Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan

Dato’ Haji Ahmad Phesal TalibTo build a city, the Government has to consider various factorsthat contribute significantly to the development of sustainableand vibrant cities. Today, in the 21st century, it is becoming increasinglyevident to urban dwellers that there is a constant conflict between theimportance of socioeconomic de-velopment and that of environmentalsustainability.City planners are constantly seeking ways to plan and design cities to balance theneeds of its citizens, in terms of social, economic and environmental concerns.Active citizenship and vibrant urban life are important components of a sustainablecity, where good governance is practisedand public participation is facilitated.Citizens should be involved in the planning oftheir city and encouraged to feel ownershipand responsibility in its development.These factors are reflected in the sixstrategic thrusts formulated by the FederalTerritories Ministry to be adopted by thethree federal territories of Kuala Lumpur,Labuan and Putrajaya, namely:• human capital development;• economic prosperity;• added value;• the efficient and effective use oftechnology;• environmental protection andsustainability; and,last but by no means least,• public participation.Active citizenship andvibrant urban life areimportant componentsof a sustainable city,where good governanceis practised and publicparticipation is facilitated.Citizens should beinvolved in the planning oftheir city and encouragedto feel ownership andresponsibility in itsdevelopment.There are various issues being faced by cityplanners on how to build a city that mattersto the public. One common phenomenon is the issue of squatter settlements, whichis faced by many large cities, particularly in the developing world.In order to address this problem, Kuala Lumpur has implemented the relocationof squatters in the city and, to date, the Government has built 29,562 units ofpublic housing to re-house them. The evolution of cities in developing countriesis often associated with the unplanned growth of squatter settlements. Squatters49