International conference on WCSC 2017 to address current and future urban challenges

PETALING JAYA (May 14): The ninth International Conference on World Class Sustainable Cities 2017 (WCSC 2017) will have the theme “Transforming Cities: Design, Nature and Human Lives”, to reflect the current – and address future – urban challenges faced in meeting the demands of an increasingly populous world.

To be held on Aug 10, 2017 at The Royale Chulan Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, the conference is jointly organised by the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Wilayah Persekutuan KL (Rehda KL), the Malaysian Institute of Planners (MIP) and the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM). It is also endorsed and supported by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

“Cities across the globe are swelling, compounding social and environmental sustainability changes. Therefore, cities have to transform, reinvent themselves and rethink policies that lead to solutions towards millennial challenges,” said the organising committee deputy chairperson Ra Adrina Muztaza at a press briefing on May 11.

“The unprecedented growth in urban population will mean that the right strategies and actions need to be in place in order to have cities and towns that cater to the needs of the people towards providing a better and sustainable quality of life for all citizens,” she added.

Since its inception in 2009, the WCSC has been a platform for networking among professionals, city managers and citizen groups to exchange ideas, experiences and challenges.

WCSC is also aimed at providing a constructive platform to increase the knowledge of city administration, city stakeholders, industry players, government agencies and the general public on integrated urban solutions and the challenges in transforming our cities into sustainable human settlements that meet the needs of the present and of the future, Ra added.

WCSC 2017 will have international speakers from Japan, Indonesia, the US, China and Malaysia, all of whom are globally renowned for their innovative ideas and solutions towards urban-planning issues and challenges.

Among them would be Fukuoka Asian Urban Research Centre senior researcher Takayuki Kubo (Japan), mayor of Bandung, Mochamad Ridwan Kamil (Indonesia), The Nature Conservancy global managing director for cities Pascal Mittermaier (US), and Chongqing University Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning Professor Huang Tianqi (China).

The organising committee expects over 550 delegates including built-environment industry professionals, city managers, government agencies, residents groups, non-governmental organisations and city stakeholders.

A photo contest was also launched at the press briefing, which aims to capture people, places and opportunities that Malaysians living in cities already have or wish to have.