Students and faculty from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) joined in a two-week Practicum in Malaysia from January 8 - January 22, 2015. The purpose of this practicum was to produce a Research Agenda for the ten Visiting Scholars who will participate in the MIT-UTM Malaysia Sustainable Cities Program (MSCP) in 2015-2016. The Agenda is meant to help focus the Scholars’ research and forge relationships with agencies, communities and organizations that might serve as research partners.

This year’s Research Agenda focuses on three themes: displacement (as seen in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baharu, and East Malaysia); affordable housing (as seen in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baharu, and Penang); and the use of eco-tourism as a local economic development strategy (as seen in Johor Baharu and East Malaysia). Although the questions of the Research Agenda are place-based and specific to Johor Baharu, Kuala Lumpur, George Town (Penang), and Kuching (Sarawak), these three themes are important to understanding the challenges and overall success of sustainable city development efforts in Malaysia.