Experts to discuss ways to turn KL into a botanical city

Free Malaysia Today

3 days ago

A think tank hopes to end dialogue with new ideas on how to urbanise while protecting ecological diversity.
PETALING JAYA : Experts and representatives of interest groups will explore ideas on how to transform Kuala Lumpur into the world's first botanical city when they meet at a high-level dialogue in October.
Policymakers, urban planners, environmental experts and business leaders from across the Asean region will also cover other issues such as protecting diversity in rapidly growing Southeast Asian cities, adapting to climate change, and improving quality of life for city dwellers.
The three-part Botanical City Dialogues, which is part of a dialogue series to be held in conjunction with the 45th Asean Summit, will be hosted by Malaysian think tank Global Institute For Tomorrow (GIFT).
'Across the region, unplanned urbanisation is straining critical systems, evident in rising heat stress, fragmented green spaces, waterway degradation, and the quiet disappearance of native ecologies,' GIFT founder and CEO Chandran Nair said.
Chandran Nair.
'These issues now manifest as public health burdens, rising insurance premiums, infrastructure risks, and volatility across real estate and investment markets,' he added.
The dialogues are set to be broadcast regionally and will cover themes such as integrating natural systems into urban planning, leveraging green technologies, and building inclusive governance frameworks for sustainable development.
The initiative is intended to create practical, locally relevant ideas for tropical cities facing mounting environmental and social pressures.
Nair said no Southeast Asian capital has yet put forward a comparable citywide blueprint that links ecological restoration with urban growth.
The botanical city concept builds on elements of the Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2040, which targets 20 sq metres of green space per resident, 200km of connected park corridors, and 50% tree canopy coverage by 2040.
The plan also outlines strategies for the preservation of permanent forest reserves, expansion of public parks, and climate resilience measures such as eco-friendly drainage systems and vertical greening, in line with the government's broader push to enhance urban greenery and safeguard the city's natural heritage.
In June, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim instructed Kuala Lumpur City Hall to plant 100 new trees for every high-risk one cut down. This was in response to several incidents of trees being uprooted during storms.
In March, Anwar also voiced his support for heritage and conservation efforts through the Warisan KL initiative, which aims to preserve historic landmarks such as Dataran Merdeka and Carcosa Seri Negara.
The Botanical City Dialogues are scheduled to run throughout October in Kuala Lumpur. Details of the programme, speakers and participating organisations are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.