Shahrin, F.; Abu Hassan, Z. and Zahit, R. A. (2026) Re-visit project success: Evaluation of visitor perspectives in the sungai melaka flood mitigation project. Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, 24(2), pp. 384-402. ISSN 1726-0531
Abstract
Purpose – This interdisciplinary study re-evaluates the Sungai Melaka flood mitigation project's impact on community success in Malaysia's UNESCO World Heritage site, broadening the definition of success considering historical and cultural significance. This study aims to revisit success metrics, focusing on the project's influence on people's interactions, cultural well-being, social cohesion and heritage preservation. Design/methodology/approach – This study explored visitors' reviews of their experience visiting Sungai Melaka in several data collection stages. The first data collection involved a Web survey posted on Facebook to capture diverse perspectives of the population and grasp the core strand of knowledge to focus on the second data collection, the questionnaire. The final stage involved interviews to generate rich qualitative data. Findings – The findings of this study revealed that the impact exceeded tangible outcomes, as the project impacted people's interactions and practices. This research assesses cultural benefits, incorporating these indicators into evaluating cultural ecosystem services by capturing local visitors' and communities' perceptions, preferences and behaviours. The findings found that other project success attributes include identities, capabilities and experience, further defining learning, health, economics, connection to nature and symbolism. Originality/value – This research explores the meaning of project success beyond the traditional metrics by capturing success from the users' perspectives and people's interaction and their impact on culture and well-being. The cultural ecosystem services framework used in this study is applied to explore the interactions between people and the facility and its effect on the people.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | community; cultural ecosystem services; heritage; infrastructure; project success; socio-economy; well-being |
| Index terms: | methodology, survey, interview, flood mitigation, Malaysia, interaction, well-being, meaning, project success, preference, UNESCO, identity, ecosystem services, social cohesion, population, questionnaire, cultural significance |
| Subjects: | behavioral psychology, mental health and wellbeing, financial risk, project management theory and practice, demography, decision-making and reasoning, data collection methods, sociology, institutional frameworks, Geography, cross-cultural studies, research methods, biodiversity |
| Topics: | Geographical Context, International Construction, Project Management, Governance, Research Practice, Sustainability, Urban Studies, Cost Management, Health and Safety |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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