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
Thank you guys...for your support and encouragement

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?

FOOD CLOCK