Description of Project
The client is the local authority for the capital city of an ASEAN country, responsible for the overall development of the capital city through programs such as physical and socio-economic development, controlled planning and various urban services. Working with a diverse group of consultant comprises of town planner, architect and business strategist, the client aspired to uplift the competitiveness level of the capital city by crafting a Competitive City Masterplan that will navigates its future development.
Full Story
In order to become a high-income country, cities will play an important role by providing opportunities for investment and trade, and improving the connectivity with rural and suburban areas. It is the center of focus for economic growth, innovation and creativity. Furthermore, global competition for investment and talent is increasing between major cities. Therefore, it is imperative to invest in cities in order to attract and retain talent and investment.
As part of the country’s effort to re-engineer and spur economic growth, the government is committed to develop a comprehensive and integrated strategy to strengthen the city competitiveness and at the same time ensure inclusivity and quality of life.
With this in mind, the client was aspired to draw up a Competitive City Masterplan, taking into account the competitive advantage of the city in consultation with the private sector, civil society & other stakeholders. The city master plan will ensure that they will be economically advanced & be a great place to live for urban residents of all socioeconomic levels.
Key Outcomes
The team determined that crafting an effective city level masterplan would require the client to develop a clear and ambitious vision that set out the end-state desired. Hence, we begin by assessing the as-is situation of the city from various aspects including the current issues faced by the city and current vision of the city. To better understand the current competitiveness level of the city, the team had looked at the various subject matter areas which are critical in defining a city’s competitiveness level and its associated indicators. With this information, the team had developed a comparison matrix to determine the current competitiveness level of the city.
While this matrix only serves as an indicative comparison, the city appeared to be losing out at quite a number of subject matters which are critical in determining the city’s competitiveness level. This helps the client to better understand their current standing which then translated into their vision and desired end-state for the City Competitiveness Masterplan.
Build upon the finding from the as-is assessment, the team had curated several baskets of strategies by leveraging on international benchmark. In order to localize the strategies, the team had also looked into the city’s competitive advantages and existing initiatives by the federal government and further optimize the strategies. The outcome is a rich pool of strategy database which cover key areas of a city such as economic density, transit-oriented development, knowledge-based cluster, livability, green-based development, inclusivity and digital infrastructure.
Due to the multi-stakeholder nature of the City Competitiveness Masterplan, the team placed heavy emphasis on the institutional and governance structure. The strategies were detailed out and outlined in the form of Strategy Implementation Brief (SIB), a one-pager format that is customized to document the key information required by the parties to get involved during implementation stage.
By the end of the project, the client is positioned to implement the City Competitiveness Masterplan with other state and federal agencies that are mandated to foster the city’s development and growth.
Important Notice
*We take our clients’ confidentiality seriously. While we keep their names anonymous, the results are real.
*This project was delivered by the core team of 27Group during their tenure in a Netherlands-based engineering consulting firm. While it may not deliver under 27Group, we hereby declare that the contents above and our involvement are authentic and genuine.
