KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 29): Revitalising the older parts of the city that are no longer economically viable is the only way to accommodate the continual growth of the city, said the deputy Federal Territories minister Datuk Loga Bala Mohan at the opening ceremony of the 7th International Conference on World Class Sustainable Cities (WCSC) 2015 today. 

The seventh edition of the WCSC this year is on “Urban Regeneration Through Smart Partnerships”, and has attracted more than 500 participants and over 20 government ministries and local councils from across Malaysia.

“Each year we have seen the adoption of many of the ideas from this annual conference and master classes,” said  WCSC 2015 organising chairman Datuk NK Tong. “WCSC has inspired all of us to continue to explore better, and more sustainable ways for the growth of KL.”

The conference brings together stakeholders, developers, planners and architects, city authorities and officials, and representatives  of residents’ associations.

WCSC 2015 is jointly organised by Rehda KL, the Malaysian Institute of Planners (MIP) and the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM), and is supported and endorsed by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

This year’s conference speakers are the director of the University of Arkansas Community Design Center, the US, Stephen Luoni; director of planning and environment, Gold Coast, Australia, Dyan Currie; chief executive officer of CityMart, Barcelona, Spain, Sascha Haselmayer; and journalist, moderator and innovator from Malmo, Sweden, Catarina Rolfsdotter-Jansson. 

The WCSC series, which began in 2009, is designed to showcase successful practices and experiences of world class cities to better understand what makes cities sustainable places to live in, and to inform policy making.

A previous conference case study, the Cheongyecheon River restoration project in Korea, was a prelude to the KL River of Life project, while the experience of Curitiba, Brazil, has informed the transformation of Kuala Lumpur’s bus, MRT and pedestrian projects that include covered walkway systems.

Workshops tomorrow will discuss the regeneration potential of the Sungai Besi and Chow Kit areas, involving the key stakeholders such as local authorities and residents' associations.