SHAH ALAM: i-City has appointed Savills Malaysia to operate and reposition CityWalk as part of its plans to develop i-City into an AI and robotics urban centre anchored by the 500-unit residential tower i-Ris, AI Living @ i-City.
The collaboration will combine Savills’ retail and placemaking expertise with i-City’s established ecosystem of residences, offices, hotels, attractions and technology initiatives. Savills will lead CityWalk’s mall operations, leasing, tenant mix and activation, while exploring how its future retail positioning can support the wider AI Living environment.
CityWalk is an approximately 180,000 sq ft open air retail destination located beside the planned i-Ris residential tower, complemented by a further 120,000 sq ft of space for events and activation.
“AI Living is not intended to end at the front door of the residence,” said i-City director Datuk Eu Hong Chew. “i-Ris is the residential expression of that idea, but the home is part of a wider urban experience. Through CityWalk and Central i-City mall, we have an opportunity to bring together the services, activities and experiences that will make AI Living more useful and relevant to residents in their daily lives.”
As part of the repositioning, Savills will also examine opportunities for technology, wellness, learning and lifestyle concepts, including AI and robotics-related retail, demonstrations, services and experiences.
The intention is to explore how CityWalk can provide residents and visitors with practical and engaging ways to experience the technologies shaping the future of urban living.
“i-City has spent more than two decades building the physical and digital foundations of the township,” Eu said, adding that Savills brings the specialist retail capabilities to help them shape the next phase of CityWalk and determine how it can contribute to their transformation into an AI and robotics urban centre.
i-Ris, AI Living @ i-City, is targeted for completion in 2030. By beginning the repositioning of CityWalk while the residential tower is being developed, i-City can progressively establish the surrounding retail and lifestyle environment that future residents will be able to access directly from their homes.
“CityWalk makes the wider promise of AI Living tangible,” Eu said. “It connects the residence to the everyday experiences outside the home and demonstrates that we are developing not only a new type of property, but also the urban environment around it.”