Smart sustainable city readiness in Malaysia

Too, Yu Heng (2025) Smart sustainable city readiness in Malaysia. Final Year Project, UTAR.

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Abstract

Urbanisation is accelerating in developing countries, leading to increased resource consumption, environmental degradation, and challenges in sustainable urban planning. Smart sustainable cities have emerged as integrated solutions that leverage technology and efficient resource management to support environmentally responsible and livable urban development. While most studies focus on defining smart sustainable cities and their technological components, limited research evaluates the readiness of cities, especially in Malaysia, for such a transformation. Evaluating city readiness and prioritising quality of life are key to a successful, inclusive shift to sustainability. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the readiness level of Malaysian cities towards a smart sustainable city. Four main criteria for assessing the readiness level of cities for becoming smart sustainable cities were identified through literature review, namely Human Aspects, Technology Aspects, Economic Aspects, and Governance Aspects. Eight strategies to improve the readiness level were then discovered such as Educational and Awareness Campaigns, Financial Incentives and Subsidies, Infrastructure Development, Policy and Regulatory Frameworks, Comprehensive Data Strategy, Pilot and Scale Smart Solutions, Planning for Long-Term Sustainability, and Secure Funding and Resources. Questionnaires were distributed to residents in Putrajaya, Cyberjaya, Kuala Lumpur, and Shah Alam, with 100 valid responses collected. Data analysis results indicated that Technology Aspects ranked highest among smart sustainable cities, while Human Aspects led among non-smart sustainable cities. Infrastructure development was found to be the most effective improvement strategy. The result of Spearman’s Correlation Test showed that citizens’ readiness to use IT-based services and technologies is the most significant criteria and the organisation of campaigns to increase public awareness is a noteworthy strategy. Besides, significant differences in smart sustainable city readiness were observed across age, education level, income level, ethnicity, gender, marital status, residential state, and income type. This study supports Malaysia’s smart sustainable cities transition by assessing cities' readiness and offering practical strategies to guide agencies like Jabatan Kerja Raya and Construction Industry Development Board in aligning infrastructure and construction with smart sustainable goals. Keywords: smart sustainable city, sustainability, city readiness, strategies, urbanisation Subject Area: HT165.5-169.9 City planning

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