�鶹ԭ��

Funder: Yayasan Hasanah (Hasanah Special Grant 2023) 

Role: Lead Knowledge Partner 

Partners: Institut Darul Ridzuan (IDR), Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh (MBI), Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL) 

Duration: 30 months (2023 to 2025) 

Status: Completed 

Description:
The Sunway Centre for Planetary Health (SCPH) is proud to have led one of Malaysia's most groundbreaking urban sustainability initiatives. Over 30 months, under the Hasanah Special Grant 2023, SCPH served as the lead knowledge partner in translating the global Doughnut Economics framework into real, city-level action in Ipoh, Perak. 

Impact:

Building Shared Understanding 

SCPH delivered 10 mentoring sessions and 10 community programmes, working with city officials, ecotourism operators, state agencies, and local communities. Sessions covered topics including waste management, ecotourism, communicating Doughnut Economics, sustainable financing, community-based disaster risk management, and limestone conservation. Across all sessions, the average increase in knowledge among participants was 82.6%, with 8 out of 10 sessions recording a knowledge gain exceeding 80%. This affirms SCPH's effectiveness as a knowledge partner in building a strong foundational understanding of Doughnut Economics among Ipoh's city stakeholders. 

Everyone at the Table 

Over the course of the project, SCPH engaged 1,076 stakeholders in total — including 231 city council staff, 80 Perak state department representatives, 45 industry players, 20 civil society organisations, and 700 members of the public. Stakeholders ranged from ecotourism operators and waste management companies to NGOs, heritage clubs, and community leaders. Engagement went beyond traditional formats, using neighbourhood walkabouts, informal coffee chats, and pop-up booths at events such as Ipoh Low Carbon Days to reach a wider and more diverse audience. 

Setting a National Benchmark 

Ipoh became Malaysia's first city to formally adopt Doughnut Economics as a planning framework, with its Action Plan launched at the ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Forum (ASUF) in August 2025. SCPH nominated MBI for the 2024 UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award, which MBI subsequently won — firmly positioning the Ipoh Doughnut as a national benchmark. In 2025, the project was also recognised with the Tourism Organisation Promotion Sustainable Tourism Award. 

Creating Tools Others Can Use 

SCPH produced five knowledge documents throughout the project, including the Ipoh Doughnut: City Portrait in Action (the official Action Plan) and A Taste of Tomorrow: A Recipe for Doughnut Economics — a practical guide for city councils, urban planners, and policymakers looking to replicate the model in their own contexts. Additional outputs include a Baseline Study Report and a Monitoring and Evaluation Report for Tasik Cermin Ipoh. The project also contributed to academic publications, a World Economic Forum feature article, and a journal article presented at UKM SENIBINA 2025. 

Sharing Ipoh's Story Globally 

SCPH brought Ipoh's experience to the international stage through the Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL) global network. Ipoh was the only Asian representative at DEAL's First Cities and Regions Gathering in Bad Nauheim, Germany (2024) and Second Cities and Regions Gathering in Tomelilla, Sweden (2025). SCPH's Head of Policy, Strategy and Advocacy was invited to speak at the opening session of Global Doughnut Days 2025, presenting the Ipoh project through a policy lens. Findings were also shared at conferences and forums including the Malaysian Local Conference of Youth, a GreenPeace Malaysia Extended Producer Responsibility Workshop, and the CSO-SDG Beyond GDP Forum.