Sunway TES CFAB-ICAEW Students Crowned Grand Champion at JSOUK Urban Sustainability Case Study Competition 2026

A team of four CFAB-ICAEW students from Sunway TES has emerged as the Grand Champion of the inaugural Johor Student Organisation United Kingdom (JSOUK) Urban Sustainability Case Study Competition (CSC) 2026, demonstrating their ability to develop practical policy solutions to pressing urban challenges.

The winning team comprises Olivia Lee Jia Xin, Magdelene Tan Jen Shin, Yeong Chun Kit and Sam Lim Wei Sem, who secured first place at the Grand Finale held on 23 August 2026 at Menara IIB in Iskandar Puteri. Their achievement earned them the RM700 top prize and marked their second consecutive podium finish in a public policy competition.

Organised by JSOUK, the competition brought together higher education students from Malaysia and the United Kingdom to address real-world policy challenges associated with Johor’s rapid urban and infrastructure development.

Competing under the Inclusive Economic Development focus area, the Sunway TES team presented a proposal titled “Closing the Donut: Correcting the Housing and Mobility Cost Burden in the Johor Bahru-Iskandar Puteri RTS Corridor.”

Their submission examined the relationship between housing affordability and public transport accessibility, highlighting how housing options within urban centres may be financially out of reach for median-income households, while more affordable homes in peripheral areas can present mobility challenges due to limited public transport connectivity.

The team developed a three-part policy framework designed to improve access to affordable housing and strengthen connectivity along the RTS corridor.

The proposed framework comprises:

• Corridor Housing Composition Standard (CHCS): A proposed requirement for new developments near transit nodes to allocate 30% of housing units to affordable housing.
• Corridor Overhang Conversion Facility (COCF): A proposed state-backed master lease mechanism to convert unsold property overhang into accessible affordable rental housing.
• Corridor Accessibility Programme (CAP): A proposal to expand feeder bus connectivity and introduce a value capture charge on transit-driven land value increases to support housing initiatives.

The team’s victory at JSOUK CSC 2026 follows their earlier success at the Malaysian Law Student Network (MLSN) Critical Crackdown Series: Policy Drafting Competition 2026, where they secured the 1st Runner-Up position.

At the MLSN competition, the students developed a comprehensive regulatory framework addressing Malaysia’s rapidly expanding data centre industry. Their participation in both competitions reflects their engagement with policy challenges spanning digital infrastructure, urban development and housing accessibility.

The competition provided the students with an opportunity to present their policy recommendations to industry and regional development leaders, gaining exposure to the considerations involved in addressing complex urban challenges.