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Using Technology and Data for Livable Cities

Duncan Cave

Moderator

date June 29, 2022 | 17:30 - 19:00
place
Multifunction Hall Room 5
organization
Think City
country
Malaysia
language
English
theme
Transforming Cities through Innovative Solutions and Technologies
Reference: 
NE 145

Summary

Public spaces play a significant role in enhancing the livability of cities. They are an important asset to our cities. Public spaces provide a platform where people can come together and engage with the community. Social inclusion, universal access and safety are important characteristics of a good public space. There is a need to rethink how publis spaces in the primary and secondary cities are planned, developed and managed. Thinkcity, in collaboration with the Safetipin, a map-based technology platform, undertook a pilot project on using data to make cities resilient, liveable and inclusive in two cities of Malaysia namely Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Safetipin uses different mobile and web based applications to collect large-scale data on safety in cities. For this project, the organisations jointly developed a data collection tool that was used to measure accessibility, safety and inclusivity in public spaces of the two cities. Factors such as universal accessibility; provision and quality of physical infrastructure, public transport facilities etc.; and social environmental conditions were measured through the Safetipin Site app. The study has generated an evidence-based dataset that can be readily accessed by the urban local bodies for planning, designing and developing inclusive public spaces. This Networking Session introduces the tools and the metrics developed for assessing the public space in Malaysia. The project report will also be launched at this event along with a brief presentation on key findings on the public spaces from both the cities. Case studies of selected public spaces will be highlighted. There will be a panel discussion involving the speakers who will discuss Technology for Livable Cities, including how the data is crucial to build equitable, resilient and livable cities, relating to the theme WUF11 - Transforming our cities for a better urban future. Finally, there will be a networking session for academic, government, and business participants to further discuss collaborative project opportunities relating to technology innovation in data creation for urban spaces

Objectives

Our event has three main objectives: (1) To highlight the role of technology innovation in the context of WUF11’s thematic objectives, particularly the value of data in Transforming our cities for a better urban future as well as achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 11 of making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. (2) To demonstrate the data collection tool used for detailed assessment of more than 30 public spaces in Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur. Findings and observations from the selected public spaces will be showcased as part of the panel discussion, and (3) To promote debate and discourse on the technology and innovation in cities, along with practical applications and case studies which are of direct relevance to the thematic objectives of WUF11.

Session speakers

Speaker
Role
Organization
Country
Mr Matt Benson
Senior Director
Think City Sdn Bhd
Ms. Kalpana Viswanath
CEO
Safetipin
Ms. Joyati Das
Director
International Society for Urban Health
Mr. Duncan Cave
Programme Manager
Think City Sdn Bhd