KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak is pleased with the ranking of Kuala Lumpur as the 19th most economically sustainable city in the world by global design and consultancy firm, Arcadis.

The prime minister said the recognition was based on the country’s ongoing strong performances in various sectors and projects.

"This is a recognition of our collective effort to transform KL into an attractive, sustainable, world-class economic hub,” he tweeted.

Kuala Lumpur out-ranked Washington at 21st place, Melbourne (26th) and Tokyo (28th).

The report also stated that Kuala Lumpur’s regional ranking in Asia is 7th overall, 8th in the people sub-index, 15th for planet and 5th for the profit sub-index.

Arcadis in its "Sustainable Cities Index 2016: Putting people at the heart of city sustainability” report mentioned that Malaysia’s current Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) was identified as a key growth engine in delivering the national vision and driving continued economic growth across the country.

"The government has set a goal to transform Kuala Lumpur into a world-class city by 2020, one that appeals to both residents and tourists alike.

"Specific large projects are being implemented to improve Kuala Lumpur’s ranking, ranging from the 118 Tower to KL-Singapore High Speed Rail and the Tun Razak Exchange,” Arcadis stated in its full report via www.arcadis.com.

The 2016 Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index ranks 100 global cities on three dimensions, or pillars, of sustainability: People, Planet and Profit which represents social, environment and economic sustainability. — Bernama