Dahlia Rosly

Director-General of the Department of Town and Country Planning, Ministry of Local Government

“Some people say community participation is a rhetorical device, but to me it works. A lot of people come to give feedback and we adjust the plans.”

In her current role as Director-General of the Department of Town and Country Planning, Dr. Dahlia Rosly supports participatory planning and the integration of social impact assessment into planning. She first started working on sustainability at the national, regional and local scales over 30 years ago, and knows from this experience the value of engaging people in the planning process. Her role in the Ministry gives her an opportunity to raise concerns about the impact of large-scale development projects. She has introduced ideas such as “new urbanism” for improved traffic control, reduced emissions and “smart growth.” As far as implementing sustainable development is concerned, she knows that implementation will require the assistance of a great many people who don’t think of themselves as planners or developers.