@ green | July-August , 2022

WCSC 2022 Organising Partners and Committee Members .

Making Kuala Lumpur a resilient , sustainable and liveable city

Chan Jin-Wy

Noraida Saludin

Sarly Adre Sarkum

Themed ‘ KL2040 : Towards A Liveable Urban Future ’, this year ’ s 13th WCSC conference series will focus on and explore how and what proactive steps need to be taken for cities to be a “ Resilient , Sustainable & Liveable City ” to achieve a better quality of life in the areas of social inclusion , affordability , housing , accessibility , mobility , health , education , safety & security , vibrant public spaces , and reducing carbon emissions to meet the impacts of global climate change .

Real Estate And Housing Developers ’ Association Malaysia ( REHDA ) KL Committee Member and WCSC 2022 Organising Chairman Chan Jin-Wy said UN Habitat ’ s programme for Urban Resilience was the ability of any urban system to withstand and recover quickly from the impact of all plausible hazards and maintain continuity of functions .

“ Its objectives are to provide national and local governments with reliable tools for assessing and improving the resilience of cities to multi-hazard impacts . It includes those related to climate change , and improving the basis upon which decision making in urban planning , development and governance are made ,” said Chan .

“ Thus , a resilient urban system needs to be inclusive , adaptable and persistent to make cities more inclusive , safe , resilient and sustainable while recognising that it will take time to ensure a better and safer future for all citizens .

“ KL is also set to embark on an important planning policy direction through its new ‘ Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2040 ’. Moving forward , KL and other major cities will need to plan and prepare a comprehensive blueprint to face challenges resulting from the new normal . These challenges will come from climate change , technology disruptions , and demographic changes , to name a few , to continue building a resilient urban future with a good quality of life for its people .”

Malaysian Institute of Architects ( PAM ) President Assoc . Prof ( Ind .) Ar Sarly Adre Sarkum said : “ Liveability is the most important urban planning movement this century and is about creating a better future for us all . It is an international movement to reform the design of the built environment and is about raising our quality of life and standard of living by creating better places to live .”

The idea of liveable cities , he said , is integral to the formation of better future cities , and KL as a city is making marked changes by utilising the strategies for improvement , including : -

• Walkability – KL has improved walkability tremendously in recent years with the building of pedestrian networks and overheard connections with multi-level connections for hubs ;

• Connectivity & Smart Transportation – Recent improvements in transportation networks and also improvements in multimodal modes of transport such as bicycles , Park & Ride , etc ;

• Robustness of Inner City – Of late , the urban mix of KL has changed to incorporate more housing intertwined with the traditional business district ; and

• Sustainability – Advocating for more sustainable , low carbon and green buildings towards becoming a carbonneutral nation by the year 2050 . Malaysian Institute of Planners ( MIP )

President Datin Noraida Saludin said : “ This year ’ s 1-day symposium will feature an exciting line-up of distinguished World-Class international and local speakers , including panellists from Australia , China and Malaysia . They are globally renowned for their innovative ideas and solutions towards the present and future urban planning issues and challenges in achieving the global goal of sustainable development , low carbon , resilient & liveable cities .”

Confirmed international and local speakers include Datuk Seri TPr Mahadi Che Ngah , Mayor of KL , Malaysia ; Sally Capp , Lord Mayor of Melbourne , Australia ( TBC ); Kongjian Yu , Founder & Principal Designer of Turenscape , China ( TBC ); Dyan Currie , Chief Planner , Brisbane City Council , Australia ( TBC ); and Datuk TPr Sulaiman Mohamed , Executive Director ( Planning ), KL City Hall , Malaysia ( TBC ), to name a few .

The ‘ WCSC 2022 MasterClass ’ workshops led by conference speakers , ‘ WCSC 2022 Photography Competition ’, ‘ WCSC 2022 Welcome Dinner ’, and the ‘ Young People ’ s Lab ( YPLab ) 2022 ’ workshop for teenagers and younger generations are all concurrent events and activities being planned as part of the WCSC 2022 programme .

The WCSC 2022 Organising Committee is most grateful for the official support and endorsement of the Honourable Mayor of KL , and KL City Hall ( DBKL ) accorded to the WCSC series over the past 12 years .

It has enabled the three partner organisations and DBKL to strengthen their strategic partnership further whilst continuing with collaborative efforts to innovate and promote the future urban resiliency , sustainability and Liveability of KL and other cities in Malaysia .

WCSC Organising Committee invites Corporate Sponsors to come forward to show valuable support and join in this year ’ s conference . It welcomes everyone from all public and private sectors and city stakeholders to join and share , learn , engage , create greater awareness and better understand best practices for achieving a Resilient , Sustainable & Liveable City . — @ Green