USM, PENANG, 3 September 2016 - SUDP 2016 provides the participants with a paradigm shift on global environment and cities, by emphasising on how urban planning and environmental management can be employed to make cities become more sustainable and liveable, from the aspects of the environment, society and the economy.

This was presented by a senior lecturer from the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) School of Humanities, Professor Dr. Chan Ngai Weng in his lecture on Disaster Management in Urban Areas in Malaysia, at the School of Humanities recently.

According to Chan, the "ECO2" World Bank concept of sustainable cities offered case studies, one of which was Yokohama City's Water, Waste and Energy Management. SUDP would introduce and put more focus on the new concept of "ECO2", or "Ecological Cities as Economic Cities".

"By learning from this conceptual framework, students would be able to understand and analyse actual cases with solid theoretical backgrounds," he said.

He added that, climate change is then introduced with a focus on how it could affect cities, and how cities and urban communities could be more resilient and in order to be so, cities need to have effective and efficient management of Urban Environmental Hazards, where some examples of hazards in Malaysian cities would be introduced.

"Under SUDP 2016, students will be provided with a historical perspective of municipal experiences as well as current conditions of urban development and environmental policies, such as the planning for land use which is becoming increasingly important, in order to control urban sprawl and related environmental problems. The participants would be then introduced to Land Use Change, Urban Spread and Sustainable Urban Development," he emphasised further.

SUDP 2016, held from 2-5 September also welcomes the involvement of 20 participants from Yokohama City University, 2 participants from the University of Social Science and Humanities Vietnam, 3 from Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), 10 from USM and 1 from the Malaysian environmental NGO.

Text: Hafiz Meah Ghouse Meah

Photo: Prof. Dr. Chan Ngai Weng