SOUTHEAST ASIA SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED FOR GLOBAL FUTURE CITIES COMPETITION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SINGAPORE – 9 JULY - An idea to address the problem of trade and tourism imbalance in Bali, extinction of indigenous identities in Kuala Lumpur and the lack of affordable housing in Manila are among those shortlisted for Southeast Asia in a global competition run by RICS (the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors).

These are just some of the entries showcased at the Cities for Our Future showcase-cum-panel session, which will take place at 2:15pm – 3:15pm on 10 July at the City Innovators Area, as a co-located event at the World Cities Summit 2018.

The full shortlist of entries announced:

• Construction of an innovation hub in the North West of Bali to help address the trade and tourism imbalance proposed by Alistair Brook from Ireland.
• New vernacular housing geared towards preserving cultural identities in Kuala Lumpur proposed by Hasseef Rafiei from the United Kingdom.
• Affordable, expandable, modular, bamboo housing in Manila to address the housing crisis proposed by Earl Patrick Forlales from the Philippines.
• An accessible and affordable banking app for the people of the Philippines proposed by Junver Arcayna from the Philippines.
• Reinforced concrete tiles to be introduced in Singapore that convert waste heat energy to useful electrical energy proposed by John Laboguin from the Philippines.

With three million people moving to cities every week, the growth of the urban population is one of the biggest challenges facing society today. This rapid expansion is putting ever more strain on urban infrastructure and services. Many city dwellers live in slums or poor quality housing; many put up with poor air quality and inadequate transport links.

The Cities for our Future competition, run by RICS in partnership with the United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO and the Association of Commonwealth Universities, called upon young people to come up with new ideas to help tackle the most pressing problems affecting cities in Southeast Asia and around the world. The overall winner of the competition will receive a prize of approximately S$90,000 (or £50,000).

Will Myles, Head Judge the Southeast Asia region and RICS Regional Managing Director, commented: "The entries are all very exciting. The ideas are original and showcase some of the best examples of forward-thinking from young people we've ever seen.

It is estimated that around 100 million people will move from the countryside to cities between 2015 and 2030 in Southeast Asia. The entrants have all looked to address this rapid urbanisation in their own way and I wish them all the best of luck in realising their visions of futuristic cities."

An overall winner from Southeast Asia will be announced in July and will go on to the global shortlist with the chance to win £50,000. All entries on the global shortlist will get the chance to work with an expert mentor provided by RICS, who will help develop the idea in the run up to the final judging in November.

Sean Tompkins, RICS Global CEO said: “Our aim with the Cities for our Future Competition was to harness the ideas of our diverse and talented young people to help solve the challenges of the cities they care about and make them better for generations to come. We hope that the leaders of the world’s cities are listening and will work with us and all of our shortlisted entries to make these ideas a reality and help tackle some of the most pressing issues facing their cities.”

For more information on the RICS 150 campaign, visit www.citiesforourfuture.com

ENDS

About RICS

RICS is a global professional body. We promote and enforce the highest professional qualification and standards in the development and management of land, real estate, construction and infrastructure. Our name promises the consistent delivery of standards – bringing confidence to the markets we serve. The work of our professionals creates a safer world: we are proud of our profession’s reputation and we guard it fiercely. RICS will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2018.

If you would like to attend the Cities for Our Future showcase-cum-panel session or for more information, kindly contact:

Lim Le-Anne, Head of Communications & External Affairs, Asia Pacific, RICS

DID: +65 6812 8177

Mob: +65 9478 8824

Email: llim@rics.org / Website: rics.org

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