Singapore, 26 November: Leading decision makers at the Cities: Possibilities 2025 – Singapore forum underscored the urgent need for integrated urban development approaches that combine technology, strong governance and innovative financing to equip the region in addressing its most pressing urban challenges.
Asia Pacific boasts the world’s largest urban population with over 2.2 billion urban dwellers, which is further projected to increase by 50 per cent by 2050, but is also contending with inadequate housing, high traffic congestion, air pollution and increased climate vulnerability, according to a United Nations ESCAP report.
Robert Opp, Chief Digital Officer for United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said governments, businesses and civil society must work collaboratively as the region becomes the centre for urban transformation.
“This means co-creating solutions that reflect diverse needs and aspirations, ensuring no one is left behind in the digital transition. With the appropriate guardrails, we can reduce the risks of reinforcing biases and exacerbating inequalities,” he said during his keynote address at the forum.
He said UNDP’s approach “integrates technology with governance, finance and behavioural change,” while embedding resiliency into every strategy. He cited examples that include harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) for traffic management in Batumi, Georgia, and using AI to increase citizen participation in urban and climate scenario planning in North Macedonia and Panama respectively.
The challenge is finding the right solutions for the Asia Pacific region, said experts.
Dr Cheong Koon Hean, Chair for Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, observed that Asia is faced with governance fragmentation which poses a major challenge to urban development and investors.
“Asian countries have very complex national, provincial and local arrangements, where responsibilities for land use, climate action and infrastructure overlap … this is very problematic for most cities, and this really creates a lot of uncertainty and perceive risks for investors,” she said, adding that long-term urban planning and policy consistency would be critical to overcoming this challenge.
Rasmus Grand Bjørnø, Deputy Head of Mission and Counsellor for Royal Danish Embassy in Singapore, said energy consumption from buildings is set to rise by 50 per cent in the foreseeable future, with the Asian region slated for a 2°C to 3°C rise in temperature, if no action is taken.
“There’s a great potential in energy optimisation of buildings. This includes insulation, active control systems, ambitious building codes and being much more aware of the
lifecycle of building materials. More energy efficient buildings mean less demand for energy and thus a faster energy transition,” he said in his keynote address.
To achieve this requires a holistic approach when developing and investing in cities, encompassing everything from health-centric urbanisation to energy efficiency and environmental impact, he added.
He added there are over 400 Danish companies in Singapore working with public and private organisations on creating sustainable solutions in Singapore, including involving citizens in urban design and local development plans.
Jessica Cheam, Founder and CEO for Eco-Business, said achieving the climate goals set out by the Paris Agreement will hinge on aligning national climate policies with urban development,.
“UN-Habitat’s latest analysis reveals that the number of national climate plans with strong urban content nearly doubled ahead of COP30, signalling a fundamental shift in how nations view the pivotal role of cities in delivering climate resilience, mitigation and just transitions,” she said in her opening remarks.
She added that Asian cities are taking the lead in the climate movement, citing recent moves by South Korea pledging to phase out coal as an example, while Malaysia as the President of the UN-Habitat Assembly aims to elevate the Asean Smart Cities Network to a ministerial-level forum by 2026. Singapore is also establishing itself as green finance hub, climate innovation leader and anchor for regional cooperation.
Themed “From risk to resilience: Shaping Asia’s cities”, and organised by Eco-Business in strategic partnership with CapitaLand, Zurich Resilience Solutions and UNDP, with Resorts World Sentosa as the venue partner, Cities: Possibilities convened 200 decision-makers across government, urban planning, finance, industry and academia to chart actionable strategies for urban development.
“Urbanisation in Asia presents immense opportunities, but capital often hesitates due to perceived risks and unclear returns. At CapitaLand Investment, we believe sustainability and profitability go hand-in-hand. Our Return on Sustainability framework quantifies how green investments can uplift asset value and mitigate climate risks. Important conversations at Cities: Possibilities inspire collaboration, and align sustainability initiatives with measurable financial benefits for resilient, future-ready cities,” said Vinamra Srivastava, Chief Sustainability and Sustainable Investments Officer for CapitaLand Investment.
Mark Fletcher, Head of Zurich Resilience Solutions, APAC, added that organisations and governments need to think seriously about quantifying climate risk to guide decision making. “When we measure exposure, vulnerabilities and potential losses with real data, mitigation stops being abstract. It becomes a blueprint for adaptation.”
Brian CK Ho, Vice President for Sustainability at Resorts World Sentosa, said: “This conference convenes global leaders to address urbanisation, climate resilience and inclusive growth – issues that resonate deeply with our vision for sustainable tourism. As Singapore’s leading lifestyle destination, Resorts World Sentosa champions green infrastructure, biodiversity conservation and decarbonisation initiatives. Hosting this event reflects our commitment with like-minded organisations and partners in helping to shape a future where world-class hospitality and sustainability go hand in hand.”
S&P Global and Workforce Singapore were supporting partners for the Singapore-based forum, and Singapore Green Building Council and Green Network Asia were outreach partners.
Cities: Possibilities is a thought leadership initiative organised by Eco-Business since 2016, convening key decision-makers to identify solutions to decarbonise the built environment and bolster urban resiliency. To read more about our 2024 forum, download our insights report here.
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Note to Editors
For enquiries or photos, please contact:
Mark Rao, Eco-Business
About Eco-Business
Established in 2009, Eco-Business is Asia Pacific’s leading media and advisory platform dedicated to sustainable development. It publishes high quality, trusted content that advances dialogue and enables measurable impact on a wide range of sustainable development and responsible business issues. Eco-Business is headquartered in Singapore, with a presence in Beijing, Hong Kong, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, and correspondents across major cities in Asia Pacific. Visit www.eco-business.com.
About CapitaLand
CapitaLand Group (CapitaLand) is one of Asia’s largest diversified real estate groups. Headquartered in Singapore, CapitaLand’s portfolio focuses on real asset management and real estate development, and spans across 270 cities in 45 countries. Visit www.capitaland.com.
About United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Visit www.undp.org.
Zurich Resilience Solutions
Zurich Resilience Solutions is a global leader in risk management. We partner with businesses and communities to identify and quantify exposure to risk and drive mitigating actions that help organizations to go forward with confidence. Through everyday risks impacting infrastructure, people and property, to emerging risks around climate change and cybersecurity, our experts are at the forefront of today’s world of volatility. Visit www.zurichresilience.com.
Resorts World Sentosa
Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), Asia’s premium lifestyle destination resort, is located on Singapore’s resort island of Sentosa. Visit www.rwsentosa.com.
About Cities: Possibilities
Cities: Possibilities is a premiere sustainable cities event organised by Eco-Business that convenes high-level decision makers from the building, finance, and infrastructure sectors, policymakers, academics and civil society to discuss the latest developments in advancing Sustainable Development Goal 11 – creating sustainable cities and communities. Visit www.citiespossibilities.com.
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