(From left) Malaysia Biennial 100YC founder Imran Clyde, Urbanice Malaysia chief executive Norliza Hashim, Mohammad, Maimunah, TM One Business Development assistant general manager Ezatul Faizura and Think City managing director Hamdan Abdul Majeed.
HOW will Malaysia be 100 years from now? What will our urban landscape and society be like?
These are some of the big questions that were addressed at the Malaysia 100YC (year cities) Grand Finale Exhibition launched in conjunction with the two-day Malaysia Urban Forum 2019 at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
The exhibition, launched by UN-Habitat executive director Datuk Maimunah Mohd Sharif and Housing and Local Government Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Mohammad Mentek, saw 11 local universities presenting their ideas and urban solution for Malaysian cities 100 years from now.
It is the culmination of the Malaysia 100YC programme, launched by Urbanice Malaysia – a centre for excellence under the ministry – in July last year.
The programme is a collaboration between Urbanice Malaysia, Think City and Nextdor Property Communications Sdn Bhd and is inspired and adapted from the Malaysia Biennial 100YC programme.
Speaking at the launch of the exhibition, Maimunah said she believes young people are not only leaders of tomorrow but also leaders of today.
She also added that she hopes to see some Malaysian context in the upcoming Climate Change Summit in New York and to see at least one Malaysia city stand proudly on the global stage in the United Nation’s platform.
In his speech, Mohammad said, “There is no such thing as a definite equation of a smart city; every city has its own definition.
“Through this programme and event, we can promote more ideas, especially to promote smart cities in Malaysia itself.”
Besides encouraging students to reimagine Malaysian future cities, the programme also aimed to promote knowledge sharing.
Throughout the programme, students had the opportunity to engage and interact with local and international key industry leaders, designers and urbanist through a series of workshops and special studio sessions, to help them understand and address urbanisation challenges.
Universiti Sains Malaysia students, Teu Yu Han and Soh Hwei Hsia, said, “This is a very interesting and fun programme as it engages all the universities together and we get to share our ideas.
“We get to learn about different things and hear from different universities, their perception and thoughts about Malaysian cities in 100 years.”
Dr Roziya Ibrahim, senior lecturer at the Universiti Putra Malaysia, Department of Landscape Architecture, also believes that Malaysia 100YC benefits the students because they get exposure to urban design and development and have the opportunity to meet key industry players.
Participants from University of Reading Malaysia said they found it helpful as it enhances knowledge and gives students exposure and a chance to work with industry professionals.
Six topics were identified under the Malaysia 100YC programme as key focus areas covering innovative technologies, green open spaces, urban mobility, affordable living, community governance and smart infrastructure.
Participating universities include Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), University Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), Taylor’s University, Harriot Watt University and University of Reading Malaysia.
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