Annual Report 2012/2013 Malaysian Institute of Planners - 1 -

Annual Report 2012/2013
3 technical programmes were conducted; These were the briefing by Barcelona Activa on 22@; the briefing by the
Deputy Mayor of Bilbao on the city’s transformation and the Smart Cities Conference and Exhibition. A brief summary
of the lessons learnt as well as the key takeaways are described below:
a. @22 project by Barcelona Activa
Barcelona Activa was set up by the City Authority as a research and
development coordination private entity, to develop an old part of the
city. The 22@ area once hosted industrial and manufacturing plants
close to the centre of Barcelona. This 200 acre site is now being
developed into a high income generating, value added services
industry such as media and communications, the Arts and theatres,
educational institutions, commerce and retail. It has attracted
investments from all over and is now an example of a successful
redevelopement program of the city.
The Malaysian delegates were taken on a walking tour of the development with on site briefing.
b. The Bilbao Effect
Bilbao was a steel based industrial city since the 1800’s. In mid-1970’s the steel industry fell drastically and the city had
25% unemployment, a bad urban environment and a population that was politically and socially against the government.
In early 1980, the city government formulated a plan to revive the city. This master plan was generally based on
environmental sustainability, which they believed will lead to economic and social recovery. Four main elements of the
plan were:
i. Urban physical development
ii. Socio- economic components
iii. Mobility and accessibility
iv. Infrastructire services (clean water & sewerage)
The delegates were amazed at the transformation. A river boat cruise gave the opportunity for the delegates to
personally observe the beautiful environment that Bilbao now has. A visit to a redeveloped central brewery into a
cultural, sports, leisure and knowledge centre further convinced that with political will, city development and projects can
be very successful towards achieving a competitive city with a good quality of life.
c. The Smart Cities Congress and Exhibition
Barcelona holds many world events and congresses, held at the
Plaza Europa. The area is a redevelopment of a once industrial
warehouse and factory site. The Smart Cities Congress and
Exhibition is held annually with many companies that showcase
new initiatives towards Green cities. There were also companies
that offered consultancy services for cities to go green.
3. Committee on Trade Liberalization by JPBD
The chairman of the Professional Development and Training Committee also chairs a sub-committee on “ Market
Intelligence, marketing and technical exchanges” under the JPBD’s main committee on Trade Liberalization.
4. Technical Working Group on Affordable Housing by REHDA & EAROPH Malaysia
REHDA and EAROPH Malaysia have been entrusted by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government to set up
working groups to look into the issues of Affordable Housing in Malaysia. Three working groups have been formed.
The work group on Planning, Design and Built Form is chaired by MIP.
5. Domestic and International List of Conferences for 2013
Malaysian Institute of Planners - 31 -