man-made islands. The “city in the sea” development is the brainchild of Country Garden PacificView, a joint venture between Chinese developer Country Garden and Esplanade Danga 88.

The first island covers an area of 979 acres, and will be known as the High Tech Industrial Zone, followed by the second one, the Central Business District and Tourism Zone, with 1,896 acres. The third island is the Financial and Economic Districts, spanning 405 acres, while the last is a 145-acres Conference and Forum Zone. The entire development is expected to be completed by 2035.

Forest City envisions a city where urban living, smart technology and sustainability will be the catalysts of a global community within the economic zone. The project will comprise of towering high-rises housing residences and offices, shopping malls, a hotel and an international school.

The development will also be able to reap the benefits of being situated close to Iskandar Puteri (Nusajaya), where a range of attractions and developments, such as the LEGOLAND theme park, Sanrio Hello Kitty Town, Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios, the EduCity education hub, the Afiat Healthpark, as well as industrial hubs like SiLC, Nusajaya Tech Hub among others have been established to make the region appealing to local and foreign investors alike.

The Forest City development is well-received by foreign investors, especially the Chinese who see the Iskandar region as a potentially rewarding investment, due to its proximity to Singapore, strategic location within Southeast Asia and relatively well-priced real-estate. Residences, like a 2-bedroom apartment unit, will cost about RM800,000, which is considerably value-for-money to foreign investors, where a similarly sized unit in Singapore may cost 5 times the price.

Forest City is located near the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link Causeway, with plans for a direct connection to the causeway in the future. It is just 10 minutes from the Kota Iskandar administration capital, 25 minutes to the Central Business District in Medini, while the Senai International Airport is about 45 minutes away. The Changi Airport is also within reach, a mere hour’s drive from the development.