Key Takeaways from the 9th Megacity Think Tank Alliance Forum 2025

CLC is a founding member of MeTTA, an international alliance of megacity thinktanks. It functions as a network to share knowledge and coordinate efforts to help drive more effective solutions to emerging urban challenges, thereby improving quality of life for citizens.

The alliance currently consists of Seoul Institute (SI), Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning and Design (BICP), Centre for Liveable Cities, Singapore (CLC), Shanghai Urban Planning and Design Research Institute (SUPDRI), Ho Chi Minh Institute for Development Studies (HIDS), Busan Development Institute (BDI), Incheon Institute (II), Malaysia Institute of Planners (MIP), Korea Research Institute for Local Administration (KRILA), and three international organisations (CityNet, Metropolis and ICLEI East Asia Secretariat). The 9^th MeTTA Forum also welcomed the addition of four new members: Institute Paris Region (IPR), Mori Memorial Foundation, Japan (MMF), Arab Urban Development Institute (AUDI) and Nikken Sekkei Research Institute (NSRI).

Representatives from MeTTA member institutes at the 9th MeTTA Forum 2025. Source: MeTTA

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. This year’s Forum, the 9^th edition, centred around the theme of “Megacity in Global Transition: Toward a Sustainable, Inclusive, and Resilient Urban Future”. Director General of Institute Paris Region, Dr. Nicolas Bauquet, delivered the opening keynote on Planning for ‘Megacities in Transition: Takeaways from the Paris Region’. Representatives from member institutions shared on spatial planning and climate change issues related to megacities.

CLC was represented by Geraldyne How, Senior Assistant Director (Research), who shared on the topic of ‘Future Central Business Districts: Singapore and Global Perspectives’. She presented key findings from CLC’s study on the future of Central Business Districts (CBDs). The pandemic and the consequent shift toward remote work accelerated the need for cities to rethink and reevaluate the relevance of CBDs and their adaptability to such disruptions. Therefore, drawing on insights from global cities including Singapore, the presentation highlighted common trends faced by CBDs worldwide and examined how different cities have navigated these to remain resilient and future ready.

The “Humanize Wall” installation at Songhyeon Green Plaza

The MeTTA forum also coincided with the 40^th Anniversary of the Metropolis Congress and MeTTA members joined  site visits organised for the Metropolis Congress, which included the 5^th Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2025. The exhibition was  themed  “Radically More Human: Attractive Cities, Architecture for People”. Curated by Thomas Heatherwick, it explores how  urban architecture can be made more human-centric and good for society.

For more information on CLC’s CBD study, please refer to ‘Shaping Future Central Business Districts: Perspectives from Global Stakeholders’ e-publication, here.

Contributed by: Geraldyne How, Senior Assistant Director, Research