Issue 19: Adapting to a Disrupted World

Cities are the Crucible for a Green Recovery

The impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic will remain with us for a long time to come. Yet as governments seek to move beyond the devastating consequences of the pandemic, the call to tackle climate change continues to amplify in magnitude and urgency. How can the world recover from COVID-19 to address this?

As Catlyne Haddaoui and Freya Stanley-Price assert in their essay, cities are the solution. Through interviews with city leaders and experts, guest articles and case studies, this issue of Urban Solutions explores how cities can exploit their unique identities and strengths to adapt to and even emerge stronger from a disrupted world. Three key insights emerge in our articles:

It is time to rethink the “city”.

The traditional notion of a “city” and all that it entails needs to be revisited to take stock of its continued strengths and identify opportunities for change.

In the wake of COVID-19, Prof Stephen Cairns explains why urban density remains valuable, and how it can be better designed. Prof Sing Tien Foo shares how future office space will evolve alongside changing needs and technology. Prof Greg Clark predicts the rise of blended “physical-digital” cities with greater flexibility in where and how people live, work and play, and Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat shares how Singapore is charting a new path through the Singapore Green Plan.

A green and inclusive future is key.

A sustainable future is critical in the fight against environmental crises, and Sylvie Ouziel outlines the challenges for cities to address in their pursuit of this vision. Yet as Norman Foster reminds us, cities must pursue this vision without leaving its people—including those on the margins—behind. Kenneth Er explains how Singapore is expanding access to urban nature for all communities to boost social resilience.

Cities must constantly reinvent.

In this time of volatile change, cities cannot rest on their laurels if they want to succeed.

Many cities have shown how this is possible. The Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize laureates—Seoul, Medellín, Suzhou, New York and Bilbao—share how they continue to forge ahead with bold visions for the future, notwithstanding the global pandemic. Cape Town’s and Tallinn’s respective successes in overcoming a water crisis and developing a smart city from the ground up also provide inspiration that it is possible for cities to adapt and flourish in spite of adversity.

History records the many triumphs of cities that have successfully built back stronger after crises. I hope this issue of Urban Solutions will inspire us all to be the history-makers who build cities that not only survive but thrive even in the face of an uncertain future. I wish you all an enjoyable read.

Hugh Lim
Executive Director
Centre for Liveable Cities