Global Future Cities Programme in the Malaysia Urban Forum 2021

The Global Future Cities Programme in Malaysia participated in the Malaysia Urban Forum 2021 organised by Urbanice Malaysia from 6 – 8 September 2021. The programme presented two sessions: A Networking Event as well as an Urban Lab.

The Networking Event was opened by His Excellency Charles Hay from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and had over 80 attendees from local and regional government and authorities, the private sector, academia and others. The session provided an overview of the significance of data and the sharing of these data in planning and managing of cities. While Malaysia is working towards addressing the underlying issues in the existing data, many challenges need to be overcome and there are still many datasets to be gathered.

The session’s aim was to educate attendees on the available effective tools and the possibilities they bring to enable efficient data capture, through tools such as the Citizen Feedback Portal, which showcases the key role of crowd-sourced data.

The session also showcased the importance of data analytics in providing crucial information for any project, through ensuring that the data collected are of quality, are thoroughly analysed, and are able to provide adequate information required to make informed decisions.

In addition, the session presented the crucial role of UN-Habitat’s SDG Project Assessment Tool in ensuring the development of more inclusive, sustainable and effective urban projects.

The Urban Lab session, led by Mott MacDonald the private sector partner responsible to deliver the projects in Malaysia, had over 70 attendees from local and regional government and authorities, the private sector, academia and others.  The session provided an overview of the strategic needs of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) communities and the ongoing challenges in inclusive urban and transport planning.

The session presented key GESI considerations and how they can and should be implemented in organisations, along with Universal Design practices that should be adopted to ensure inclusive built environments that also adhere to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Sessions such as these are vital in providing an avenue for attendees to voice their opinions and concerns, as was evident in the questions brought forward by some of the attendees in addressing the needs and challenges of inclusive and accessible transport in different contexts.

The Malaysia Urban Forum is a national level forum that aims to promote inclusive debates and discussions towards developing and improving Malaysia’s sustainable urbanization strategies, policies and programs. Find out more about the Malaysia Urban Forum at urbanicemalaysia.com.my/malaysia-urban-forum-2021/

Find more information about the SDG Project Assessment Tool:

https://www.globalfuturecities.org/sdg-project-assesment-tool

Find more information about the GFCP projects in Malaysia:

https://www.globalfuturecities.org/malaysia/cities/iskandar-malaysia

https://www.globalfuturecities.org/malaysia/cities/melaka