inside

Source: jo.sau, flickr

Source: ASEAN Secretariat

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

iss 93 | sep 2018

bit.ly/BetterCities93

spotlight

infographic

Catalysing Change with Hope and Power

Singapore’s Pragmatic Approach to Sustainable

Development

Taking an Active Role to Fight Poverty

Melbourne and Singapore: A Tale of Two Cities

Peek into the initiatives dreamt up by leaders from African cities after their 5-day trip to Singapore. The contingent was here for the Singapore-UN-Habitat International Leaders in Urban Governance Programme (SGUNHiLUGP), which is co-organised by the United Nations and the CLC to bring insights and inspiration to leaders on how to revitalise cities, better manage waste and implement good governance. Through learning journeys and action planning sessions, the leaders brainstormed ways of achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda.

Source: Centre for Liveable Cities

ViewInfographic

Voices

Melbourne and Singapore: A Tale of Two Cities

Singapore’s Pragmatic Approach to Sustainable Development

Taking an Active Role to Fight Poverty

opinion

report

report

Source: Angela Rutherford, flickr Source: jo.sau, flickr

Source: ASEAN Secretariat

ReadArticle

Read Report

View Infographic

VisitWebsite

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Urban Solutions Issue #13:Innovation and Collaboration

Developing Cities that Leave No One BehindWhile cities are places of opportunity and engines of growth, they can also create inequality and social exclusion if they are not well planned. The Executive Director of the UN-Habitat, Maimunah Mohd Sharif, shares how her organisation works closely with developing cities to achieve sustainable urban growth together.

ReadArticle

By the People, For the PeopleCities around the world are championing the involvement of citizens in their urban design and rejuvenation projects. This photo essay examines successful community-led initiatives from Nairobi, Singapore, Santiago and North Carolina. It showcases how citizens are working with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), governments, planners and architects to co-create neighbourhoods and public spaces.

ReadArticle

Source: Housing & Development Board

Source: UN-Habitat

The United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides the blueprint for the international community towards a more sustainable future. Countries are invited to undertake a Voluntary National Review (VNR) to document progress made towards each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This year, Singapore presented our VNR at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York in July. CLC contributed to the VNR report on SDG 11 “Make cities and Human Settlements Inclusive, Safe, Resilient and Sustainable” and galvanised support to place this SDG on the 2030 Agenda during our fifth World Cities Summit Mayors Forum in 2014.

How can local governments in Southeast Asia take on a more active role in poverty alleviation? This was a key theme discussed at the ASEAN-China-UNDP Symposium on Localising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Realising Poverty Eradication.

At this symposium organised in Siem Reap, CLC’s Deputy Director Lim Teng Leng shared key lessons from Singapore’s Smart Nation journey that were critical for integrating global goals and local plans at the regional level. During a roundtable session, participants and the community also shared insights and discoveries for better design and implementation of local development strategies.

WatchInterview

WatchInterview

Melbourne and Singapore are about the same age and have similar population sizes, but they differ vastly in urban densities. CLC Executive Director Khoo Teng Chye shares his experience living in Monash and seeing the city evolve from a sprawling, quiet district to a bustling and cosmopolitan centre. He also reveals how Melbourne’s Water Sensitive Urban Design initiatives inspired the genesis of Singapore’s own ABC Waters programme.

pages

Turning Plans into Reality

Taking the Lead in Sustainable Development

interView

interView

“In Uganda, we do the planning but implementation is a problem.”

“We were able to [implement street naming] because we had a strategic leadership from presidency to the local level.”

Jenipher Namuyangu Kacha

Minister of State,Ministry of Local

Government, Kampala, Uganda

Kwadwo YeoboahMetropolitan Director

of Town Planning, Physical Planning

Department, Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Ghana

Source: Centre for Liveable Cities

Source: Centre for Liveable Cities

Of the many lessons gleaned from Singapore, Jenipher Namuyangu Kacha says the most important is that a law has to be backed by the will to enforce it. The Minister of State from Uganda says her country needs to overcome this challenge by having politicians working hand-in-hand with professionals. She added that visiting Singapore, as part of the SGUNHiLUGP, has also provided solid examples of how good urban governance can spark the change to build affordable housing, create clean spaces and conserve the environment.

Ghana’s first president was instrumental in the sustainable development of the country’s capital, Accra, says Kwadwo Yeoboah. The director of planning shares how the president’s strategic vision led the local government to work closely with the city councils and citizens to implement street and property naming system as well as revitalise a flood-prone lagoon into a recreational zone. Such strategic leadership in city development was a key insight he picked up during his visit to Singapore as part of the SGUNHiLUGP.