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Singapore’s high-density, high-liveability urban model has seen it consistently ranked well in various international liveability surveys, and is the subject of much interest and study. The Centre’s advisory work is a response to requests from state and city governments seeking to meet the challenges of urbanisation.
The Centre's advisory work leverages Singapore’s collective body of knowledge and expertise in urban planning, development and governance, and applies them in practical approaches towards solving diverse urban challenges.
ARUP
For over 75 years, Arup has been at the forefront of the most ambitious and challenging design and engineering. Dedicated to sustainable development, the firm is a collective of 18,500 designers, advisors and experts working across 140 countries. Founded to be both humane and excellent, we collaborate with our clients and partners using imagination, technology and rigour to shape a better world.
Arup's primary goal is to plan and develop a truly sustainable and net zero built environment. This means that in all our work, we aim to identify a balance between the needs of a growing world population and the finite capacity and health of our planet. Our work is focused on producing safe, inclusive and resilient communities, infrastructure and cities.
Bilbao Metropoli-30
Bilbao Metropoli-30 (BM30) was established in 1991. It is primarily concerned with strategic planning and research, and is involved in projects which aim to encourage the recuperation and revitalisation of metropolitan Bilbao. BM30 is an umbrella organisation which consolidates and coordinates the actions of various private and private partners for the implementation of projects that align with the city’s long term development goals.
Danish Architecture Center
The Danish Architecture Center (DAC) is Denmark’s national centre for the development and dissemination of knowledge about architecture, building and urban development. The DAC’s mission is to promote cooperation across the professional boundaries of the construction and architecture sectors for their forward-looking development.
The DAC and the Centre have both recognised each other’s key role of exchange of ideas, information, and experience in creating better places. Both organisations have benefited tremendously from the staff exchange programme and training programmes such as the Centre's Leaders in Urban Governance Programme and DAC’s Strategic Urban Governance Masterclass. The two organisations also work towards collaborating in joint research and knowledge sharing platforms.
Visit the Danish Architecture Center.
Development Research Center of the State Council
The Development Research Center of the State Council (DRC) is a state agency for policy research, strategic review and consulting of issues related to the economic and social development on China. In 2016, the Centre for Liveable Cities and DRC jointly published the book entitled “Challenges and Reforms in Urban Governance: Insights from the Development Experience of China and Singapore” in both English and Chinese. The two institutes will continue to collaborate extensively on research and visiting programmes.
Visit the Development Research Center of the State Council.
National Development and Reform Commission
National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is a macroeconomic management agency with broad administrative and planning control over the Chinese economy. The Centre for Liveable Cities collaborates with NDRC extensively on research, visiting and training programmes.
Visit the National Development and Reform Commission.
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore’s flagship university, which offers a global approach to education, research and entrepreneurship, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise. NUS has 16 colleges, faculties and schools across three campuses in Singapore, with more than 40,000 students from 100 countries enriching their vibrant and diverse campus community. NUS has also established more than 20 NUS Overseas Colleges entrepreneurial hubs around the world.
NUS’ multidisciplinary and real-world approach to education, research and entrepreneurship enables them to work closely with industry, governments and academia to address crucial and complex issues relevant to Asia and the world. Researchers in their faculties, research centres of excellence, corporate labs and more than 30 university-level research institutes focus on themes that include energy; environmental and urban sustainability; treatment and prevention of diseases; active ageing; advanced materials; risk management and resilience of financial systems; Asian studies; and Smart Nation capabilities such as artificial intelligence, data science, operations research and cybersecurity.
For more information on NUS, please visit nus.edu.sg.
Ramboll
Ramboll is a global architecture, engineering and consultancy company founded in Denmark in 1945. Ramboll’s more than 18,000 experts create sustainable solutions across Buildings; Transport; Architecture & Landscape; Water; Environment & Health; Energy and Management Consulting. Across the world, Ramboll combines local experience with a global knowledgebase to create sustainable cities and societies. We combine insights with the power to drive positive change to our clients, in the form of ideas that can be realised and implemented. We call it: Bright ideas. Sustainable change.
Read more on ramboll.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X.
The Executive Summary of the Copenhagen Urban Lab can be found here.
Seoul Institute
SI, a research organisation, was established by the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) in 1992. SI’s primary goal is to improve municipal administration, enhance the quality of life of Seoul citizens, and reinforce the competitiveness of the city by setting a medium- and long-term vision of the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG). SI recommends social policies on welfare, culture, education, and industries and urban management policies on city planning, transportation, safety and the environment through research.
Singapore-ETH Centre
The Singapore-ETH Centre was established in 2010 as a collaboration between ETH Zurich and Singapore’s National Research Foundation (NRF). Based in the NRF’s Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) in Singapore, the centre is the only research centre set up by ETH Zurich outside Switzerland. Today, the centre runs the Future Cities Lab Global, Future Resilient Systems, Future Health Technologies and a range of research projects to develop practical solutions to some of the most pressing challenges, including sustainability, liveability, resilience and health.
Singapore Management University
Established in 2000, Singapore Management University (SMU) is recognised for its disciplinary and multi-disciplinary research that address issues of global relevance, impacting business, government and society. Its distinctive education, incorporating innovative experiential learning, aims to nurture global citizens, entrepreneurs and change agents. With more than 11,000 students, SMU offers bachelors, masters and PhD degree programmes in Accountancy, Business, Economics, Computing, Law and Social Sciences, and executive development and continuing education programmes. Through its city campus, SMU focuses on making meaningful impact on Singapore and beyond through its partnerships with industry, policy makers and academic institutions.
Singapore University of Technology and Design
Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) was one of the first universities in the world to incorporate the art and science of design and technology into a holistic interdisciplinary education and research experience.
On 11 March 2024, SUTD unveiled a new growth strategy called SUTD Leap with the aim of redesigning higher education with an even greater focus on design and artificial intelligence (AI), whilst nurturing the next generation of design x tech innovators and innovator leaders.
Its pivot towards AI this year will make it the world’s first university to specialise in design and AI across education and research, for both undergraduates and postgraduates. Central to focus is the principle that AI should no longer be viewed as a technological tool to be used by humans, but as part of a human-machine team, working together hand-in-hand and leveraging on each other’s strengths to find innovative solutions for real-world problems
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. On the ground in some 170 countries and territories, UNDP supports their own solutions to development challenges and developing national and local capacities that will help them achieve human development and the Sustainable Development Goals. UNDP’s work is concentrated on three main focus areas:
• Sustainable development
• Democratic governance and peacebuilding
• Climate and disaster resilience
UN-Habitat
UN-Habitat is the United Nations programme working towards a better urban future. Its mission is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all. For forty years, UN-Habitat has been working in human settlements throughout the world, focusing on building a brighter future for villages, towns, and cities of all sizes. Because of these four decades of extensive experience, from the highest levels of policy to a range of specific technical issues, UN-Habitat has gained a unique and a universally acknowledged expertise in all things urban.
Together, the Centre and UN-Habitat have jointly developed the International Capability Development Programmes. It was a pilot programme for African nations and was held from 5 to 9 June 2017. This contemporary programme that the Centre is proud to have been a part of was funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Visit the UN-Habitat.
Urban Innovation Vienna
UIV is a government-linked think tank dedicated to driving innovation in urban development and sustainability. They work on projects that aim to enhance the quality of life in cities, foster sustainable practices, and promote inclusive urban environments.
Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute is a global nonprofit education and research institute dedicated to providing leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustianing thriving communities. Since 1936, ULI has been a source for best practices and impartial information, and a forum in which real estate industry leaders can share ideas, experiences, and best practices
ULI members represent the entire spectrum of land use and real estate development disciplines working in private enterprise and public service. They benefit from and contribute to a body of knowledge and a global network that shape every aspect of the built environment.
World Bank
The World Bank’s mission is to fight poverty and help people improve their lives and their environment by providing financial resources, sharing knowledge, building capacity and forging partnerships in the public and private sectors. To keep up with the changing needs of World Bank clients and the growing demand for pragmatic development knowledge around the globe, the World Bank Group-Singapore Hub was established in partnership with the Government of Singapore. Singapore being a major financial center and knowledge base economy in Asia allows the partnership to access expertise and resource demanded by clients in the region and beyond.
The partnership has strengthened the research collaborations on selected topics. In the long term. World Bank’s urban and infra development expertise will also be tapped on to make SG a hub for urban development and infra financing. This collaboration will also pave the road for Singapore to explore an improvised bank loan structure in a more integrated manner.
Visit the World Bank.
Resonance / WRDLDCTY Pte Ltd
Resonance creates transformative strategies, brands and campaigns that empower destinations, cities and communities to realize their full potential.
As leading advisors in real estate, tourism and economic development, Resonance combines expertise in research, strategy, branding and communications to make destinations, cities and developments more valuable and more vibrant.
Resonance also organizes WRLDCTY, a global conference inaugurated in 2020 that is focused on urban design, real estate, and technology, aimed at shaping the future of cities.
For more information, please visit ResonanceCo.com.