News Room

Friends from the media

Ladies and gentlemen

            Good morning. Thank you for joining us at the opening media briefing for the World Cities Summit 2010, which will take place in Singapore from June 28 to July 1 this year.

Megacities – Mega-Challenges

2           The world is experiencing an unprecedented growth in cities. Half the world’s population now lives in cities. Over the coming decades, the pace of urbanization will increase in many parts of the developing world, with Asia and Africa urbanizing more rapidly than the rest. Cities are expected to absorb the bulk of the increase in population between now and 2050, when the world’s population is expected to expand from 6.7 billion to 9.2 billion. Smaller and medium-sized cities are growing bigger, while bigger cities are becoming mega-cities. If the last century was known as the age of globalization, then this century will be the age of cities.

3           The challenges facing cities are well known.  Small, high density cities like Singapore face constraints of land and space, but bigger cities also face their own problems of having to manage such challenges as urban sprawl. Slums are common in many cities in the developing world, but developed countries are not without their own problems, after the recent sub-prime crisis. Cities therefore face a myriad of challenges, ranging from tackling employment, dealing with pollution, minimizing congestion, and achieving a high quality of life.

4           But all cities, whether developing or developed, have to grapple with a common set of challenges – finding enough food, water and energy to fulfill their needs for a growing population and expanding economies.  With growing concerns over climate change and environmental sustainability, how these challenges are met – and the inter-relationship between these challenges – will determine whether cities can find sustainable pathways to their future growth and meet the growing aspirations of their populations.

5           At the same time, urbanization has brought enormous socio-economic benefits. It should therefore be seen as a challenge and an opportunity. In fact, it has been pivotal to economic development and the creation of growing middle class. Vibrant, dynamic and liveable cities are central to current and future economic growth. Cities throughout history have been cradles of civilization, engines of growth, as well as patrons of the arts and culture. It is small wonder that cities also account for a disproportionate share of their countries’ national wealth.

Singapore and the World Cities Summit

6           So how do all these issues relate to the World Cities Summit? Currently, there is no single strategic platform where leaders, policy makers and solution providers can converge to discuss the challenges facing cities across all the dimensions and in an integrated manner. Many of the issues are inter-related and require holistic solutions and multi-disciplinary perspectives.

7           We therefore see the Summit as offering a one of its kind platform to facilitate the sharing, development, and application of relevant knowledge and other best practices on issues of leadership and governance, the building of sustainable and liveable cities, and the fostering of harmonious and sustainable communities. It is with these objectives in mind that the theme for World Cities Summit 2010 is “Liveable and Sustainable Cities for the Future”. 

8           We will be examining five core components of liveable cities – good governance, a competitive economy, master planning, good quality of life, and environmental sustainability. Through the exchange of relevant ideas and knowledge, we hope that cities can learn from one another to identify practical, scalable and replicable solutions to the urban challenges of today and tomorrow. 

9           And why Singapore? We believe that Singapore is well placed to share its expertise, especially in specific areas such as public housing, water management, urban greenery, and urban planning. Despite having the third highest population density in the world, Singapore is ranked highly among the most liveable cities in the region, if not in the world.

10           For instance, according to Mercer’s 2009 Quality of Life Survey, Singapore is the highest ranking Asian city among 215 cities globally and, more pertinently, the highest scorer worldwide for city infrastructure. The latest “State of the World’s Cities” report by UN Habitat, the United Nations agency looking into issues of human settlement, assessed Singapore to be a city which was spatially, socially and environmentally harmonious.

11           Of course, there is much that Singapore can learn from the rest of the world in terms of liveability and environmental sustainability. We are conscious that we do not have all the right answers. And indeed, what works for Singapore may not work for another city, taking into account its own history, developmental trajectory, and other considerations. But we believe the Singapore experience may be useful for some. What we would also like to offer is a good stage for the collective discussion of these issues to take place. And we believe that the World Cities Summit, which begins on June 28, will offer that very stage.

Event Outline

12           The World Cities Summit is conceptualized as a high-quality and high-level Summit attended by Ministers, Mayors, Governors, senior policy makers, heads of International Organisations, business leaders and experts from key regions and major markets around the world. These include Asia, the Middle East, the US and Europe. Let me also point out that the Summit will be held alongside two other related co-located specialist events – the 3rd Singapore International Water Week, and the 2nd World Urban Transport Leaders Summit. Together, all three offer the visiting delegates a very appealing slate of activities and programme options.

13           The World Cities Summit will comprise several important sessions, such as a Joint Opening Plenary with our co-located events, a high level Ministerial Dialogue, a World Mayor’s Forum, Expert Panel Discussions, and a World Cities Summit Expo. Learning journeys to various sites across Singapore will also be offered. You can find out more details from our event website, at www.worldcities.com.sg. A highlight will be the conferment of the inaugural Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize, which my colleague from URA will touch on later.

14           Among the distinguished high level speakers and delegates who have confirmed their attendance at the Summit are Mr Kamal Nath, India’s Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Mrs Carrie Lam, the Secretary of Development from Hong Kong, Benoit Apparu, the French Secretary of State for Housing and Urban Development, Anna K. Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, Haruhiko Kuroda, President of the Asian Development Bank, and Jim Clifton, Chairman & CEO of the Gallup Organisation. They range from all corners of the world, spanning different fields, and over the coming months, we can expect to welcome more speaker and delegate confirmations.

15           More than 30 mayors and governors have also confirmed their attendance. They include the mayors from top-ranked cities such as Berne in Switzerland, Luxembourg City, and Adelaide in Australia. Joining them are the mayors from Florence (Italy), Phoenix (USA), Incheon (South Korea), and several Chinese mayors and governors. The governors of Lagos (Nigeria) and Bangkok have also accepted invitations, as have 16 ministers from countries such as Costa Rica, Indonesia, Kuwait, Poland, and Uganda.

16           We are happy to have secured, as our strategic partners, six blue chip international organisations. They are the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN-Habitat, and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). There are various other supporting organisations, such as the World Green Building Council (WGBC), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the Urban Land Institute (ULI).

17           In addition, we are very honoured by the sponsorship commitments pledged by our industry partners, such as Veolia, Far East Organisation, Siemens, and Philips Electronics. They are key players in the development of liveable and sustainable cities, and we are confident that their involvement in the World Cities Summit will serve to enhance the overall stature and appeal of the event.

18           The World Cities Summit is jointly organised by the Centre for Liveable Cities, based out of the Ministry of National Development, and the Civil Service College. This is also a truly whole-of-government effort, which makes it unique, with a range of agencies involved such as A*Star, AVA, BCA, EDB, HDB, IE Singapore, LTA, MFA, MICA, MND, PUB, NEA, NParks, STB, and URA. Together, working with our academic, business, and overseas partners, we will work to bring you an event which promises to be a showcase of high level discussions and innovative solutions.

Conclusion

19           This is an exciting era for cities such as Singapore.  As we see the global economy picking up, we know that the massive urbanization seen in recent years is only going to gain momentum. The opportunity is here for governments, industries and communities to make cities sustainable. The consequences of not doing so are immense, but the rewards of our commitment promise to be even greater. In June, we expect to witness an intense and fruitful discussion on these issues. I hope you can join in the discussions.  Thank you.