Resilient and Regenerative Cities

Co-curated with C40 Cities

While the ecological and well-being benefits of urban nature are well-established, the urgent challenge remains: how do we transform our concrete landscapes into flourishing, living systems? This plenary moves beyond the "why" to focus on the strategy planning and delivery of nature on the ground - protecting existing ecosystems and cultivating new ones through rooftop greenery, redesigned public spaces, and biophilic neighbourhoods.

This plenary will dive into the practical levers of change that cities are utilising to sow the seeds for a future where nature and the built environment thrive in harmony including spatial strategy and land-use planning, market mechanisms and incentives, public asset, and participatory planning and stewardship.

Moderator

Panel Speakers

Planning for a climate-changed and resource-constrained future increasingly involves low-carbon initiatives and resource circularity. 

 

This plenary examines how these efforts can be better integrated across urban scales to enhance liveability and support a green economy in our cities, while accelerating the clean energy transition.

Moderator

Panel Speakers

Moderator

By-invite only

Cities sit firmly on the frontlines of climate change, where mitigation decisions focus on reducing emissions and adaptation actions directly affect lives, livelihoods, and local economies in lowering risks. Recognising this, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is preparing its first Special Report on Climate Change and Cities (SRCities), which will assess the state of scientific evidence on urban climate risks, responses, and pathways for climate resilience including urban redevelopment and regeneration. 

In conjunction with the review of the report’s Second Order Draft and preparation of a summary for policy-makers, this by-invite session will be a conversation between IPCC scientists, mayors, senior city officials, and urban climate experts. Leveraging on scientific evidence, the session will discuss how the report can communicate clearly, credibly, and usefully to those responsible for implementing climate action on the ground. 

Panel Speakers

Led by National Parks Board, Singapore (NPARKS)

With the growth of urban populations and rising challenges in healthcare systems, designing for nature in cities is increasingly recognised as vital for public health. This panel examines the transformative potential of restoring nature in cities, emphasising the need to go beyond mere green space provision, to ecological restoration to create biodiverse landscapes and active programming such as social prescription, all to foster both ecological and human well-being. 

Bringing together policymakers, urban planners and industry professionals, the discussion will explore evidence-based strategies for designing, programming, and managing urban nature. Insights from leading cities that have successfully aligned urban nature and public health objectives will offer valuable perspectives for participants seeking to build resilient and healthier communities.

Opening Keynote

Moderator

Panel Speaker

Led by C40 Cities

Housing has become the top priority for city leaders worldwide. As urban populations grow, closing the housing affordability gap is an urgent political and economic challenge. At the same time, cities face an accelerating climate crisis. These challenges are deeply interconnected: rising housing costs push residents to urban fringes, fueling sprawl and car-dependent commutes. Meanwhile, buildings account for nearly 40% of global energy-related CO₂ emissions, with housing stock vulnerable to climate risks. 

Housing delivery and climate action are often framed as competing priorities. This session shifts the narrative from “Climate vs. Housing” to “Climate + Housing,” highlighting policies and approaches that expand housing supply while advancing climate goals. From informed urban planning and brownfield redevelopment to adaptive reuse and regenerative, climate-resilient design, cities can reduce housing costs while promoting sustainability. The session also explores public-private collaborations to deliver scalable, impactful solutions.

Cities must continue to evolve — yet the built environment remains a major contributor to global carbon emissions. How can cities meet rising demand for housing and workspace while reducing the carbon burden of continued urban development?

This masterclass, led by Wong Mun Summ of WOHA Architects in collaboration with the National University of Singapore’s Integrated Sustainable Design (ISD) programme, explores how design can help cities navigate this challenge. The session examines resilience in the built environment through strategies such as adaptive reuse and strategic densification — approaches that extend the life and capacity of existing urban fabric while moderating the carbon impacts of demolition, rebuilding, and urban sprawl. Building on this, the discussion expands to regeneration at the scale of city and land-use planning, exploring how planning decisions shape the relationship between built and natural infrastructure in cities. 

Drawing on research from ISD and WOHA’s internationally recognised projects, the masterclass invites participants to reconsider how cities can evolve while reducing carbon impact and strengthening ecological resilience.