Date: 13 October 2017
Company: Nextdor Property Communications Sdn Bhd
About 300 property developers, academics and representatives of local authorities participated in the Malaysia Biennial 100YC half-day forum.
Themed Shaping Smart Cities and Future Lifestyles, the forum addressed several key issues that city builders, planners and managers need to address—such as financing models, legal considerations, infrastructure needs, inclusiveness and planning constraints—to ensure Malaysia’s current cities transform into smart cities.
In his opening speech, Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, emphasised that research and planning for future cities is necessary to address the challenges of urbanisation and other disruptive global forces, including the areas of technology, commerce, knowledge, commerce and mobility, as cities impact the lives of millions of people.
“With urbanisation currently at 76 per cent of Malaysia’s total population and an annual rate of urbanisation at 2.19 per cent, our cities must be prepared to meet the challenges of the future,” he said, noting that advances in science, technology and innovation had the potential to change existing industries and create new ones, such as urban manufacturing and renewable energy projects.
“Through events such as this forum, we hope that the property development industry and policymakers will learn from the expertise of each other and explore the latest technologies,” said Imran Clyde, co-founder of the Malaysia Biennial 100YC.
Representatives from Microsoft, Roland Berger, AREA Management Sdn Bhd, AJC Planning Consultants, Think City and the Academy of Sciences Malaysia spoke on the importance and impact of smart cities and how to plan, build and manage them. Construction+ magazine was a supporting media partner.
The forum was also held in conjunction with the National Innovation and Creative Economy (NICE) 2017 Expo, organised by MOSTI, from October 12 until 16, at Technology Park Malaysia.
The Malaysia Biennial 100YC: Medini 2017 is a global research collaboration led by Nextdor Property Communications, with support from Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd and RMIT University, Melbourne. The project also represents the consolidation of more than a decade of design-led research and knowledge development of deep future propositions relating to the evolution of cities.
