KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 10): The 15th International Conference on World Class Sustainable Cities 2024 (WCSC 2024) held Tuesday at M Resort & Hotel Kuala Lumpur with the theme “Revitalising Kuala Lumpur through Innovative Urban Regeneration” aims to enhance liveability, sustainability and economic vitality in the country's capital.

WCSC 2024 chairman Tan Yee Seng in his welcome address said, “Urban regeneration is a challenging task, requiring us to develop our cities to improve functionality, sustainability and inclusivity while keeping the city's unique heritage intact.

“[WCSC 2024 will] look at how urban regeneration can improve our city for the people, focusing on sustainable growth, economic prosperity, social inclusivity and environmental sustainability.”

This year’s conference features eight international and local speakers, panellists and moderators. These speakers will discuss international best practices and knowledge from other world-class cities.

Officiating the ceremony, minister of Federal Territories Dr Zaliha Mustafa said, “In Kuala Lumpur, DBKL has identified 139 areas under the KL Structure Plan 2040 for urban regeneration. These areas represent untapped potential, places that can be turned into vibrant hubs of social, economic and cultural activity. Urban regeneration will help us turn these spaces into thriving neighbourhoods that can be at least agrarian.

“In February this year, I introduced the concept of change city, a transformative vision that builds upon the foundation of the smart city model. Change city, which stands for clean, healthy, advanced, safe and eco-friendly city, is not just a framework. It is a bold new approach to city building that considers the hottest techniques of modern urban spaces.

“Unlike traditional smart city initiatives, change city incorporates both technological advancements and environmental sustainability. While a smart city focuses on connectivity, efficiency, and technology, a change city extends this principle to include public health, environmental stewardship and property development. Through a change city, we hope to introduce clean energy, better waste management and health-focused projects to ensure Kuala Lumpur, along with Putrajaya and Labuan, becomes a place where people can live better lives in a greener environment."

Endorsed and supported by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), the conference was organised by the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur (Rehda WPKL), Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) and the Malaysian Institute of Planners (MIP).

The conference's morning session featured a special keynote address titled “Sustainable & Resilient Urban Regeneration” by Earoph International president and East Java vice governor Emil Elestianto Dardak, and four keynote paper presentations on “Revitalising KL for the People” by Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif; “Promoting Sustainable Growth Through Japan’s Rail-Plus-Property Model” by Kyushu Sangyo University specially appointed professor Yoshinobu Fukasawa; “Building the City with the People” by Indonesia Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning director of national spatial planning Pelopor Topaewai Abidin Tokampasu; and “Urban Renewal - The Story of the Merdeka118” by PNB Merdeka Ventures CEO Tengku Datuk Ab Aziz Tengku Mahmud.

The morning session also featured a dialogue session with the theme “Urban Regeneration Towards Economic Prosperity, Social Inclusivity & Environmental Sustainability” moderated by Rehda WPKL chairman Carrie Fong. The keynote paper presenters were the panellists of the session while MIP past president Md Nazri Mohd Noordin, PAM past president Saifuddin Ahmad and Rehda Malaysia president Datuk Ho Hon Sang were the intervenors.

As for the evening session, the conference will feature keynote paper presentations on “Reviving Cities Through The Urban Renewal Act” by Malaysia town and country planning director general Datuk Alias Rameli, “Urban Renewal of the Battersea Power Station: Design for Inclusivity” by Battersea Power Station Development Company chief design review officer Marina Chung, and “Urban Regeneration Towards Creating Inclusive and Resilient Communities” by BDP India urban design director Manisha Bhartia.

There will also be another dialogue session moderated by PAM president Adrianta Aziz who will be joined by PLANMalaysia city and town planning officer Chua Rhan See, Chung and Manisha as panellists, as well as DrTanLM Architect principal Tan Loke Mun and WCSC 2023 past chairman Chan Jin-Wy as intervenors.

During a press conference earlier today, Maimunah delved into DBKL‘s efforts and said that the city hall is currently working on gazetting public spaces, looking to provide more walkable spaces within the city, upgrading SOPs for natural disaster management and improving guidelines for mixed-use developments. She also highlighted that DBKL is now encouraging mixed-use developments and that the city hall is upgrading some of the existing regulations of these projects.

“[Mixed-use developments] is one way to reduce the number of people moving and commuting; we call this transit-orientated development. Among these components, we should also provide for the less fortunate by building affordable housing. And to be fair to the developers, we are also looking into giving them an extra [development] density so they can be compensated through cross subsidisation.”

The conference will conclude with a presentation by MIP president Datin Hajah Noraida Saludin titled “Way Forward WCSC 2024” and International Union of Architects (UIA) 2024 Kuala Lumpur convenor Datuk Ezumi Harzani Ismail who will provide information on the upcoming UIA2024KL forum.

WCSC was established in 2009 with the aim to provide a constructive, inclusive platform to enlighten, educate, inspire and encourage community engagement among the public and private sectors, as well as community groups and city residents.

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