Friday 28 December 2012

INCORPORATING HAPPINESS AND WELL-BEING INTO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS FRAMEWORK

Abstract
This paper discusses the concept of happiness and well-being in the context of sustainable development. It describes situations where Gross National Happiness has become increasingly significant as compared to its traditional status of being sidelined over economic development and Gross National Income. This paper also highlights happiness criteria that have been used in selected countries and its potential as a basis for decision-making and policy development. To further highlight happiness as part of the sustainable development framework, the MURNInets (Malaysian Urban Rural National Indicators Network for Sustainable Development) initiative has incorporated Happiness index within its framework. Preliminary findings of the MURNInets initiative had also been highlighted including some facets on spiritual well-being contributing to the Happiness Index. Consequently this paper had reviewed the Bristol Happy City Initiative where rigorous local participation and social network had contributed to the creation of Happy Communities. This paper concludes by revisiting the relationship between place-making and happiness as the way cities and city neighbourhoods are designed and maintained have a significant impact on the happiness of its communities.
Keywords: Happiness Index, Well-being, Sustainable Development Indicators, Community, Neighbourhood design 

The article was published in MALAYSIAN TOWNPLAN JOURNAL Vol 08 Issue 01 December 2012

Wednesday 26 December 2012

CIVIL SOCIETY EMPOWERMENT TOWARDS EFFICIENT URBAN GOVERNANCE IN KUALA LUMPUR CITY-REGION

ABSTRACT
The aim of this paper is to discuss on the concept of civil society empowerment towards efficient urban governance in Kuala Lumpur city-region. This is in line with Malaysia new government policy on the implementation of One Malaysia, People First, Performance Now. National Development has been a major issue in the country’s latest development agenda. The issue is more obvious in city-region due to its role as an engine of growth economy development. Now, with its sights set on attaining the economic level of a fully developed nation by 2020, Malaysia must focus on securing a credible share of the lead sectors of the globalised economy. The world today needs a new, comprehensive and holistic model of urban governance that involves all sectors (government, business and the civil society) as equal partners in development. Urban governance which integrates all sectors including public, private and other social organisations in participatory decision making. Efficient urban governance is characterized by sustainability, subsidiarity, equity, efficiency, transparency and accountability, civic engagement and citizenship and security. In line with this, Malaysia emphasis the importance efficient urban governance that would make Malaysia more competitive and attractive to investors and facilitate the achievement of the nation’s development goals.

Keywords: civil society, empowerment, efficient urban governance, city-region

 The article was published in MALAYSIAN TOWNPLAN JOURNAL Vol 08 Issue 01 December 2012 and prepared by  Dr. Azmizam Abdul Rashid (azmizam@townplan.gov.my)

Friday 16 November 2012

MALAYSIA HAPPINESS INDEX : A MAJOR STEP FORWARD | from The Star Online

A major step forward - Opinion | The Star Online
ON April 9, I had written to the press and posed the question: “Can Malaysia take up the challenge to adopt the UN Happiness Index? Yes we can and we should!” Thus, like all or most Malaysians, I am very encouraged that our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak officially announced a Malaysian Happiness Index last Saturday, and also rated Malaysia’s Happiness Index at 7.55 on a scale of 10 and graded it a B Plus! This announcement is a major step forward in our socio-economic and even political policy and planning. It transforms the traditional emphasis on economic measurement of national and the individual well-being and progress to a much more meaningful and holistic measurement of our national progress.  No more then should we give almost exclusive attention to the Gross National Product (GNP) as the almost only measurement of our progress, but move more purposefully towards quantifying our quality of life and our advancement in more human terms, that relate more directly to our human welfare.
However, while we warmly welcome this new policy transformation, we must raise questions of how this new Malaysian Happiness Index and its rating have been devised and rated so specifically at B plus? Malaysians would want to know what constitutes the index and how has it been assessed?  Have the Malaysian public, professionals, academicians and all interested parties, been consulted about the methodology, and quality of this important index.   In short, has there been adequate transparency, accountability and integrity shown to ensure the credibility and public acceptability of this vital index. After all, this index could well determine the future direction of our economy and our national well-being and future? Thankfully, we are told that multi-components of the index, such as the crime rate, pollution, traffic woes, maternity leave and possibly even family happiness, have been taken into account
But the question arises as to whether some other very significant and even overriding issues have been seriously considered in compiling this index. For instance, have we included national unity, poverty of the bottom 40%, the widening income disparities, human rights, racial and religious polarisation and understanding and a host of components that normally would be covered in any sound Happiness Index. Unless and until we include major structural and policy transformations for the fair implementation of current affirmative action policies, that should be based on income and basic needs that benefit all Malaysians, the index will become unacceptable, disuniting and even destabilising. Hence we must take the bull by the horns otherwise national, societal and individual happiness and real national unity will continue to evade us all.
As we must all be aware, the United Nations has its own professionally and universally accredited and acceptable Happiness Index. In that index, Malaysia was ranked 51 out of 156 countries last year. Hence Malaysians will want to know how our own internal index compares in methodology, quality and professional integrity, with the UN index? This kind of cross reference is essential to improve the credibility, acceptability and respect for our own Malaysian-made Happiness Index.
TAN SRI RAMON NAVARATNAM
Chairman, Asli Center of Public Policy Studies

Saturday 3 November 2012

KNOWLEDGE SHARING PLATFORM WITH SECRETARY GENERAL 1 NOVEMBER 2012


Where
:
Razak School of Government
Who
:
Datuk Arpah Abdul Razak, Secretary General to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government ( “MHLG”)
About the KSU Vision Session:

This KSU Vision session would allow YBhg. Datuk Arpah Abdul Razak to share her Ministry’s initiatives in their roles in the development for Quality Homes and neighbourhood for all Malaysians. Various collaborative efforts between agencies in under her purview were discussed. The main National Blue Ocean Strategy towards neighbourhood improvements were discussed at length as it involves various stakeholders.
 
 
Summary
The vision ‘Providing quality and Safe environment for all Malaysians” is hope to achieve an ideal socio economic balance for the quality of living for all Malaysians especially the lower income group. The Ministry has embarked on various programmes such as the “Housing for the ‘Rakyat’”, Administration of the Local Councillors, Fire and Rescue Service, Rural and Urban Planning, Landscape Development, Solid and Waste Management were of key importance to this Ministry. The audience were highly interactive as there were a good balance of participants from the Academia, NGOs and government agencies.
 
Questions and Issues Raised:
1
Request for Sports Complex for “Persatuan Penduduk Bukit Jalil”?
2
What are the monitoring mechanisms for the Recycling Campaign so far?
3
What are MHLG initiatives on Abandoned Housing Projects, especially in Sabah?
4
Can a partnership be further built between IPTA and the Ministry of Housing and Local Government?
5
What are MHLG strategies in curbing the illegal money lender’s advertisement on the street?
 
 

Monday 15 October 2012

TOTAL PEOPLE VIEW MY BLOG IS 19,945 AS AT 25 OCTOBER 2012

Graph of most popular countries among blog viewers

 
Entry
Pageviews
 
Malaysia

8219
United States

2346
United Kingdom

994
India

608
France

463
Russia

393
Germany

342
Netherlands

287
Singapore

247
Denmark

198

Saturday 6 October 2012

SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT FOR REMBAU DISTRICT DRAFT LOCAL PLAN 2025

OVERVIEW
The study is colaboration with Federal Department of Town and Country Planning (FDTCP), State Planning Department of Negeri Sembilan and Southern Zone Project Office. The country’s sustainable development policy and strategy needs a systematic and comprehensive approach to balance physical, economic, environmental and social needs. The preparation of a Development Plan according to the Town and Country Planning Act (Act 172), namely Structural Plan (SP), Local Plan (LP) and Special Area Plan (SAP) are the foundations in achieving sustainable development goals. FDTCP has conducted a Pilot SA Study in 2004 through the Kuala Selangor District Council Local Plan(RTMDKS/MDKSLP). The SA Process in RTMDKS has been improved and used in LP studies under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP). Sustainability Assessment is an assessment method designed to evaluate if a plan, policy or programme can achieve sustainable development objectives. Generally, SA is a good planning practice and supports sustainable development where Malaysia is a signatory to Agenda 21.

FDTCP has practiced the principles of physical planning, economy, environment and social, but conducted each separately by sector. This SA method empowers that practice in an integrated and systematic manner where assessment is documented more effectively. Sustainability issues are matters that were brought up by the target group during the FGD session that was conducted in the early stages of LP preparation. Issues can also be gleaned from discussions with LAs and technical agencies as well as from development planning documents. Sustainability issues of study areas are categorised into social, environmental and economic issues. In the context of SA, an indicator is a sign that can measure the level of sustainability of an area.

A headline indicator can be identified in the beginning of study after identifying sustainability assessment criteria. Indicators can determine early measures to overcome issues to achieve sustainability objectives. Indicators also have targets and can be a tool to monitor of an LP target has been met. Identified indicators must be able to be translated in spatial form. Indicators can be generated from assessment criteria through Study Team discussion or when suited to identified sustainability objectives, MURNInet indicators can be used too. Other sources such as RFN, RSN, Malaysian Life Quality Index (UPE) and indicators modified from foreign SA practices can also be used.

There are many evaluation methods, either qualitative or quantitative. As a pilot initiative, a simple method is used, based on the value gleaned from discussion and open feedback between the core team and technical agency to get a group agreement if a proposal is compatible, not compatible, neutral or irrelevant to sustainability objectives. Evaluation is made based on quality where the results from the discussion is accepted as a group final decision. This is because the agencies present are experts in their respective fields and are able to make good decisions based on the expert judgement method. The evaluation through discussion is a good and effective evaluation method. 















Futher enquiry about this article kindly contact :

DR. AZMIZAM ABDUL RASHID
Research and Development Division,
Federal Department of Town and Country Planning,
Ministry of Housing and Local Government,
Unit No. 50-12-2B, & 50-13-1, Wisma UOA Damansara,
No. 50, Jalan Dungun, Damansara Heights,
50490 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
email address : azmizam@townplan.gov.my

Sunday 16 September 2012

URBAN HAPPINESS INDEX : A LITERATURE REVIEW

























Futher enquiry about this article kindly contact :

DR. AZMIZAM ABDUL RASHID
Research and Development Division,
Federal Department of Town and Country Planning,
Ministry of Housing and Local Government,
Unit No. 50-12-2B, & 50-13-1, Wisma UOA Damansara,
No. 50, Jalan Dungun, Damansara Heights,
50490 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
email address : azmizam@townplan.gov.my

Saturday 8 September 2012

MALAYSIA HAPPINESS INDEX OF THE PEOPLE : FROM NATION TO CITY

           The quality of life (QoL) for Malaysians improved through better access to healthcare, public transport, electricity and water. Measures were also taken to create a caring society and promote community well-being. Economic development was based on sustainability principles to ensure that the environment and natural resources are preserved so that growth will not come at a cost to future generations. The current challenging economic time is a good time for reflection and we should not waste the opportunity to take stock of where we are heading as a people and a nation. Going by the adage that life begins at 50, Malaysia is still a fairly young nation and adopting more inclusive policies that mobilise the country's rich human and natural resources will be able to cushion the country from any adverse external shocks. In its place is the emphasis on personal virtues and wholesome values of integrity, honesty, generosity and empathy for other people. We believe the promoting of such values will set the foundation for wholesome community and nation building for our country.  The Bhutan story must have prompted many of us to start reflecting on our journey of life, and how we have fared in terms of the happiness index.
Come to think of it, since the world economy is on the verge of a double-dip scenario and there will be very low or no growth in most nations, some tweaking in national policies and priorities may be what Malaysia needs to see our country and the people through the challenging time?  It may be a good idea for us to draw up a Malaysian Happiness Index to measure how our people are faring against the rest of the world. In Malaysia's case, the need for concerted efforts to build adequate public infrastructure and housing cannot be over-emphasised as the on-going efforts are still quite fragmented. Instead of involving so many agencies in the execution process, having a dedicated agency as the master planner to oversee the overall planning and execution of the projects will ensure a higher rate of success to benefit more people.
Providing enough public housing and other social amenities should be accorded one of the top priorities along with the other economic-based initiatives under the government's Economic Transformation Programme (ETP). The sharp increase in prices of goods and services, including that of property, meant people have less disposable income and spending power. These projects will be able to wipe out the many squatters and slumps, and rejuvenate our cities. Focusing on public housing can also provide a cushion for the property market from stagnating during troubling economic times.If happiness could be measured via a country's economic performance in gross national product or gross domestic product, then Malaysia would be the world's 51st happiest country. In Malaysia's case, there were a number of factors that led to its 51st ranking. Materialistic prosperity of individuals may have been one thing but wealth, usually an indicator of a person's material well-being, was not the only crucial factor in this determination.
There were factors such as a person's general disposition, the level of contentment with basic aspirations which were also taken into account.  However, Malaysia was ranked 2nd in Southeast Asia, behind Singapore which emerged as the happiest in the region. On a worldwide basis, the island was ranked 33rd out of the 156 countries. Thailand was ranked 52nd, Myanmar landed at 74th position and Indonesia was 83rd.The report will also allow politicians—as well as the public—to assess the effectiveness of the government’s policies in terms that really matter to people.  The ultimate aim of most policy is to improve lives, but without proper measures of well-being it can be difficult to assess whether this is being achieved. The success of this measurement program depends a lot on exactly how the information is attained and then used, but this announcement may have signaled the start of a Malaysia government agenda which puts well-being, rather than economic growth, at the heart of its public policy.
The QoL for Malaysians improved through better access to healthcare, public transport, electricity and water. Measures were also taken to create a caring society and promote community well-being. Economic development was based on sustainability principles to ensure that the environment and natural resources are preserved so that growth will not come at a cost to future generations. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak made the announcement that the Government needs to work at not only increasing the people's earning capacity, but also on making sure that they are happy. He said that two yardsticks would be used to measure national development the conventional method of looking at the per capita income, and the happiness index of people as well.
The Federal Department of Town and Country Planning (FDTCP) is undertaking a study in happiness indicators within Malaysia and the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) produces the Malaysian Quality of Life Index. Whether we focus on happiness or not, the most important thing is to continue and enhance efforts that can provide a real understanding of what we value most as Malaysians, and find metrics that can best measure what we ourselves define as progress. On top of that, we also have to ensure we choose a path that will provide sustained progress to preserve and enhance the ability of our current and future generations to pursue our path towards happiness.

Futher enquiry about this article kindly contact :
 
DR. AZMIZAM ABDUL RASHID
Research and Development Division,
Federal Department of Town and Country Planning,
Ministry of Housing and Local Government,
Unit No. 50-12-2B, & 50-13-1, Wisma UOA Damansara,
No. 50, Jalan Dungun, Damansara Heights,
50490 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
email address : azmizam@townplan.gov.my

PEOPLE AROUND ME..FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

PEOPLE AROUND ME..FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
To my Wife, Zulaini, my sons Zulazlan, Zulazman, Zulazmir, Zulazmin dan my daughter, Nuris Zulazlin...I love you all..thank you being with me

CIRCLE OF FRIENDS... KUALA LUMPUR PROJECT OFFICE

CIRCLE OF FRIENDS... KUALA LUMPUR PROJECT OFFICE
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2007 / 2008 METHODOLOGY AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH COURSE FOR PHD CANDIDATES

2007 / 2008 METHODOLOGY AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH COURSE FOR PHD CANDIDATES
My new friends during my course in INTAN 9 Jan -2 Mac 2007

KUALA LUMPUR PROJECT OFFICE, JOURNEY TO MOUNT OF KINABALU SABAH 21-22 JANUARY 2006

KUALA LUMPUR PROJECT OFFICE, JOURNEY TO MOUNT OF KINABALU SABAH 21-22 JANUARY 2006
WE CAME, WE SAW, WE CONQUERED 4095.2 METER ABOVE SEA LEVEL

How are you, guys? Where you are now?

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