Latest news with #SMUCityDialogues
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
Global experts at SMU City Dialogues Vienna: Urban resilience requires trust, equity and 'smart enough' solutions
SINGAPORE and VIENNA, July 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As a partner event of the Mayors Forum of the World Cities Summit 2025, the fourth edition of SMU City Dialogues was successfully organised by Singapore Management University (SMU) in partnership with Urban Innovation Vienna (UIV) on 2 July 2025 at Vienna City Hall. City Dialogues Vienna welcomed over 100 attendees from 20 countries; with representation from more than 20 universities and over 30 private and public organisations – a testament to the diversity and dynamism of our global community, and the urgency and relevance of the dialogue topic of urban resilience. The event opened with a welcome address by SMU Provost, Professor Alan Chan, followed by remarks from Mr Melvyn Ong, Permanent Secretary (Development) at the Ministry of National Development, Republic of Singapore. The keynote address was delivered by Mr Jürgen Czernohorszky, Executive City Councillor for Climate, Environment, Democracy and Personnel of the City of Vienna. Centered around the guiding question "What is the value of urban resilience?", the event brought together urban leaders, policymakers and academics from Europe, Asia and beyond to exchange actionable insights towards resilient, inclusive and future-ready cities. The programme featured three thematic tracks, each addressing a core dimension of urban resilience: These parallel discussions concluded with a joint key takeaway session led by SMU professors Winston Chow and Orlando Woods, alongside UIV's Johannes Lutter. Their insights made one thing clear: urban resilience is not a buzzword, but a lived responsibility which requires trust, participation, and context-sensitive action. Professor Winston Chow, Co-Chair of the IPCC Working Group II and Professor of Urban Climate at SMU, said, "Resilience isn't just about surviving, it's about thriving. We need to align financial systems with social goals, build trust through good governance, and empower communities to shape their own future." Prof Chow also cautioned against over-reliance on public-private partnerships, noting that "public-private partnerships can be powerful tools, but they are not universal solutions. They require competent, stable governments, extensive due diligence and clear alignment of interest." SMU Professor of Geography Orlando Woods, who is also Director of the SMU Urban Institute, reflected on the limitations of digital solutions in addressing complex urban challenges. While his group was tasked with exploring innovation and technology, much of the discussion shifted toward the structural problems that technology alone cannot resolve. "It's not about being a smart city. It's about being a smart enough city. Smart enough relative to the context, the specific problem we are trying to solve with the technology that we have." He emphasised that overreliance on data and digital tools often leads to oversimplified responses, while masking deeper systemic issues like inequality, mental health, or infrastructural neglect. Dr Johannes Lutter Senior Urban Planner at Urban Innovation Vienna, outlined three key messages on how resilience can be made more socially inclusive and locally grounded. "Given our limited resources, it is essential that we take targeted action—focusing in particular on those who are most vulnerable. To do so effectively, we must have a clear understanding of who is at risk." "We must restore agency to communities—not by shifting responsibility onto them and stepping back, but by fostering a structured dialogue between governments and communities, ensuring genuine collaboration between public institutions and the people they serve," he added. Initiated in 2019 by Singapore Management University, the City Dialogues series fosters candid exchange among policymakers, academics and business leaders. It aims to generate actionable recommendations for sustainable and inclusive urban development. Previous editions held in Singapore and Bangkok successfully brought together leaders from government, industry, and academia to engage in honest, action-oriented conversations.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
SMU and 4 overseas universities join forces to advance human-focused urban research
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SMU Urban Institute director Orlando Woods (right) at the signing with (from left) LSE head of geography and environment Hyun Bang Shin, Boston University's Initiative on Cities director Loretta Lees, Melbourne Centre for Cities director Cathy Oke and University of Toronto's School of Cities director Karen Chapple. VIENNA, Austria – The Singapore Management University (SMU) and four universities in other countries have come together to conduct joint research on how city dwellers navigate and shape the environment in which they live. Apart from SMU, the four other members of this Global Alliance on Sustainable Urban Societies are: Boston University in the US, the London School of Economics and Political Science, the University of Melbourne in Australia, and the University of Toronto in Canada. This partnership was announced on July 2 at SMU City Dialogues, a conference held in Vienna, which brought together global academics, government officials and corporates to discuss how cities can resist various shocks from climate change to financial crises. 'The real motivation for this alliance is to put humans first, and recognise that people are the engines of cities and sustainability,' said Professor Orlando Woods, director of the one-year-old SMU Urban Institute. The institute aims to address the urban challenges that confront Singapore and key Asian cities. '(For urban issues), so much research is dominated by the built environment, where we want to build buildings better, we want to perfect digital systems to make cities smarter, and AI... but they never actually talk to people who use these systems,' said Prof Woods. And this alliance aims to shift focus by prioritising the very people who live in cities, and examining the ways they move through and transform urban spaces. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore and Cambodia to expand collaboration in renewable energy, carbon markets and agri-trade Singapore Ong Beng Seng's court hearing rescheduled one day before he was expected to plead guilty Singapore Three hair salons raided in clampdown on touting, vice, drugs in Geylang and Joo Chiat Singapore The romance continues: Former 'Singapore girl', 77, returns to Osaka Expo after 55 years Singapore GrabCab, Singapore's newest taxi operator, hits the roads with over 40 cabs to be rolled out in July Singapore Police looking into claim by driver who caused teen's death that he was an NUS student Singapore Man on trial for raping drunken woman after offering to drive her and her friend home Singapore 3 weeks' jail for man who touched himself on train, flicked bodily fluid on female passenger 'By recognising people as sensors, enablers and actuators, the collaboration acknowledges the vital, multi-faceted role of residents in shaping sustainable urban societies,' said the five universities in a joint statement on July 2. While specific research projects have not been decided yet, one potential work area could involve examining how extreme heat affects the mental health of city dwellers. This research proposal was led by Boston University's Initiative on Cities department and submitted for potential funding to the Wellcome Trust, a London-based charity focused on health research. The effect of heat stress on the human body, from rashes to heat stroke, is well studied; but how rising temperatures affect people's mental health and emotions, not so much, noted Prof Woods. A separate Boston University study in 2022 found that on extremely hot summer days in the US, people were at higher risk of rushing to emergency departments because of crises arising from substance use, anxiety, and stress and mood disorders. The proposed study could involve participants in several countries, including Singapore, the US and Australia, documenting how hot weather is affecting them, said Prof Woods. Beyond joint research, the alliance will also collaborate through workshops, student exchanges and data sharing. Professor Loretta Lees, director of the Initiative on Cities at Boston University, said the strength of the coalition lies in 'working with like-minded urbanists' to find out how different cities are dealing with challenges. Prof Woods added: 'It is a formal framework through which we can do more work together... if an opportunity comes along where we need to build a bigger research team that's not just SMU.' In 2022, SMU and the University of Toronto compared the challenges faced by students from India in both countries, and their sense of belonging as student migrants. Soon, both universities will embark on studies related to emerging trends in transport. The one-day SMU City Dialogues is a partner event of the World Cities Summit Mayors Forum that will be held in Vienna on July 3 and 4. The upcoming forum serves as a platform for mayors and city leaders to discuss pressing urban challenges and share solutions.
