5th Edition of the Singapore-UN Habitat International Leaders in Urban Governance Programme (SGUNHiLUGP) 2025

Singapore and cities in Africa may differ in geographical and demographic contexts today, but not too long ago, Singapore faced many similar developmental urban challenges: a lack of adequate and quality housing, poor sanitation issues, polluted waterways and insufficient potable water. Through a week-long programme jointly organised by CLC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the UN-Habitat, 25 city leaders and urban officials from 15 African cities across 11 countries gathered to exchange knowledge and share experiences.

Participants engaged around the theme of “Urban Governance for Sustainable and Resilient Development” in the context of addressing housing planning and development issues. They had the opportunity to discuss the challenges African cities face and hear from experts from Singapore and other international speakers from the World Bank and UN-Habitat.  They also explored strategic approaches to address city planning and urban governance fundamentals and visited sites demonstrating integrated urban development.

A key programme feature was the Action Planning component. Participants shared their urban challenges in providing affordable housing, improving waste management, environment planning, and managing master-planning considerations. Then, drawing from Singapore’s development journey and how these challenges have been addressed over the decades, they explored possible solutions based on their learnings from the programme and proposals shared by representatives from Singapore’s Infrastructure and Environment (I&E) sector.

Getting a closer look at the Central Area Model at the Singapore City Gallery in URA Centre.

Participants also examined how the Liveability Framework which has been applied in Singapore could also be applied in their cities. They attended lectures unpacking Singapore’s approach to building affordable and quality housing, cleaning and maintaining our environment, building a more sustainable Singapore, and how urban planning and integrated development have shaped our housing estates like Toa Payoh and Heartbeat@Bedok. Dialogues with speakers from the World Bank and the private sector offered insights to how institutional governance was critical in ensuring sustainable infrastructure financing and improving of the bankability of urban development projects.

A briefing on the key features of the Heartbeat@Bedok. – Photo: MFA

At the HDB Hub for a learning journey to Toa Payoh Town Centre

Lastly, participants also experienced how the Singapore River, Marina Bay area, and the Marina Barrage creatively address Singapore’s resource constraints by integrating water supply resilience while offering spaces to live, work, and play.

From the week of robust discussions and valuable insights gleaned, this programme continues to offer city leaders and urban officials a key platform to foster sustainable urban governance and planning approaches for more liveable and resilient cities.

By Kenneth Goh, Assistant Director, CLC.