Photo 1: The Klang City Rejuvenation programme aims to inject new life into Klang through urban design planning. (From left) Taylor’s University Faculty of Built Environment, Engineering, Technology and Design Executive Dean, Dr David Asirvatham; Selangor State Senior Executive Councillor, YB Dato' Teng Chang Khim; KCCCI President, YB Tan Sri Dato’ Lim Kuang Sia; and Think City Programme Director, Ms Lee Jia Ping
Taylor’s University, Klang City Rejuvenation Committee, and Think City Dedicated To Klang Urban Rejuvenation
Taylor’s University, the Klang City Rejuvenation (KCR) committee and Think City formed a strategic partnership to help revitalise Klang town through the KCR programme, an urban design plan to address the needs of the Klang community.
As part of Taylor’s University’s flagship research project ‘Rejuvenating Forgotten Waterfront Settlements in Malaysia, with Specific Reference to the Royal Town of Klang’, the university is committing to research into possible transformational needs of Klang town. Taylor’s’ multidisciplinary researchers, headed by the School of Architecture, Building and Design, will assist the KCR committee to develop a sustainable strategy to revitalise Klang town. The students and academia will engage in research that focuses on five components to inform their design process for the city, namely, identity and belonging, inclusive education, urban walkability, water management, as well as food and place.
The collaboration was cemented with the launch of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) witnessed by Selangor State government Senior Executive Councillor, Dato’ Teng Chang Khim, and Tan Sri Dato’ Lim Kuang Sia, President, Klang Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the education institution’s Lakeside Campus.
Speaking at the event, the School’s senior lecturer, Dr Camelia Kusumo, who is leading the entire programme, explained, “We want Taylor’s University students to learn how architecture can become a solution to the questions posed by real-world issues in the domains of sustainable developments. That is why we found the KCR programme to be most appropriate for our students to gain real-life learning experience. Through direct interaction with stakeholders and an applied urban research that has an impact on the community, the students can learn how to put into practice their lessons to rejuvenate a local town or city. We also hope that our works at the university will go beyond academic publication and extend to truly impact the local community.”
Photo 2: Taylor’s University commits to multidisciplinary research to rejuvenate Klang town. (From left) Selangor State Senior Executive Councillor, YB Dato' Teng Chang Khim; KCCCI President, YB Tan Sri Dato’ Lim Kuang Sia; Taylor’s University Faculty of Built Environment, Engineering, Technology and Design Executive Dean, Dr David Asirvatham; and Think City Programme Director, Ms Lee Jia Ping, at the MoU signing ceremony at Taylor’s Lakeside Campus
The KCR programme is an initiative spearheaded by the Klang Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCCI), the Malay Chamber of Commerce for the State of Selangor, and the Klang Indian Chamber of Commerce to inject new life into the city and make it more liveable. In line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal number 11, “Sustainable Cities and Communities”, the programme will ensure sustainable development in Klang by addressing social, environment and economic issues through the eyes of various disciplines.
The KCR programme is supported by Think City, a subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, who is technical advisor to the project. Through their baseline study of Klang, Think City provides relevant expertise and vital information to aid the urban regeneration effort and promote sustainable living. Think City empowers the business community to rejuvenate their own city through knowledge exchange and capacity building programmes.
“The KCR programme requires the collaboration of all parties to bring the revitalisation of Klang town to fruition; and students play an important role in contributing their ideas for reviving this city. Think City hopes to spur deeper thinking about sustainable urban living spaces through our youth and community engagement programmes. We hope to impart an understanding of how sustainable living in the city is so important and we want to encourage the next generation of leaders to be actively involved in city rejuvenation,” said Think City Programme Director, Lee Jia Ping.
The KCR programme will run for three years and tap the ideas of Taylor’s University students and academia from five schools, namely its School of Architecture, Building and Design; School of Education; School of Liberal Arts and Sciences; School of Hospitality and Tourism; as well as School of Engineering. Moving forward, research will look into factors such as education accessibility, living affordability, local tourism, river pollution, and flood management to name a few.
Photo 3: The Klang City Rejuvenation programme will explore urban designs to transform Klang town into a sustainable city. (From left) Taylor’s University School of Architecture, Building and Design senior lecturer, Dr Camelia Kusumo; Selangor State Senior Executive Councillor, YB Dato' Teng Chang Khim; KCCCI President, YB Tan Sri Dato’ Lim Kuang Sia; KCCCI Secretary General, Ir Ter Leong Leng; and Taylor’s University Master in Architecture students, Sanjeeva Rao and Heffrence Teow, inspect a model of Klang town
