Delivering Housing At Scale Connecting Policy, Innovation And Finance For Safe And Resilient Cities.

Cities worldwide face mounting pressure to deliver housing that is affordable, safe and resilient amid climate change, demographic shifts, economic uncertainty and widening inequalities. Shortages are most acute in urban areas, where land constraints, rising construction costs, fragmented governance and limited financing slow delivery, particularly for low-income and vulnerable groups. Housing initiatives remain weakly linked to transport, energy, climate adaptation and social services, reducing efficiency and long-term urban performance. This WUF13 networking event positions housing as a core urban system and focuses on how delivery at scale can be achieved through stronger alignment of policy, innovation and finance. Designed as a solution-oriented platform, the session supports practical collaboration beyond policy dialogue. The objectives of the event are to: • Connect policy-makers, housing authorities, cities, financiers, innovators and knowledge partners • Share scalable delivery approaches that strengthen affordability, resilience and inclusion • Highlight responsible use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) as decision-support tools • Enable cross-regional collaboration between Malaysia, ASEAN, UAE and global partners • Identify opportunities for pilots, financing, technical support and post-WUF follow-up AI acts as a practical enabler for housing needs assessment, demand forecasting, risk-informed site selection, digital permitting and asset management, improving targets, efficiency and system performance. Malaysia contributes long-standing experience in affordable housing delivery, shaped by decades of public-sector leadership, private sector participation and evolving integration with spatial planning and community well-being. ASEAN represents rapidly urbanising contexts where delivery at scale is urgent, offering diverse models. The United Arab Emirates contributes leadership in large-scale housing programmes supported by innovation, digital systems and AI-enabled processes. Key themes include housing as urban infrastructure, policy alignment for scale, innovation and AI for delivery, financing through public, blended and climate finance, and partnerships that move from pilots to programmes. The 90-minute session include brief framing remarks, solution spotlights, facilitated networking clusters and a wrap-up on next steps. Expected outcomes include strengthened cross-regional and partnership and solutions beyond WUF13.