Seberang Perai poised to become Penang’s next growth frontier: Think City

Think City managing director Datuk Hamdan Abdul Majeed says Seberang Perai will drive Penang’s growth over the next 50 to 100 years as the island runs out of land. The mainland, which contributes nearly half of Penang’s manufacturing value and houses more than half its workforce, is shifting from an

Seberang Perai is set to become the driver of Penang’s growth over the next 50 to 100 years, according to Think City Sdn Bhd managing director Datuk Hamdan Abdul Majeed, as the island faces land scarcity and rising congestion.

“The island is already dense. Every inch of land has been utilised. The mainland still has the opportunity to shape development in a much more purposeful way,” Hamdan told EdgeProp. Occupying about 71 per cent of Penang’s land mass, housing more than half of its workforce and contributing nearly half of the state’s manufacturing value, the mainland has long underpinned Penang’s economic success without enjoying the same level of recognition, he said.

Major infrastructure projects, including the Penang Mutiara LRT, upgrades to the North Butterworth Container Terminal and improved regional connectivity, are steadily narrowing the physical and economic divide between the island and mainland. Hamdan likened the emerging relationship to Hong Kong and Kowloon — distinct urban centres with different strengths, but functioning as one integrated region.

Hamdan cautioned that Seberang Perai cannot simply repeat the development model that brought it this far. For decades, development on the mainland revolved around industrial parks and housing estates, producing fragmented growth and increasing dependence on private vehicles. “We don’t want endless towers creating faceless places. Instead, Seberang Perai’s competitive advantage lies in something many fast-growing cities have struggled to preserve — its rivers, agricultural landscape, heritage towns, fishing villages and close-knit communities,” he stressed.

At the centre of Think City’s vision for Seberang Perai is the Northern Coast Vision Plan, which seeks to reposition more than 20km of coastline encompassing mangrove forests, river systems, fishing villages, heritage sites and waterfront settlements. Rather than wholesale redevelopment, the plan focuses on regeneration — revitalising waterfront districts, strengthening Penang Sentral as a regional gateway, improving public spaces, restoring mangrove ecosystems and building climate resilience.

Three river systems — Sungai Perai, Sungai Juru and Sungai Kerian — are being reimagined as ecological and economic corridors. “Rivers are the historical lifelines of Seberang Perai. Re-centering development around these waterways treats them not as drainage or industrial backwaters, but as the economic, ecological and social backbones of the region,” said Think City senior manager Kishore Ramdas.

Think City has disbursed 240 grants worth RM16 million in George Town since 2008 and expanded into Butterworth in 2014. Its Levelling Up Seberang Perai Programme (LUSP) received more than 250 applications from communities, resulting in 65 grants that mobilised almost RM8 million in combined grants and co-investment, involving more than 1,200 residents.