Nga: Housing must put people and communities first

Housing development in Malaysia must prioritize affordability, liveability, and community well-being, rather than treating homes as mere commercial assets, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming asserted. In his role as president of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Assembly, Nga emphasized that urban progress should not be solely measured by the number of towering skyscrapers, but by the overall improvement in community well-being.

He outlined four key pillars for this approach: affordability, liveability, connectivity, and access to essential amenities. Homes should be viewed as places where families can build secure, stable lives, not merely as commodities for buying and selling.

Nga stressed that ensuring people can both afford and comfortably inhabit a home, with dignity, was paramount. Meeting these benchmarks necessitates collaborative efforts from governments, builders, developers, and the wider community. He advocated for people-centered urban planning that integrates housing with public transport, schools, medical facilities, and recreational areas to foster connected communities.

Good housing must be accompanied by the necessary facilities and services people require. High-rise structures alone cannot cultivate a community without fostering human connections, Nga cautioned.

He called upon municipal authorities and builders to leverage artificial intelligence, green building frameworks, and smart construction technologies to enhance building quality, energy efficiency, and resilience against climate disruptions and natural hazards. Nga underscored that urban development should be evaluated based on improvements in people's quality of life, not merely the construction of skyscrapers.

Regarding regional cooperation, he highlighted the Ipoh Accord, established at the Fourth Asean-China Ministerial Roundtable on Construction and Housing in Perak, which supports cross-border initiatives in low-carbon design, urban renewal, and community environmental upgrades. Nga expressed confidence that Malaysia-China and Asean-China partnerships would propel sustainable development for future generations, emphasizing that the homes and communities we build today must serve not only the present but also future generations.