Future Cities

The built environment plays a pivotal role in shaping tomorrow's cities. Yet cities face unprecedented new challenges and traditional planning approaches struggle to keep pace with rapid urban transformation. Cities require both technological innovation and strategic leadership to build capacity and adaptability into their systems.

This plenary discusses the capabilities new and emerging cities need to implement forward-looking plans that meet future needs and generate economic opportunities while preserving their unique character in an unpredictable world.

Today, 55% of the world's population lives in urban areas, a proportion expected to reach 68% by 2050. This unprecedented urbanisation megatrend will strain existing infrastructure and create new challenges for cities. As cities compete and expand into greenfield sites, the pressure to urbanise intensifies. 

This closing plenary explores how cities can develop more thoughtfully, prioritising residents’ wellbeing over assumed expansion, while considering the vital role of regional towns and districts in our collective future.

This three-dimensional, mixed-use model has gained urgency post-pandemic to address changing work patterns, aging populations, and the need for climate resilience. The main challenge is the growing complexity of urban demands, requiring planners to balance:

• Increasing density with liveability
• Economic viability with affordability
• Demographic shifts and technological advancements with climate adaptation

Through city case studies, the session will identify opportunities and challenges in planning and development, discussing critical parameters like density, walkability, economic models, and digital infrastructure integration.

Led by the Housing Development Board, Singapore

As cities worldwide contend with ageing infrastructure, the need to revitalise, rejuvenate, and reimagine urban estates becomes imperative – especially amidst rising climate threats, increasing density, and demographic shifts. This session addresses the multifaceted challenges of ageing infrastructure. From the physical degradation of buildings to the evolving needs of diverse and ageing populations, we explore how cities are tackling infrastructure renewal through innovative approaches. 

Discussions will cover strategies for rejuvenating estates for energy efficiency, climate resilience and accessibility, the use of digital tools for predictive maintenance and estate renewal, and holistic approaches that integrate sustainable design with community wellbeing. Through case studies from Singapore and other leading cities, speakers will share practical insights on transforming existing estates and neighbourhoods into inclusive, resilient, sustainable and liveable communities for all ages and abilities.

A dedicated session on female leaders by UNDP will spotlight how female mayors and women city leaders are advancing safer, more inclusive cities through gender-responsive urban governance. While fewer than one in seven women hold mayoral positions globally, evidence shows that with female leadership, greater attention to safety, care services, and participatory decision-making comes to the fore.

The session focuses on measurable urban outcomes, with female mayors sharing practical innovations spanning policy reforms, urban design, service delivery, and financing that address women's safety, improving mobility, and strengthening care-sensitive systems. The discussion will explore how cities are using data, digital tools, and citizen-generated inputs to make the female lived experiences visible and actionable in planning and budgeting processes. It will conclude with concrete takeaways for scaling gender-responsive solutions across cities.

Cities are regularly ranked and compared through indices—from quality of life to smart city readiness and environmental performance. These results often shape global perceptions of liveability and can influence decisions relating to tourism and talent attraction.

But do these indices truly capture what makes cities work? Each city’s context is unique—so how should cities interpret rankings and use the findings to inform policies and action? Is there a value in chasing such global rankings and benchmarks?

This interactive session brings together city stakeholders and prominent index houses to discuss the role of indices and how cities can harness them for meaningful outcomes. The session will also feature the launch of the new Global Urban Governance Initiative – Shenzhen Urban Index.

As cities face rapid urbanisation, climate pressures and evolving social needs, strategic policy frameworks and design quality become crucial for creating liveable, resilient, and inclusive urban environments. This Urban Leaders Roundtable explores how city leaders translate urban ambitions into delivery – through policy frameworks, governance models and implementation tools that embed quality outcomes at scale. Drawing from diverse city experiences, the discussion will focus on how integrated urban policies and design strategies can structure growth, regenerate public spaces, and deliver long-term value.

Through global case studies and practical insights, speakers will share policy approaches and design strategies for advancing urban development, managing trade-offs, and aligning public, private and community aspirations in pursuit of coherent, long-term urban outcomes.

Cities today face accelerating complexity—from climate shocks and demographic shifts to rapid technological disruption and widening inequalities. Strategic foresight gives city leaders a way to move beyond reactive planning, anticipate emerging change, and make confident long-term decisions in the face of uncertainty. 

Through a blend of practical instruction, a Singapore-specific case study, and an immersive exploration of urban futures, attendees will learn the core concepts of foresight in a way that feels concrete, creative, and immediately applicable. Built around the Metropolis Foresight Toolkit and developed in collaboration with the UNDP Strategic Foresight Team, the session equips participants with tools they can integrate directly into planning cycles. Participants will leave not only inspired, but empowered with a clear sense of how to apply foresight to shape the future of their own cities.