IN THE NEWS

Across our cities, empty shop lots and vacant office buildings are a common sight, a sign of wasted potential. But for enterprising individuals and businesses, could these underutilised assets be the next big opportunity?

We discuss:
- How to identify and define an "underutilised asset."
- The key financial, legal, and execution risks to consider before repurposing.
- Why it's often more expensive to revitalise old buildings than to build new.
- Why community and social capital are a city's most underutilised assets.
- Policy ideas like a "vacancy tax" and "patient capital" to encourage urban renewal.

From left: Placemaking Malaysia Azzah Khalid (moderator), TGV Cinemas chief design and project officer Mardiana Rahayu, EdgeProp editorial and branding lead Jacqueline Lim, Seoul National University Graduate School of Environmental Studies professor and ESG Social Innovation Center head Kim Kyung-min, Urbanmetry business development head Stephanie Chin, Malaysian Institute of Landscape Architects (ILAM) Council honorary treasurer and Sime Darby Business Unit 2 in Bandar Bukit Raja manger LAr. Anith Ahmad Rosli, Think City Urban Mechanics senior manager Gan Yi Reng

Through UrbanMetry, Koh Cha-Ly is transforming how Southeast Asian cities tackle urban inefficiency. Her company uses AI and big data to deliver actionable insights, from optimising public transport to making vacant homes available to families in need. By making high-quality city data accessible in developing markets, Cha-Ly is bridging gaps left by under-resourced governments and paving the way for more sustainable, inclusive communities.

How liveable is Kuala Lumpur? Dato' Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Datuk Bandar of Kuala Lumpur, Dato’ Hamdan Abdul Majeed, Managing Director of Think City and Cha-Ly Koh, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of UrbanMetry join BFM’s Shazana Mokhtar to discuss what makes a city liveable, the challenges KL faces in this pursuit, and the potential solutions to move us closer to this goal.

In this episode of Open For Business, we speak with Koh Cha-Ly, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at UrbanMetry, a data analytics company in Malaysia that provides AI-powered solutions to help cities and governments analyse large amounts of city data through their proprietary algorithms. Also with us is Chloe Yiin, Product Growth Manager of Urbanwave or Urban NX, a home co-ownership program run by UrbanMetry to help people upcycle homes in well-loved neighbourhoods by providing cash for renovations. We discuss their journey into the AI space with Urbanwave and how it works as well as how they aim to create a sustainable path to home ownership.

Prasarana is now working with UrbanMetry, a Malaysian company that specialises in aggregating and presenting raw data into meaningful forms.

“UrbanMetry has been working closely with Prasarana and Rapid Bus to build a data-driven network planning tool to increase bus ridership in the Klang Valley.

“Its role includes cleaning and streamlining Rapid Bus’ internal data sources, provisioning external data sources from UrbanMetry’s proprietary database and building a machine-learned model and Network Planning Tool to predict bus ridership,” said a UrbanMetry spokesman.

“Through the coupling of Rapid Bus’ ridership data and UrbanMetry’s Klang Valley movement, demographics and city data, and internal and external data, we were able to build a model to predict bus ridership with changes in the bus network, including modifications and the addition of new lines.

• Unchecked urban growth, particularly in developing regions, exacerbates poverty, displacement and environmental degradation.
• Compact city strategies, including higher-density development and efficient land use, can mitigate the negative effects of sprawl.
• Effective urban planning requires a combination of growth boundaries, sustainable housing solutions, land value taxes, inclusionary zoning and public-private partnerships.

"Adding data [to urban planning] allows us to build better cities. At UrbanMetry, we leverage AI and big data technologies to build clean city databases at a fraction of the time and cost of yesterday."

—Cha-Ly Koh, Founder and CEO of UrbanMetry

100 Women Founders to Watch are launching disruptive new businesses, driving climate action, accelerating AI, innovating across 20+ industries from femtech to space tech, and they’ve raised more than $1.1b between them.

Cha-Ly K., Founder of URBANMETRY – Urbanmetry leverages geospatial and temporal data to shape how our cities are planned and financed. Their mission is to reduce the 75% of global carbon emissions cities produce, while supporting sustainable socio-economic growth.

Featured for Climate Tech, UrbanMetry is a leading data and analytics company dedicated to providing solutions to help cities, builders, and financiers make informed decisions.
UrbanMetry believes that data is the key to better decision-making, improved outcomes, and better cities.

In a panel discussion titled “Market Landscape: Growth Drivers and Trends”, panellists shared their insights on the major drivers that are shaping the real estate market. They were Socio-Economic Research Centre (SERC) executive director Lee Heng Guie, Urbanmetry founder and CEO Koh Cha-Ly and JLL Malaysia chief growth officer Christophe Vicic.

In terms of big data, Koh of data analytics firm UrbanMetry said its full potential has not been harnessed in the real estate sector. She explained that big data goes beyond simple surveys and instead provides future-planning capabilities. “It factors in data such as geopolitical movements, consumption patterns and where people are spending their money. And these are going to be indicators of what will happen to property prices, for instance.”

“Smart” cities tend to be rich. Places like Zurich, Canberra, and Singapore sit atop IMD’s 2024 Smart City Index, which tracks how well residents perceive a city is using technology to improve their lives.

Recent incidents of falling trees that killed a motorist and damaged vehicles and property, have highlighted the pressing need for better tree management policies in urban areas. Following these incidents, DBKL has since been instructed to closely monitor and maintain the shade trees in the capital city, and as a short-term measure, to cut down the trees that have already been identified as at risk of falling. Knowing the benefits of having trees in our cities, how can we create conditions that allow them to thrive despite the hostile environment they have to grow in?

Former Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa has been tasked to run the FT Ministry. This comes at an important time when there is an urgent need to address the urban poor and for more national level representation of not only Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur but also Labuan. Cha-Ly Koh, CEO and Founder of Urbanmetry discusses with us the many items the new Minister has to resolve from her in-tray.

On the back of Klang becoming a city, we’ll be discussing the implications that this has on its local businesses, what a newly-formed city needs in order to thrive, and the implications on urban planning that come along with culture and heritage.

Joining us in our discussion is Cha Ly Koh, CEO and Founder of Urbanmetry, a data analytics company focused on providing solutions for their clients to create better cities in Malaysia.

UrbanMetry uses AI and spatial data to optimize urban planning, providing unique insights for stakeholders in real estate. As a World Economic Forum "Technology Pioneer," they validate their commitment to transforming urban environments and driving positive change in Malaysia and beyond. With the Founder and CEO herself, Koh Cha-Ly tonight on #NotepadWithIbrahimSani

Lack of decision-making based on actionable data has contributed to overhang and vacancy issues in Malaysia’s property market, said a property market observer.

“Every stakeholder has a different view and motivation on which housing projects get built, and where. But no one really looks at data when making such decisions,” said Cha-Ly Koh, CEO and founder of Urbanmetry Sdn Bhd.

UrbanMetry, a leading property data analytics company, was selected among hundreds of candidates as one of the World Economic Forum’s “Technology Pioneers”.

The startup, founded by Cha-Ly Koh, uses a unique combination of spatial data and advanced analytics to provide insights to help improve city planning and governance. It is the only Malaysian company among the winners.

UrbanMetry, a leading property data analytics company, was selected among hundreds of candidates as one of the World Economic Forum’s “Technology Pioneers”. The startup, founded by Cha-Ly Koh, uses a unique combination of spatial data and advanced analytics to provide insights to help improve city planning and governance. It is the only Malaysian company among the winners.

The issue of affordable housing has gained global attention as cities grapple with the challenge of providing affordable homes to their residents. However, the focus on increasing the supply of affordable housing as the solution may not be the silver bullet many believe it to be.