KUALA LUMPUR, 29 OCTOBER 2024 - Kuala Lumpur (KL) has been identified as an “aspiring” global city by the City Competitiveness Redefined Tracker based on its evaluation of investor attractiveness, assets and infrastructure, liveability and loveability, and urban management and governance, said global sustainable consultancy group Arup.
In a statement today, Arup said KL has significantly improved in urban management and governance in recent years with rising green space, high land efficiency, and ongoing improvements to climate action.
However, it noted that residents face challenges around urban mobility, vibrancy, work intensity and inclusivity.
“Malaysia’s cities have the opportunity to improve their attractiveness to global investors by focussing on long-term resilience to climate shocks.
“Cities must think beyond traditional indicators like economic performance and transport infrastructure to continue to attract investment, a new competitive cities tracker has shown,” the statement stated.
Arup Malaysia’s lead for cities and advisory Murali Ram said the key factors will be to continue improving urban management while simultaneously championing projects that will improve liveability.
This includes transport connections such as light rail and bus lanes that also help with emissions abatement and strategies to address chronic and acute climate stressors.
The City Competitiveness Redefined Tracker measures 63 cities against 37 future success indicators — with around a quarter focused on climate action.
Meanwhile, the statement revealed that the World Bank estimated that the number of people vulnerable to floods has risen to 1.8 billion and the number of cities exposed to extreme temperatures — 35°C and above — will triple by 2050.
“Miami has taken action to manage its exposure to climate hazards, having launched a US$400 million ‘forever bond’ to finance climate resilience and help build more water pumps, flood defences and other vital infrastructure.
“While almost half of the cities in the study have chief sustainability or resilience officers, Miami went a step further — hiring the world’s first chief heat officer,” it added.
