Better Cities Sep 2026
Better Cities, a monthly e-newsletter, updates friends and partners about the Centre’s work. The newsletter reaches an international audience of readers from government, media, academia, private sector and non-governmental organisations.
Last updated on 30 September 2026
Better Cities | Sep 2026
Dynamic Partnerships Globally
World Cities Summit 2026 – A Quick Recap
It is time for cities to ACT Now! At the 10th World Cities Summit (WCS) in Singapore, city leaders exchanged ideas, forged partnerships and explored solutions to address shared urban challenges.
Better Cities brings to you a new series of Insights from WCS 2026 – key takeaways from selected WCS plenaries and sessions.
4 min read
Highlights from the World Cities Summit 2026
WCS 2026 brought together close to 4,200 delegates and trade visitors under the theme “Liveable and Sustainable Cities: ACT Now! – Accelerate, Collaborate, Transform”. The Summit focused on turning dialogue into action, exploring how cities can Accelerate solutions, Collaborate across boundaries, and Transform in response to a rapidly changing world.
Catch some of the key moments from the 10th edition of the Summit here!
Bridging Cities and Building Partnerships: The LKYWCP Network’s Inaugural Mayoral Fellowship
WCS 2026 saw the launch of the inaugural the City Network for the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize (LKYWCP Network).
This new initiative, involving four Mayoral Fellows and two Visiting Fellows, aims to extend opportunities for learning and exchange between city leaders beyond the Prize-awarded cities. It is a platform for mayors to engage candidly with one another, share successes and experiences, and forge partnerships with each other and with Singapore.
4 min read
A Growing Global Community: The LKYWCP Network’s Commitment to Urban Collaboration and Research
Mayors, city leaders and urban practitioners from City Halls and Knowledge Organisations from the City Network for the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize (LKYWCP Network) convened during the World Cities Summit 2026 for a curated programme of two key activities, the Knowledge Forum and Research Fellowship Masterclass, to advance the Network’s agenda for urban collaboration and research.
8 min read
Advancing Practical Climate Action Through Global City Collaboration with C40
C40 Cities, a long-time strategic partner of the World Cities Summit, collaborated with CLC on a series of engagements from 13–16 June at WCS 2026. These brought together mayors, senior government officials and urban practitioners to advance practical climate action and strengthen city-to-city collaboration.
7 min read
WCS Science of Cities Symposium – From Sensors to Solutions: AI-Powered Urban Analytics
The WCS 2026 Science of Cities Symposium brought together over 270 delegates including international academic researchers, urban practitioners and industry experts to share their scientific knowledge, novel research methodologies and insights on tackling current and emerging urban challenges.
7 min read
Creating Liveable Cities: A Cross-Domain Approach to Sustainable Mobility
Mobility interventions do not just deliver mobility outcomes. Their benefits extend into multiple domains including health and social well-being, environmental quality and economic activity.
Developed by CLC and CENIT (Center for Innovation in Transport, Barcelona), this cross-domain framework helps cities to better understand, assess and communicate the broader impacts of sustainable mobility interventions. It included a review of international case studies on integrated assessment approaches. CLC has also developed a Practitioner’s Guide that provides step-by-step instructions for applying the framework.
Image Source: Curro Palacios / Ajuntament de Barcelona
A Glimpse into the Future of Research: UCL Person-Environment-Activity Research Laboratory
As the global elderly population living with dementia grows, cities face increasing pressure to support ageing in place and enable residents to remain independent, move around safely, and continue as active members of their communities.
A delegation from the CLC, Singapore government agencies and the National University of Singapore visited the UCL Person-Environment-Activity Research Laboratory in London to learn more.
8 min read
Urban Solutions #28 | How Playful Cities Strengthen Health, Equity and Urban Resilience
Play is serious in city-making. In dense, fast-changing urban environments, playful moments in streets, housing and public infrastructure shape how people experience the city every day. Play is not only fundamental for children, but it is also important for young people and adults as it supports learning, social connection and resilience across the life course. When cities make room for play, they create healthier, more inclusive and more liveable urban systems for everyone.
Image Source: Daily Tous Les Jours / LatrompetteStudi
5 min read
Urban Solutions #28 | South Africa’s National Urban Forum: Policy Dialogues on Sustainable Urban Development
In South Africa alone, two-thirds of the population now live in urban areas, and it is projected that this will increase to 80% by 2050. The South African Local Government Association of all 257 local governments in South Africa, coordinates the South African National Urban Forum, which showcases good practices and approaches to confronting urban challenges through all-of-society and whole-of-government engagement.
Image Source: SALGA
7 min read
Powering up the Neon Grid to Revitalise New South Wales, Australia
New South Wales’ 24-Hour Economy Strategy demonstrates how place-based governance can help cities to revitalise the night.
7 min read
Weaving Green Threads: Building Resilient Cities From the Ground Up
World Cities Summit Young Leader Zac Toh, the Founder of GWS Living Art and CoFounder of City Sprout, explores the role of urban greenery in building resilient cities and how ground-up initiatives can shape nature-based urban solutions.
12 min read
Agile City Governance in the Digital Age
In this Opinion piece, Professor Xufeng Zhu discusses how cities navigate using digital technologies and managing risks in municipal cities as China pursues digital transformation by pairing clear central direction with local experimentation.
5 min read