Sustainable cities: (From left) Ho Hon, Mazrina, Maimunah, Nga, Chairwoman of WCSC 2025 Victoria Chua and Adrianta at the launch of the 16th International Conference on WCSC 2025. — ART CHEN/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: The Housing and Local Government Ministry welcomes constructive suggestions and feedback to improve the proposed Urban Renewal Act (URA).
Its minister, Nga Kor Ming, said every good recommendation would be taken into consideration for the benefit of all parties, especially in safeguarding and protecting the rights and interests of original homeowners.
“This is a government that listens and welcomes constructive opinion. But we do not want parties taking advantage of the situation for political gain.
“We want constructive politics, not destructive politics.
“If there are good views on the proposed URA, we welcome them without issue,” he told reporters after officiating the 16th International Conference on World Class Sustainable Cities 2025 (WCSC) here yesterday, Bernama reported.
The debate on the proposed URA in the Dewan Rakyat was postponed to the next sitting. According to the parliamentary calendar, the third meeting of the 15th Parliament’s fourth session is scheduled from Oct 6 to Dec 4.
Nga also said the Madani government remains committed to ensuring that upcoming urban renewal projects involving seven national heritage landmarks do not disregard heritage values.
“This year, the government has spent RM700mil to revitalise seven national icons, including Carcosa Seri Negara, the Textile Museum, Sultan Abdul Samad Building and Old Kuala Lumpur Post Office.
“These seven iconic landmarks will be given a new lease of life in time for Visit Malaysia 2026. This is the best testimony that even as we plan development, we do not forget our history, heritage, culture and national identity,” he said.
Nga also called on future developments to incorporate and preserve national culture and heritage to better position Malaysia as a tourism destination.
He said buildings and markets must not only be places for shopping, but be platforms to showcase Malaysia’s diverse cultures.
He said ongoing efforts to integrate cultural preservation into development strategies had proven fruitful, given the influx of foreign visitors this year.
“When building new spaces, we must not forget our storied past – the traditions, values and essence of our identity.
“Moving forward, our focus should be on ensuring urban innovation, sustainability and inclusive growth.
“This means integrating nature-based solutions into urban planning, enhancing mobility and improving environmental quality,” Nga added.
“Our heritage policies and guidelines ensure that we protect the integrity of our cultural landmarks while facilitating growth and development.”
Started in 2009, this year’s WCSC brought together over 800 industry professionals, academicians, urban planners and government officials to discuss and review practices in managing cities.
Also present were Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Rehda Malaysia president Datuk Ho Hon Sang, Malaysian Institute of Planners president Datin Mazrina Abd Khalid and Malaysian Architects Association president Prof Adrianta Aziz.
Meanwhile, in his speech, Nga said Malaysia, as the president of the United Nations Habitat Assembly, stands ready to learn, share and collaborate with global peers, not only to strengthen Asean’s position as a hub of sustainable urban innovation but also to help shape a smarter and more sustainable world together.
“We aim to integrate the New Urban Agenda (NUA) into the processes of the Conference of the Parties under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to strengthen the role of cities and regions.
“The NUA offers a comprehensive and legitimate framework to connect global climate ambitions with local transformation, by enhancing adaptation in local services and mobilising finance at the local level to support the implementation of transformative projects,” he said.
On WCSC 2025, themed “Resilient Cities, Living Heritage”, Nga said the theme is not only about strengthening infrastructure but also about preserving the nation’s heritage, identity and community values.
