Victoria trade mission focuses on sustainable cities development

KUALA LUMPUR: An urbanisation and trade mission from the state of Victoria, Australia will arrive in Kuala Lumpur next week on a mission to boost collaboration between Malaysia and Australia in sustainable cities development.

The infrastructure and urbanisation trade mission follows the recent signing of the Malaysian-Australia Free Trade Agreement.

Victorian companies participating in this mission including ARUP, David Locke Associates, Grimshaw Architects, Industry Capability Network (ICN), LAB Architecture Studio, Lend

Lease Asia Holdings Pty Ltd, migenius, Office of Urban Transformation and Research laboratory from RMIT University, Peddle Thorp International, Silver Thomas Hanley (AUS) Pty Ltd, Studio O247 Pty Ltd, TANDEM, Taylors, Tectura Architects, Visionary Design Development and WSP Built Technology.

According to a statement by Invest Victoria and the Victorian Government Business Office (VGBO) in Kuala Lumpur, the delegation will share best practices and latest developments in the area of sustainable solutions.

The VGBO is part of a network of 12 offices around the world and facilitates the ongoing development of cultural and business linkages and government-to-government exchanges to improve mutual understanding and adoption of international best practices.

Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) roadmaps Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley’s aspiration to transform Kuala Lumpur to be among the top 20 most liveable cities and top 20 economic cities in the world.

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Report in 2011 rates Victoria’s capital Melbourne as the most liveable city in the world while Kuala Lumpur is ranked 71st.

The delegation will undertake a series of business meetings and deliver a forum entitled Liveable and Sustainable Cities of the Future on Monday. The forum is hosted by the VGBO. Its objective is to provide a platform for local providers to network with Victoria’s leading organisations that deliver sustainable urban and health infrastructure.

The forum is targeted at service and solution providers in the government, general civil infrastructure, project management, civil engineering, quantity surveying and cost controlling, architecture, health insurance, hospital design and related technologies and systems, public-private partnerships, and water sector engineering and technologies.

Topics to be addressed at the forum include Creating Liveable and Sustainable Cities: designing liveable cities, planning for rapid urbanisation growth and the value of sustainability through green design and innovative architecture; and Building Healthier Hospitals: health facilities design, enhancing wellbeing through architecture and creating sustainable hospitals.

The forum is supported by Industry Capability Network, the Construction Industry Development Board and Engineers Australia (Malaysia Chapter).

“The United Nations Population Fund forecasts that more than 60% of the world’s population will be urbanised by 2030. This makes liveable and sustained cities increasingly important along with the need to improve access to quality healthcare at an affordable price,” Tim Dillon, Victorian commissioner to South East Asia said in the statement.