The 8^th International Conference on World Class Sustainable Cities 2016 (WCSC 2016) will once again gather an interesting line-up of distinguished international speakers at the Sime Darby Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday, 8^th September 2016.

World class speakers from the United States, Australia and Singapore, globally renowned for their innovative ideas and excellent achievements in contemporary planning issues as well as managing connected public spaces, will engage an expected audience of 600 participants, consisting of built-environment industry professionals, property developers, City Managers, and members of the public that include representatives of Residents’ Associations from Kuala Lumpur.

This annual conference is co-organized by the Real Estate & Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur (REHDA KL), the Malaysian Institute of Planners (MIP), and the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM).

The WCSC series first began in 2009 and is now in its eighth year. It is organized to bring together ideas and best practices on what makes cities sustainable places to live and work in, as well as to increase the awareness of our city dwellers and other stakeholders on what makes a city great. The conference is unique as it brings together all stakeholders of the city. Besides developers, planners and architects, through Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) endorsement and support, City Authorities and officials, and representatives from Residents’ Associations throughout Kuala Lumpur will also attend as participants in the conference.

The WCSC 2016 Organizing Committee is extremely grateful that our Honorable Mayor, Y. Bhg. Datuk Seri Hj. Mohd. Amin Nordin bin Abd. Aziz, and City Hall of Kuala Lumpur, have had the vision and foresight to endorse and support WCSC over the years. Foreign participants also find this format truly unique, where city officials, industry professionals, and city dwellers come together in a collaborative approach to envision the future of our cities.

WCSC’s from past years have focused on various topics, including the transformation of Cheongyecheon River in Seoul, Korea; the city transportation solutions for Curitiba, Brazil; the metamorphosis of Kaohsiung, Taiwan from an industrial polluter to an ecological tourist hub and demonstrating that liveable cities are creative and competitive. This year, WCSC 2016 will focus on the theme of "City Spaces, Public Places".

The line-up of eminent speakers include: Mr. Mitchell J. Silver, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, New York, U.S.A.; Mr. Ian Shears, Manager of Urban Sustainability - Melbourne City Council, Melbourne, Australia; and the President of the Singapore Institute of Planners (SIP), Ms. Evlyn W.Y. Cheong.

 
In addition to the keynote sharing at the seminar, there are also Master Classes that will be conducted in smaller groups on a separate day, led by our esteemed speakers, to delve into greater details on the opportunities for the future urban regeneration of Kuala Lumpur.

In previous years, WCSC conference speakers have had an influential impact in shifting public perceptions to the Kuala Lumpur projects that followed. The Cheongyecheon River restoration was a great prelude to the Kuala Lumpur River of Life project, the Curitiba experience in transforming the city’s buses and MRT, and pedestrianization projects that include covered walkway systems to make cities for the people.

This year’s theme of “City Spaces, Public Places”, was chosen by City Hall of Kuala Lumpur, with the objective of increasing public places in the city of Kuala Lumpur through alternate initiatives such as private-public partnerships that collaborate with and engages the residents and end-users of Kuala Lumpur, thus creating meaningful and sustainable enhancements to the city we jointly thrive in. The choice for this year’s line-up of international speakers underlines the desire to learn about other best practices from some of the top-ranked, world class livable cities – that Kuala Lumpur may take place alongside such places in the years to come.

In conjunction with WCSC 2016, a Photography Competition and an Essay Competition was launched at the press conference themed “City Spaces, Public Places”. The public is invited to share varied and interesting perspectives on how they view their city’s life and soul. Students from all higher learning institutions are invited to express their perspectives of what makes great public spaces that they will inherit as future citizens of the city.

For the second year in a row, the WCSC has included a day in which the young people of the city can come and plan or design a city space that they would like to see as their own. The Young People’s Lab (or YPL) will see youths from all backgrounds come together in groups and work towards a common goal to envision what they will see as their future cities.

For latest updates or to download this year’s conference flyer and registration form, including the competition flyer, kindly visit www.wcsckl.com or call Mr. Soon Teck Giap (WCSC 2016 Conference Secretariat) at Tel: 603-7803 2978 or email at stg@rehda.com / kul@rehda.com / wcsckl@gmail.com