From housing above highways to digital twins, industry experts gathered at “Future Cities: Infrastructure Ready Cities 2026” to explore strategies for smarter, resilient cities. The two-day event, organised by Star Media Group, discussed topics such as transit-oriented development, smart and resilient infrastructure, infrastructure financing and public-private partnerships (PPPs), urban planning and local governance, urban proptech, as well as net-zero ecosystems and ESG compliance. O2 Design Atelier founder and principal architect Edric Choo captured the audience’s attention with his proposal to address housing issues in the Klang Valley with residential blocks above highways or train stations. “Because of land price and construction costs, people move to the suburbs and travel two to three hours in the traffic to get to work, and then back home. That is crazy.” Equipped with features such as courtyards, jogging tracks and greenery, Choo envisioned this to be attractive living spaces while keeping people close to the city. He also shared a futuristic concept of flying capsule homes that can plug in and out of towers built above the ground, eliminating the need to clear forests for development. Later, in a panel discussion on “Internal Infrastructure: Integrating Smart Interior Systems into the Urban Fabric”, Jalex Group of Companies executive director Janet Lee, who is also the past president of Malaysian Interior Industry Partners Association, shared that Malaysian builders are often asked to bring down their budget, compress buildings and replacing materials with local alternatives. Commercial viability must be addressed right from the beginning of projects, she said, instead of telling the builders and suppliers to make changes towards the end. The project objectives risk being compromised, leading to delays, cost overruns and systems that cannot integrate effectively, she added. Lee said builders and suppliers should see themselves as long-term solution partners, rather than at the bottom