Key Takeaways from the 8th Megacity Think Tank Alliance Forum 2024

CLC is a founding member of MeTTA, an international alliance of megacity think tanks, which functions as a robust network to share knowledge and coordinate efforts that can help drive more effective solutions to emerging urban challenges, thereby improving the quality of life of citizens.

The alliance currently consists of Seoul Institute (SI), Busan Development Institute (BDI), Centre for Liveable Cities, Singapore (CLC), Incheon Institute (II), Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning and Design (BICP), Shanghai Urban Planning and Design Research Institute (SUPDRI), Tianjin Urban Planning & Design Institute (TUPDI), Ho Chi Minh Institute for Development Studies (HIDS), Malaysia Institute of Planners (MIP), Korea Research Institute for Local Administration (KRILA), and three international organisations (CityNet, Metropolis and ICLEI East Asia Secretariat).

The MeTTA Forum, hosted annually by alternating member institutions, serves as a platform for members to showcase their latest research work, exchange knowledge and foster collaboration on pressing urban issues. For its 8th edition, this year's Forum centred around the theme of "URBANISM NEXT 3R+: Reimagine, Reinvent, Revitalise & Reconnect", which emphasised a more holistic and progressive approach to urban development.

CLC’s Deputy Director, Research, Mr Shawn Tan, shared on the topic of The Future of Liveability in Cities: Perspectives from Singapore. He presented CLC's refreshed Liveability Framework (LF), which outlines a more holistic understanding of liveability outcomes in cities, as well as the supporting systems that help to enable and sustain them, using examples from Singapore’s development journey. He also discussed CLC's ongoing research work that look at delivering and assessing liveability outcomes across various urban scales, from the city-level down to precincts and neighbourhoods.

The MeTTA event also coincided with the annual National Planning Congress (NPC) 2024, co-organised by PLANMalaysia and MIP, which saw insightful presentations and panel discussions on a range of pertinent topics that included climate resilience and nature-based solutions, inclusivity and equitable communities, smart technology integration, culture and heritage preservation, and community partnerships.

Representatives from MeTTA member institutes at the National Planning Congress 2024.

Notably, Professor Barbara Norman, a member of CLC's World Cities Summit Knowledge Council, delivered a keynote address at the Congress, titled "Resilient Cities: Advancing Urban Sustainability and Climate Adaptation for Sustainable Future". By referring to the Australian government’s Urban Agenda, Professor Norman’s sharing further underscored the importance of developing integrated green precincts, building community partnerships, and the ability to translate national visions to ground-level action plans in shaping more desirable and resilient urban futures.

For more information on CLC’s refreshed Liveability Framework, please refer to ‘Building Liveable and Sustainable Cities: A Framework for the Future’ e-publication, here.