Sustainable housing the new agenda towards liveable urban spaces
KUCHING: The lack of decent housing for people in the lower middle income and low income groups is one of the most serious and widespread consequences of poverty in Asian cities.
Rapid rural urban migration for better paying jobs and better quality of life is stretching government resources to provide decent housing and public services to these groups.
Malaysia is certainly no exception – and the question of how best to plan for better quality housing with the private sector was at the heart of the Sustainable Housing Futures Conference: The New Urban Agenda that was co-organised by Limkokwing University and the Asia Pacific CSR Council.
The Conference was officiated by Dr Mary Wong Lai Lin, Deputy Secretary General for Policy at the Ministry of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government, and brought together experts from Asia and the Pacific whose researches examines a broad range of housing issues – physical, economic, social, environmental and political.
The choice of Limkokwing University as co- host is particularly significant, as the University architecture was designed to minimise surrounding environmental impact in the use of materials, energy, and development space.
The Conference will include forums featuring researchers, policy makers and practitioners who will share their best practices and case studies from a local, regional and international perspective to benefit academic institutions, government departments, and private sector organisations.
Notable speakers will include the Real Estate Housing and Developer Association (REHDA), Urbanice Malaysia, UMLand, Veritas & Brunsfield, Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), MBSB and others.
The event is supported by Ministry of Housing & Local Government, European Union Mission to Malaysia and United Nations Global Compact Malaysia. The Conference also includes presentations of best practices of the implementation of these initiatives at national, local and international levels.Special focus on the “Sharing Economy”
Theriseof the“SharingEconomy” – how online platforms for private touristic renting is changing the housing market is cities - will be a special focus of discussion at the conference.