The humanitarian
HY William Chan
Urbanist and entrepreneur
Where others see a building, HY William Chan sees a facility for empowerment. By using his expertise to help people in vulnerable communities, the urbanist is working to create social change. “The best way to empower people is to share skills so they can build capacity to create solutions for their problems,” he explains. One of Chan’s most lauded projects was conceived in conjunction with residents of a refugee camp in Greece, where the 30-year-old developed a program that uses 3D printers to transform plastic waste into objects that improve living environments, such as locks and connection joints for shelters.
As a former UNICEF young ambassador and a World Economic Forum global shaper and fellow with the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Chan has a global platform but his dedication to empowerment through skill sharing has an impact closer to home, too. He is heavily involved in surf lifesaving, particularly beach safety education for migrants, and works with disadvantaged people in Sydney to improve housing outcomes and raise living standards. “It might seem that going to Greece and helping to create solutions for the global refugee crisis is important because that’s where the media attention is but it’s also important to keep creating immediate change in my community, in my city, at my beach,” he says. “To know you’re making a difference locally is the most important thing and that really drives me to do everything else.”