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PETALING JAYA, Malaysia, Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WCSC 2021 Organizing Committee is pleased to announce the return of the '12^th  International Conference on World Class Sustainable Cities 2021 (WCSC 2021)' to be held virtually from 27 – 28 September 2021 (Monday – Tuesday).

With this year's chosen theme on 'Low Carbon Society: From Blueprint to Implementation', this 12th WCSC conference series will explore and address the benefits and challenges pertaining to low carbon cities, sustainable urban mobility, urban environment / greenery, and climate change. According to UN Habitat, cities consume 78 per cent of the world's energy and produce more than 60 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. At the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Denmark and having ratified the Paris Agreement 2015, Malaysia has committed to reducing its carbon emission intensity in comparison to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 45% by the year 2030 relative to the emissions intensity of GDP in year 2005.

Cities globally are taking initiatives and working on a sustainable urbanization approach that centers on reducing the carbon footprint or greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of cities by means of minimizing or abolishing the utilization of energy sourced from fossil fuels and tackling climate change. A low carbon city is a society where people collaborate and put efforts into reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emissions, whether emitted from the hustle and bustle of daily life, or from commercial and industrial activities.

Towards this purpose, the 3 Partner Organizations for WCSC 2021 is proud to make this year's virtual event the most accessible WCSC series ever to encourage and enable all interested public & private stakeholders to engage and participate in this complimentary conference. We have come up with an exciting 2-day conference programme with expected participation from more than 1,000 delegates, by bringing together esteemed international and local speakers including panelists from Denmark, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Africa and Malaysia to share knowledge on international best practices and case studies from other World Class Cities including:-

(1) Y Bhg Datuk Seri Haji Mahadi bin Che Ngah, Mayor of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia;

(2) Y Bhg Dato' Seri Ir Dr Zaini Ujang, Secretary-General, Ministry of Environment and Water (KASA), Malaysia;

(3) Y Bhg Professor Dato' Ir Dr Mohd Hamdi Abd Shukor, Vice-Chancellor, Universiti Malaya (UM);

(4) Mr David Sim, Partner / Creative Director, Gehl, Denmark;

(5) Dr Andy Bow, Senior Partner & Deputy Head of Studio, Foster & Partners, United Kingdom;

(6) Ms Carly Gilbert-Patrick, Team Leader – Active Mobility, Digitalisation & Mode Integration, United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), Africa;

(7) Mr Esben Neander Kristensen, Director & Team Lead, Gehl, Denmark;

(8) Dr Ir Aisa Dokmauly Tobing, Deputy Secretary-General, CityNet (The Regional Network of Local Authorities for the Management of Human Settlements in Asia Pacific) / Senior Advisor to the Governor of Jakarta / Secretary-General, Jakarta Research Council (DRD), Indonesia; and

(9) Ar Serina bt Hijjas, Director, Hijjas Architects & Planners, Malaysia.

Over the past 11 years, WCSC Partner Organizations are truly gratified to have continued with efforts to educate and change public mindsets and perceptions on the benefits and challenges faced in becoming a World Class Sustainable and Livable City. The achievement of such positive initiatives and progressive results implemented in Malaysia learnt from past WCSC conference series include the transformation of Cheongyecheon River restoration in Seoul, Korea that was a great prelude to Kuala Lumpur's River of Life project; Brazil's Curitiba experience for its exemplary city transportation solutions; Denmark's experiences as a walkable and cycling city; Hong Kong and Singapore's pedestrianization projects that include covered walkway systems to make cities for the people; the metamorphosis of Kaohsiung, Taiwan from an industrial polluter to an ecological tourist hub demonstrating that livable cities are creative and competitive; to name a few.

WCSC 2021 Organizing Committee is most honored and encouraged with the continued support and endorsement of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) who has been the strategic partner and backbone of WCSC series since it started in year 2009. We are also indeed most grateful for the valuable support of Universiti Malaya, as well as to each and every one of the Corporate Partners for WCSC 2021 for making this event possible, including PRnewswire as the official news distribution partner for WCSC 2021.

With this encouraging support, it has further reaffirmed and strengthened our commitment on the importance of WCSC series in continuously sharing and educating the city stakeholders representing both the public and private sectors throughout Malaysia on the need to move forward and progress in becoming a World Class Sustainable and Livable City.

In conclusion, WCSC 2021 Organizing Committee extends a warm invitation and strongly encourage all public and private stakeholders to join us to learn, engage, create greater awareness and share experiences and best practices at this upcoming WCSC 2021. Through these corporate sponsorships and despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation, we are pleased to announce that registration for this 2-day conference will be offered on a complimentary basis.

For further information, kindly visit WCSC website at www.wcsckl.com

About WCSC

Jointly organized by the 3 Partner Organizations: the Real Estate & Housing Developers' Association Malaysia Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur (REHDA KL), the Malaysian Institute of Planners (MIP), and the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM).

WCSC series aims at providing a constructive and inclusive platform to share, enlighten, educate, change the mindsets and encourage community engagement of City Administrators, Government agencies, built-environment industry professionals, residents' groups, community organizations, academicians, including city stakeholders from both the public and private sectors. Since WCSC series started in 2009, this annual conference series has successfully gained recognition and prominence among these city stakeholders representing both the public and private sectors throughout Malaysia.

WCSC series has been specifically designed to create greater awareness, provide further insights and showcase some of the best and successful practices and experiences by distinguished World Class international experts in city solutions from World Class Cities, as well as to provide an opportunity for conference participants to learn and better understand the efforts made within our own nation towards becoming a World Class Sustainable and Livable City.

Website: www.wcsckl.com / www.rehda.com / www.mip.org.my / www.pam.org.my

SOURCE REHDA Wilayah Persekutuan (KL) Branch