Urban Science Workshop Series 2023

Together with URA, SEC FCL Global, and CREATE, CLC co-organised the inaugural Urban Science Workshop Series (USWS) 2023 which took place from 26 September to 6 October 2023. Over 200 participants attended the workshops that were conducted over nine days.

USWS is a collaborative effort to conduct Singapore-based capability building programmes, tapping on locally based Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) and Research Institutes (RIs) to bring in international experts and postdoctoral researchers to build capabilities in urban science for agencies and the research community. This enables us to learn and translate scientific know-how to improve urban planning. Such knowledge will be useful many cities seeking a science-based approach to planning and development.

In his opening address, Dr Lim Khiang Wee, Former Executive Director, NRF CREATE, encouraged participants “to explore different approaches and toolkits to understand the city as a systems-of-systems in the urban context, and to apply appropriate digital tools for complex urban challenges.”

Here are the three main takeaways from these USWS 2023:

1. Human-centric City Planning

One of the main takeaways from the session was the current shift towards human-centric planning.

In his keynote address, Professor Luis Bettencourt called for a change to the status quo by prioritising urban planning that revolves around the needs and interactions of individuals and communities, to create environments that foster confidence, creativity, and interdependence. This view was echoed by Professor Vanessa Evers, who spoke about how human-centric approaches are critical to understanding the fundamental shift in how people collaborate and live.

Beyond the fundamental ways in which people interact, Professor Thomas Schroepfer empahsised the need to consider the societal environment for enhancing sustainability and the resident’s well-being - hence recognising the need to shift the focus of urban development from individual buildings to the systemic density within the city and its occupants. The correlation between environmental design strategy and social integration is very prevalent. Dr Gao Tongchaoran, however, highlighted that the understanding these phenomena through detailed research remains underexplored.

Nonetheless, these efforts should look beyond the cities of today and help us to shape future cities. Professor Long Ying underscored that designing future cities is contingent on citizen engagement. As Dr John Sweeney shared, the focus is now shifting from predicting the future to actively engaging stakeholders in creating and shaping future possibilities. Professor Cheong Siew Ann opined that ultimately, urban planning must be able to integrate both tangible and intangible social benefits such as cultural heritage, which fosters vibrant and culturally rich communities.

2. Model- and Simulation-based Decision-making

In his keynote address, Professor Mike Batty rallied planners and scientific communities to develop strategies to seamlessly integrate digital models into the planning process. Thereby ensuring that they become an integral part of decision-making at every stage - from design to construction and maintenance. In other words, modeling and simulation are not separate from decision-making. Mr Chiu Wen Tung, in his keynote, postulated that a tiered modeling approach—simpler models for short-term operational decisions, and more complex models for long-term, strategic planning – would be ideal.

To support this endeavor, Dr Filip Biljecki expressed the need to collaborate with city planners and policymakers to implement AI-driven tools for data-driven decision-making in urban planning and development projects. While AI is fit for use in harnessing big-data, there is also a potential pitfall where using big-data may become impractical. Professor Francisco Chinesta framed a way of using hybrid model with AI and remote sensing to build digital twins to evaluate multiple future scenarios of urban development, giving shape to huge quantities of data. Mr Luca Bussolino also expressed the importance of combining several technologies such as Google Tag systems, photovoltaic panels, and agriculture, to ensure sustainable and multifunctional infrastructure in urban settings.

Overall, model builders and researchers such as Dr Xie Litian, Mr Baskaran Narayana, Dr Jordan Ivanchev, and Dr Muhamad Azfar Ramli all agreed that modeling and simulation as a tool for decision-making must have clear applications and be 'fit-for-use.'

3. Planning with Inclusive Collaborations

Ms Lee Chin Yi explained that urban planning is inherently complex, requiring foresight for future proofing. As a result, there is a need to deploy adaptive planning. Professor Michael Batty further explained that adaptive planning is inherently about being responsive to the evolving needs of cities. He also encouraged the development and implementation of models that can dynamically adapt to unforeseen changes, such as technological advancements, demographic shifts, and environmental considerations. Professor Chew Lock Yue went on to suggest that policymakers should continuously monitor and adapt interventions based on dynamic simulations provided by such models to effectively manage urban development. Dr Philipp Rode opined that these are no simple tasks, as we need to stay ahead of future trends, including global urbanisation patterns, autonomous driving, and virtualization.

To stay ahead and future-focused, Dr Rode as well as Professor Batty emphasised the importance of sharing knowledge and insights to enhance the overall understanding of complex urban systems. Dr Srilalitha Gopalakrishnan suggested that knowledge sharing can be achieved through, regular forums or workshops that bring together scientists, designers, engineers, and governance experts to share insights and collaborate on real-world urban challenges. Associate Professor Cheah Kok Ming also echoed the need for a collaborative platform, where the creation of a robust network for knowledge exchange and joint research efforts can be actualised.

Read the full report here [PDF, 2 MB].

Videos of the sessions at the Urban Science Workshop Series will be made available online at the CLC YouTube channel, stay tuned for more content!

Writer’s Bio:

Dr Jude Kurniawan
Senior Assistant Director (Research)
Centre for Liveable Cities

Dr Jude Kurniawan is Senior Assistant Director at the Centre for Liveable Cities, Ministry of National Development, Singapore. His works focus on applying complexity science to urban solutions. Jude holds a Ph.D. Geography and a Masters of Climate Change from the University of Waterloo.