World Cities Summit: Leading Integrated Platform for Urban Sustainability
World Cities Summit is the exclusive and premier platform for government leaders and industry experts to address liveable and sustainable city challenges, share integrated urban solutions and forge high-level partnerships.
The fourth World Cities Summit will be held alongside a constellation of premier environmental events including: the sixth Singapore International Water Week; the second CleanEnviro Summit Singapore; and the tenth Ministers’ Meeting on Infrastructure Development in the Asia Pacific Region. The string of events will be running from 1 to 5 June 2014 at the Sands Expo & Convention Center at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.
Some 20,000 high-level delegates are expected to attend, including ministers, mayors, government and industry leaders, representatives of international organisations and academics. The involvement of key stakeholders across the spectrum of urban planning, water planning and waste management is critical, given the new and complex challenges facing cities.
Singapore – a Strategic Location for Global Events
Singapore has a unique convening power for the World Cities Summit because Asia has the most megacities and is experiencing the fastest urbanisation process in the world. Singapore is taking a leadership role in supporting greater debate and action by convening several global events to enable a wider group of public and private sector players to network and tap into the synergies between urban planning, water and environmental solutions.
Through the Summit, Singapore brings together global thought leaders and practitioners from the public and private sectors that specialise in the areas of urban governance and development, to share best practice on urban challenges. The World Cities Summit will provide access to expertise and knowledge on solutions to address urban challenges through plenary discussions and specialised breakout sessions based on topics and regions, as well as networking opportunities.
World Cities Summit highlights
Themed “Liveable and Sustainable Cities: Common Challenges, Shared Solutions”, the fourth World Cities Summit will see more than 100 speakers share their expertise and insights at the Summit. They include notable government and industry leaders such as the Minister for Water Resources, Chen Lei from the People’s Republic of China; the Chief Executive Officer of Suez Environnement, Mr Jean-Louis Chaussade; the Founder of Gehl Architects, Mr Jan Gehl; and the Managing Director and Group Chief Financial Officer of the World Bank, Mr Bertrand Badré.
Other highlights include:
i. The Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize is a biennial international award that honours outstanding achievements and contributions to the creation of liveable, vibrant and sustainable urban communities around the world. At the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize Lecture, a representative from the 2014 Prize Laureate – Suzhou City – will share insights about how it has achieved remarkable economic prosperity, social progress, and the preservation of its celebrated cultural and historic heritage despite facing rapid urbanisation. This address will then be followed by representatives from the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize Special Mention cities – Yokohama and Medellin – during which they will highlight the good governance and innovations they have adopted in order to address urban challenges. Singapore’s President, Tony Tan will be the guest of honour at the Lee Kuan Yew Prize Award Ceremony and Banquet.
ii. The World Cities Summit Mayors Forum is an invitation only global event for city mayors and leaders to discuss pressing urban issues and share best practice with one another in a peer-to-peer environment. Over 120 mayors and city leaders will spend a day discussing common challenges and share solutions.
iii. The inaugural World Cities Summit Young Leaders is an initiative that involves more than 150 young leaders from the worlds government, industry and academia who are committed to actively catalyse change in cities and help shape urban development agendas. More than 50 of these young leaders will be involved in the WCS Young Leaders Symposium.
iv. High-level Plenary Sessions will provide strategic insights from senior city and industry leaders on leadership and governance, as well as the latest debate on liveability and sustainability.
v. Thematic Tracks will enable in-depth discussions and the sharing of case studies and best practice by city leaders and practitioners on topical urban issues. The themes include: (i) Safe and Liveable Cities; (ii) Will Mayors Rule the World?; (iii) Making Plans into Reality; (iv) Building Resilient Cities; (v) Innovative Urban Solutions for Liveable and Future-Ready Cities and; (vi) Future Mobility.
vi. In-Focus Forums aim to capture the energy of urbanisation across the world and highlight opportunities for investment and partnership in the key markets of China, India, Southeast Asia and Latin America. Public and private sector panellists will discuss projects, focusing on best corporate practices and risk mitigation strategies to meet the challenges and opportunities of sustainable urban development and management.
vii. Site visits will provide first-hand perspectives on how policies and ideas have been implemented successfully in Singapore and give participants a behind-the-scenes look at real issues while providing practical learning experiences. These specially designed case studies include Singapore’s Public Housing, Singapore River and Marina Bay, Cycling the North Eastern Riverine Loop, Skyrise Greenery in Singapore, and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
For more information on World Cities Summit, visit: www.worldcitiessummit.com.sg
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