Placemaker Week ASEAN 2025 to be held in PJ, expects 1,000 participants

• Beyond knowledge-sharing, Zahri said the programme aims to elevate public spaces as essential to a city’s social, economic, cultural, and environmental fabric.

PETALING JAYA (Aug 7): Placemaker Week ASEAN (PWA) 2025 has been officially launched, and will take place from Aug 27 to 30 at Dewan Sivik MBPJ, Petaling Jaya (PJ), themed: “Places that Have Value for People”.

Organised by the Malaysian Institute of Planners (MIP), Placemaking Malaysia, the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) and other partners, the event is expected to draw 1,000 participants from across ASEAN, including urban planners, community leaders, government agencies and private sector reps.

PJ mayor Haji Mohamad Zahri Haji Samingon said the four-day programme will spotlight community-driven, action-oriented efforts, featuring keynote speakers from Indonesia, Australia and Singapore, plus panel discussions, workshops, place games and site visits around Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

“This approach goes both ways. It’s about helping the public understand how co-creating public spaces leads to more human-centric cities, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he said at the press conference after the launch on Wednesday.

He added that PWA 2025 will centre around four key themes: Climate and Cities, which explores urban climate and resilience; ROI of Placemaking, which focuses on returns from placemaking; Community Empowerment; and The Role of Government in Placemaking.

Beyond knowledge-sharing, Zahri said the programme aims to elevate public spaces as essential to a city’s social, economic, cultural, and environmental fabric.

“It’s about collaboration building cities that are safer, more inclusive and accessible for everyone.

“We’re also spotlighting placemaking success stories from around the world, using universal design principles and ensuring marginalised communities are included through more inclusive, data-driven planning,” he said.

He also added that the programme will benefit MBPJ staff. Insights shared during PWA 2025 will support policymaking and engagement, especially in legacy areas like PJ Old Town, where upgrades tend to be more complex.

Zahri also stated how MBPJ involves children’s councils in designing neighbourhood parks—from play equipment to colour themes—to ensure these spaces reflect young users’ needs.

“We are rolling out child-friendly bus stops and redesigning several parks in phases, guided by feedback from children through our children’s councils,” he added.

Meanwhile, MIP president Datin TPr Hjh Mazrina Khalid said PWA 2025 offers direct access to 49 speakers, including 25 international experts, with opportunities to participate in hands-on sessions and deepen attendees’ understanding of placemaking in action.

“Community involvement is key to strengthening the neighbourhoods we live in.

“This event is also part of MBPJ’s broader effort to prepare communities for upcoming public space improvement awards by equipping them with the right knowledge and tools,” she said.

Besides that, PWA 2025 convener and producer Lee Jia Ping added PWA 2025 is a “conference that gives back” not just in terms of knowledge, but by inviting placemakers and speakers to also play a role in providing ideas and solutions to improve a place.

“This conference will see top placemakers working together to improve a designated site in PJ. We also have a charity partner, Dignity for Children Foundation, and will be working with them and KL City Hall (DBKL) to see how we can improve their area.

“We also have keynotes from Indonesia’s former governor of West Java Ridwan Kamil, Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority conservation and urban design group director Chou Mei, and (global group urbanist leaders) PlacemakingX chairman Peter Smith sharing their expertise on how embedding placemaking practices in their cities has created value for their communities,” she told EdgeProp.

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