KUALA LUMPUR: Leading property developer UEM Sunrise Bhd has urged stakeholders in the property industry to utilise technology to make sustainability a priority when building communities.

The call for innovation is to ensure communities continue to grow over the long term, its chief executive officer Sufian Abdullah told Bernama at its inaugural Real Estate Forum today, held in collaboration with CLSA Malaysia, Khazanah Nasional Malaysia Bhd and Advancing Malaysia.

He said in understanding stakeholders' evolving needs, provocative questions on policies, property sizes and prices would be among the issues that must be addressed.

"I think one of the things that we often neglect is that we are heading towards a nation where the majority versus the average population is above 65 years old and (they are experiencing) more displacement.

"We need to create a better environment for all to live safely and securely in the communities where we are developing for them," he said.

He said there has to be more innovation and more scrutiny of technology to build such communities.

The forum, themed "Form to FUTURE” was attended by over 600 industry leaders and experts. It reinforced UEM Sunrise’s bold commitment to reshaping the real estate landscape through sustainability and equitable community living.

Elaborating on the potential of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), Sufian said there are a lot of synergies between both countries and UEM Sunrise is ready to receive investors seeking new investments in real estate in Johor.

He said he would like Singaporeans to consider UEM Sunrise projects when they cross the border in search of property investments because UEM Sunrise own a lot of land in Johor.

"We are on the receiving end of this relationship," he said.

The group has also been engaging with many Chinese industry players such as manufacturers and investors because Malaysia can provide the right land bank, platform, geography and the right resources in terms of human capabilities to further catalyse the investments coming from China.

This also includes the interest in data centres, logistics and renewable energy-related industries, he said.

On the group’s Budget 2025 wishlist, Sufian hopes that at the national level, more attention would be given to affordable housing that is effective and sustainable, and assisting developers to deliver the right amount and the right type of quality affordable houses.

"It is not just about ticking the boxes (of providing affordable houses) but to create more quality houses that people would want to live in.

"It is also not about sequestering them from the larger community. Regardless of their income level, they should be part of the community that we are building for the future," Sufian said.

Nonetheless, he also noted that the ongoing challenges faced by developers such as compliance costs must be addressed with constant engagement with policymakers so that builders and developers would be able to provide equitable access to better housing in the future. - Bernama