This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on October 13, 2025 - October 19, 2025

A resilient city is one that not only has good infrastructure but preserves its cultural identity, community values and heritage. It is a place where people want to live and thrive.

“In Malaysia, cultural diversity is our strength, and all city planning must reflect the element of harmony and unity in diversity with the focus to build not only liveable cities but loveable cities,” said Minister of Housing and Local Government Nga Kor Ming in his officiating address at the 16th International Conference on World Class Sustainable Cities (WCSC) 2025 held at Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur hotel on Sept 30.

WCSC is endorsed and supported by Kuala Lumpur City Hall and jointly organised by the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Institute of Architects and Malaysian Institute of Planners.

This year’s conference, with the theme “Resilient Cities, Living Heritage”, featured 25 international and local speakers, panellists and moderators. The event drew more than 800 participants.

There were two keynote presentations. The first, “Connected cities: Making neighbourhoods feel real” by the OVAL Partnership project developers Justin Lau and Philip Clarke, provided insights on designing human-centric cities by combining heritage and placemaking with data-driven technology. They also tied the ideas to the Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2040 and Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2040.

Lau explained, “Everything is about commitment to sustainability, heritage, conservation, placemaking and community development...[creating] places where local life grows, shops open and ideas spread — where people will stay.”

Concurring with Lau, Clarke added, “What really creates the most long-term successful places is crafting and adapting the spaces between buildings, and those processes and improvements are underpinned by up-to-date [data on the behaviours of] people, location and communities to build flourishing places, social capital and long-term resilience. We now have astonishing, valuable data in terms of the way people live and go about their day-to-day [activities] and we can actually capitalise on that to tailor the human experience and urban designs that are fit for purpose.”

The second, “City for all: Resilience and heritage in KL2040” by Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif, centred on creating resilient cities under the two city plans, positioning resilience and maintaining heritage as investments to ensure positive social and environmental impact.

“As a real estate developer and professional of the built environment will tell you, the best investments are made when you are assured of consistent and long-term returns. For those communities living in the places impacted by development, they want developers to understand and adopt returns that are not only monetary, but also sustainable, including positive social and environmental impact,” she said.

The conference featured three sessions. The first was on “Culture as catalyst: Revitalising urban identity and community life”, the second looked at “Climate adaptation and nature-based solutions (NBS) for resilient cities” and the third discussed “Smart and inclusive technologies for regenerative urban futures”.

A country’s unique culture and heritage has economic value. This theme was emphasised in the papers presented during the first session.

First to the microphone was Thailand’s Creative Economy Agency (CEA) director of Songkla and Southern Region Karin Kungwankitti, who spoke on the topic “Culture-led revitalisation: The role of local knowledge in regenerative urban development”.

He said the CEA is a department under Thailand’s prime minister’s office with the mandate to foster the creative economy for the sustainable economic development of the country.

What is the creative economy? Simply put, it is when arts and culture, local wisdom, ways of life, local resources, creativity, innovation and technology come together to create economic and social value.

He spoke about “creative districts”, which are ­areas developed through creativity to unearth opportunities and possibilities for investment and business growth to attract tourists, increase spending and enhance quality of life. The three key components for this are creatives, spaces and assets.

“When people with new ideas move into a place, suddenly a cultural asset — whether it is a building or intangible tradition — comes back to life,” said Karin. “It happens when the public sector, the private sector, universities and local communities collaborate. That is when the new businesses, new services and new creative spaces emerge.”

He provided a case study of the regeneration of the Charoen Krung-Talad Noi neighbourhood in Bangkok that was given a new lease of life, resulting in the highest growth in general commerce, fashion and cultural tourism in the area.

The second paper by Think City director Ceelia Leong was on the topic “Warisan KL — Revitalising heritage as the soul of regenerative cities”. Think City, a subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Bhd, is an impact organisation looking to bring life back to cities, neighbourhoods and the nation through collaborative means.

Leong highlighted that investing in cultural assets will benefit the country over time. “Culture and history are developed over time, hundreds of years, not something you create now, and it is a very important resource to distinguish yourself from the world.”

Warisan KL aims to strengthen and benefit downtown KL’s creative and cultural ecosystem to create a compelling and inclusive national destination for all visitors.

The last speaker was Joe Sidek Productions Sdn Bhd managing director Joe Sidek, who spoke on the topic “The Festival effect: Building community and place identity through arts and culture”. Joe, a former director of the George Town Festival, shared how he was tasked to come up with a festival in Penang. Having no experience in organising one, he used what they did have — namely, art and culture — and ultimately created an internationally recognised festival.

“The most important cultural asset is your history. No one can replicate your history and it is something that you own,” he said.

“You can do a lot of events. You can take the events and put them in Singapore, Tanjung Malim or Hong Kong. But if you want to do storytelling and placemaking, it has to be your place, your building, your people. It is very important that art and culture be used as tools to educate and share knowledge.”

The second session of the conference featured three papers that discussed how NBS were used to overcome climate change-related challenges.

The first was by National Parks Board Singapore group director of policy and planning Ang Wei Ping with the topic “Integrating NBS into city planning”. She said Singapore’s living environment faces increasing vulnerability to climate change resulting in the city state adopting a planning model known as City in Nature.

“This approach moves beyond retaining greenery to actively restoring ecosystems within the built environment through NBS. This model also builds on Singapore’s greening efforts over the past six decades,” Ang explained.

One of the strategies focuses on conserving and extending the natural capital that the country has.

“Singapore has four nature reserves. Conserving the reserves allows us to harness the natural functions of ecosystems. To me, our nature reserves are like the heart of the city. To better protect this heart, we set aside the surrounding forested areas and convert them into nature parks.”

Another key strategy is the restoration of ecosystems within urban areas, such as Bidadari Park. Once a cemetery, the park has since been transformed into a woodland featuring diverse plant species, heritage elements and a multifunctional drainage system that doubles as a retention pond during heavy rain.

The next presentation by Datuk Nor ­Azazi Zakaria, honorary professor at Universiti Sains Malaysia’s (USM) River Engineering and Urban Drainage Research Centre, was on the topic “Integrating bio-ecological drainage systems for climate resilient urban development”. He highlighted the background of NBS in Malaysia, focusing on work initiated through the Ako Sabling project at USM in Penang, which is related to stormwater management.

At the time, the project was aligned with the launch of the first version of the Manual for Urban Stormwater Management in Malaysia, he said. It later contributed to subsequent editions, with the third version currently being finalised.

He added that his team is awaiting formalisation of a collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme and the Selangor government on the project, which will form part of the Selangor Water Master Plan. He believes NBS is the way forward for Malaysia, where “sustainable stormwater management is both possible and necessary for the future”.

The next presentation was by Gamuda Land executive director Khariza Khalid on the topic “Gamuda Cove: A blueprint for sustainable urban development through nature-based solutions and eco-friendly infrastructure”. She spoke on the developer’s NBS projects in Malaysia and Vietnam.

“In Vietnam, we have the Yen So Park, a project that rehabilitated the stormwater drainage system of Hanoi, transforming it into a park. Today, it serves as a place where the community can gather,” she said.

“Another project is in Rawang, where we transformed a monocrop plantation into a 58-acre central park, now the heart of the development. The park is biodiverse, home to around 8,000 trees and habitats for wildlife such as birds and various insects.”

Meanwhile, its other project Gamuda Cove, which sits between the Kuala Langat Forest Reserve and Paya Indah Discovery Wetlands, was plagued by recurring peat fires from 2010 to 2021. The site has been redeveloped into a balanced natural ecosystem that is integrated with the township.

The third session featured three presentations on the theme, “Smart and inclusive technologies for regenerative urban futures”.

The first presentation, “Tech-enabled placemaking for heritage-led regeneration” by the Philippines’ University of Santo Tomas College of Architecture faculty member Lorelei D C De Viana, discussed the importance of built heritage and placemaking, focusing on various initiatives to preserve, restore and digitise historical sites and documents.

The presentation highlighted several examples of heritage preservation projects and initiatives in the Philippines, such as involving students in the restoration of the Manila Metropolitan Theater as well as the use of QR codes and localised mobile guides to promote tourism and preserve cultural heritage in Cebu through the Cebu Archdiocesan Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church (CHACC) Digital Tourism Program.

She also highlighted Renacimiento Manila, a group of Filipino artists, creators and history enthusiasts who focus on the preservation and promotion of the city’s historical and architectural heritage through art and community engagement.

“Heritage preservation and placemaking help urban regeneration. What’s very important is being able to retain the spirit of the place, the values, significance and especially the authenticity of the area,” said De Viana.

The second paper, “From concept to carbon consciousness: Architectural strategies for climate-responsive design”, by Veritas Design Group senior associate architect Miguel A Robles, discussed how vernacular architecture and modern design principles can inform carbon-conscious and climate-responsive design.

Robles highlighted the practicality of various architectural features, such as thick and white walls, small windows, flat rooms, lattices and screens, and how different countries with the same climate could utilise the same designs, resulting in similar architecture in different regions. He also emphasised the importance of learning from traditional building techniques and adapting them to modern needs, with sustainability in mind at both building and urban scales.

“Carbon-conscious cities do not emerge from efficient buildings, but from how the people use the city, move within the city and live within the city. Architecture must be both brutal and forward-looking. Through rational decisions, vernacular architecture continues to inform today’s contemporary practice towards carbon consciousness,” said Robles.

The last paper,  “From smart to regenerative: Rethinking urban transformation through Internet of Things (IoT)”, by Favoriot Sdn Bhd CEO Mazlan Abbas, discussed the concept of regenerative cities as an evolution beyond smart cities. He emphasised the importance of regenerating resources and improving urban environments.

He cited examples of initiatives implemented in various countries, highlighting the key success factors. These included integrated urban design with cycling infrastructure, district heating and renewable energy built into city planning, as well as collaboration between the citizens, energy utilities, private firms and the city government to co-invest in clean energy.

“Instead of aiming for less harm to the environment, we need to actually make [our impact on the environment] a net positive — make it better. Instead of us extracting everything, now we should focus on giving back or renewing certain things,” said Mazlan.

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