Press Releases 城市

From aspirations to action: World Cities Summit 2026 celebrates milestone 10th edition

发布人 World Cities Summit

六月 15, 2026

Singapore, 15 June 2026 – The 10th edition of the World Cities Summit (WCS) 2026 opened today, marking an important milestone in reinforcing Singapore’s role as a trusted convenor of global urban leaders dedicated to sustainable urban development.

The summit, themed “Liveable and Sustainable Cities: ACT Now!” focused on the need for cities globally to Accelerate, Collaborate, and Transform, so as to create more liveable, resilient, and sustainable cities for future generations. Delegates will focus on tackling pressing challenges such as climate change, delivering affordable housing, the use of Artificial Intelligence, urban regeneration, etc.

Running from 14 – 16 June 2026, and co-organised by Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), the Summit is a global platform that convenes government leaders, industry experts, and academia to inspire conversations on cities, address urban liveability and sustainability challenges, share integrated urban solutions, and forge new partnerships.

WCS 2026 is hosted by Minister for National Development, Chee Hong Tat, who will attend the Summit across two days to interact and exchange knowledge with visiting Ministers, Governors, Mayors and other distinguished guests on sustainable urban development. In addition, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will also be delivering a Special Address at the WCS Opening Plenary

Liveable and sustainable cities: ACT now!

Underpinning the WCS 2026 theme is the core idea for city leaders and multi-sectoral stakeholders to:

Accelerate sustainable and innovative urban solutions
Collaborate across borders and sectors
Transform cities for future generations through bold leadership and partnership

The Summit delves into the above in six thematic tracks: Cities for People, Resilient & Regenerative Cities, Smart Cities, Financing for Cities, Future Cities, and the WRLDCTY Connections Stage. Each track comprises high-level leadership plenaries, in depth discussion sessions, practitioner-led masterclasses, and special convenings and roundtables, curated together with both local and international agencies and partners.

Announcements across WCS

Minister Chee Hong Tat’s Opening Speech at the Mayors Forum (14 June)

Chee Hong Tat, Minister for National Development, and Chair of the World Cities Summit Mayors Forum, addressed mayors from 103 cities across the world at the Forum on 14 June. He announced:

Improvements made to underground utilities systems, including URA’s Major Infrastructure Workflow which to date, has coordinated about 272 kilometres of utility corridors and avoided about S$300 million in unnecessary costs; non-invasive detection technologies including electromagnetic locators and ground-penetrating radars to supplement traditional trial trenches – allowing less disruption to road users. The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) is developing a new portal for industry players to submit and update utilities data, which will build more reliable shared records over time. SLA will also be publishing a playbook of international best practices for building underground asset registers, convened with global experts.
CLC’s new evidence-based Regenerative City Framework urges cities to go beyond sustainability practices. The Framework features four paradigm shifts:
From “doing less bad” to “doing more good” (net-positive impact rather than harm reduction alone)
From navigating trade-offs to optimising co-benefits (seeking greater overall wins from integration rather than accepting compromise as a default)
From human-centric systems to urban ecosystems (where cities are understood as interdependent systems)
From end-of-life to closed-loop planning (designing out waste and linear lifecycles)

It provides a structured approach for city leaders and practitioners to think about the outcomes, strategies and enablers for integration and implementation in the built environment and offers assessment indicators for accountability and capacity. Developed from CLC’s research and insights gathered from over 100 global experts, the Framework is presented in a publication titled “Beyond Sustainability – Building a Regenerative Future for Our Cities”.

CLC’s latest Urban Systems Studies titled “Mandai: Balancing Development and Nature” documented the development of Mandai Wildlife Reserve as an example of how Singapore approached the challenge of balancing the use of its limited land resources with the need to also protect nature reserves. The development was the result of co-solutioning with cross-sectoral stakeholders and industry players, an intensive engagement process that underscores the importance of collaborative, science-based approaches in achieving development goals while protecting natural ecosystems.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s Special Address at the Opening Plenary (15 June)

A new Liu Thai Ker Distinguished Speaker Series will be co-organised by URA and the Housing & Development Board (HDB), with an inaugural session later this year. This initiative honours the late Dr Liu, whose leadership at URA and HDB had helped shape Singapore’s urban landscape in its formative years. The series will feature urban leaders from around the world sharing insights on community-centric design and sustainable citybuilding.
The importance of inter-city collaboration in sharing innovative practices and knowledge in the current changing global environment on platforms such as the WCS, the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize and the City Network of the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize (LKYWCP Network).
Launch of the Mayoral Fellowship for current and former mayors to connect across boundaries, share collective experiences, and forge a lasting community of practice around their shared commitment to shape the future of their cities together. The programme is further enriched by Visiting Fellows — former mayors who bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to each cohort.

“The relentless pace of global challenges, urban change and development calls for action, collaboration, and innovative solutions that advance the creation of liveable and sustainable cities for the benefit of future generations. The Summit will continue to advocate for cities to drive global solutions and collaborate for sustainable urban development”, said Hugh Lim, Executive Director, Centre for Liveable Cities.

Forging partnerships and collaborations that shape the future

WCS provides a premier platform for new partnerships and collaborations to be explored and forged. During the Summit, CLC and other participating agencies will be inking several Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs). These MOUs aim to facilitate knowledge sharing, capacity building, and to scale joint initiatives to address common urban challenges and promote sustainable urban development globally.

About the World Cities Summit

The biennial World Cities Summit (WCS) is a platform for government leaders and industry experts to address liveable and sustainable city challenges, share integrated urban solutions, and forge new partnerships. Jointly organised by Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), key highlights of the Summit include the Mayors Forum, WCS Young Leaders Symposium, the Science of Cities Symposium, the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize, and an exhibition. For more information, visit www.worldcitiessummit.com.sg

More details can be found on the WCS website and on WCS official social platforms: