Sustainability through circular city economies
“HOW many Earths does it take to support humanity?” was the question Prof Mahendhiran Nair, chief executive officer of Monash Malaysia R&D and vice-president (research and development) at Monash University Malaysia, raised at the Malaysia Urban Forum 2019.
Prof Mahendhiran was one of several panelists at the forum’s roundtable on the topic W2W: From Waste to Wealth, which discussed urban issues and solutions. In his presentation titled “Circular City Economy and Realising Sustainable Development Goals”, he held up Sunway City as an emerging model city.
Sustainable consumption and circular economies
The current human consumption of natural resources is outstripping what the Earth can supply. Water shortages, for example, may affect two-thirds of the world by 2025 because of inefficient agriculture, pollution and climate change. Our use of natural resources and manufactured materials continues to increase and, subsequently, creates adverse impact on all biological species.
The looming risks from unsustainable consumption has led some governments and cities to consider implementing a circular economy.
A circular economy strives to preserve natural resources while reducing and reusing waste materials. To ensure sustainable development, economic decisions must account for social, environmental and health consequences in all economic activities. In contrast, a traditional linear economy devours finite resources to create products with a shorter lifespan, which often end up discarded in landfills, rivers and oceans.
The European Union and some of its member countries have been at the forefront of implementing circular economy initiatives. For example, the Netherlands aims to realise a circular economy by 2050 by maximising the smart reuse of raw materials. Instead of simply producing or owning many goods, the focus is on services for sharing, renting, recycling and repairing.
Other cities in Europe have created a market for waste products, where they repair, reuse and remanufacture waste materials into those that create value for society.
Sunway, a smart city
In the 1980s, Sunway was a land made barren by tin mining. Now, it is a thriving and vibrant ecosystem, transformed from wasteland to wonderland. Sunway has won several awards, including the Green Building Index Award and Malaysian Institute of Planners’ Low Carbon City Award.
In terms of resource management, the city practises trash separation and has run zero food wastage initiatives. Its water treatment plant conserves water and caters to all commercial buildings. Natural gas and solar energy are used to generate electricity. The city promotes efficient transportation through bus, light rail transit and train via public-private partnership arrangements. Meanwhile, canopied walkways increase its citizens’ fitness and reduce the city’s carbon footprint.
In view of future development, the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation, established by Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah, founder and chairman of Sunway Group, has gifted US$10mil (RM40.89mil) to the United Nations to develop the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development in Sunway University.
Monash University Malaysia, a jointventure partnership between the Sunway Education Group and Monash University, also actively contributes to the Sunway City sustainable city agenda. Nearly 300 academics and 450 doctoral students are undertaking cutting-edge research in a wide range of areas such as smart transportation systems, river pollution, and the economic development of marginalised communities.
Public-private partnerships are essential
Cities can play a pivotal role in enabling a circular economy. To achieve this, however, the help of the private sector and multiple stakeholders is needed. The successful implementation of smart and sustainable cities across the globe show that leadership of the various stakeholders is critical.
In the case of Sunway City, the force behind the transformation of a mining crater into a vibrant township is the result of the visionary and transformative leadership of Dr Jeffrey Cheah. The Sunway City case study provides valuable insight for other Malaysian cities and developing countries to create a circular economy that has high returns on investment for all stakeholders in the economy.