Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize

The V&A Waterfront in City of Cape Town is a postcard-worthy scene. Set in South Africa’s oldest working harbour, you can live, work and play here, filled with vibrant activities and busking performances. A Lee Kuan Yew #WorldCityPrize 2024 Special Mention city, Cape Town’s V&A (Victoria & Alfred) Waterfront's transformation offers lessons for port cities in revitalising their waterfronts. Since being managed by master developer V&A Waterfront (Pty) Ltd in 1988, the Waterfront has grown exponentially, attracting around 25 million people a year. In this exclusive interview with David Green, CEO of the V&A Waterfront since 2009, he shares 4 key reasons for the V&A waterfront’s success: 🤝 The unique public-private master developer model adopted for the Waterfront leverages on the strengths of the public and private sectors. ⚓ It is important to respect the heritage of the Waterfront. Retaining its working harbour has make the Waterfront special and serves as significant attraction too. 🎤 Its dedicated busking programme supporting local talents has not only contributed to a vibrant atmosphere for the Waterfront but some of its buskers have attracted interest from international music labels. 🫶 The Waterfront also gives back to the economy and society by nurturing small businesses, supporting local families. Watch the full interview to learn more about the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, the LKYWCP Special Mention City: https://lnkd.in/gkm7aNWx #LKYWCP #UrbanTransformation #UrbanDevelopment #UrbanPlanning

Urban design isn't just about aesthetics; it's about creating better lives. 🌍 At the inaugural Urban Design Roundtable in Singapore, we were delighted to learn more from leading master planner Joe Berridge from Toronto, urban designer Wataru Tanaka from Tokyo, and architect Dr Christopher Lee from London/Singapore on the important role of urban design in creating more high-density, #LiveableCities. Did you know that City of Toronto (2016) and Tokyo (2018) were recognised with the Lee Kuan Yew #WorldCityPrize Special Mention? These global cities continue to captivate with their urban magic, from Toronto's diverse tapestry to Tokyo's seamless transit-oriented experiences. As these cities continue to harness the transformative power of #UrbanDesign, we share some key ideas from the three speakers to inspire other urban planners, architects, and designers out here. Moderated by Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (URA) Chief Urban Designer Siew Leng Fun and the Lee Kuan Yew #WorldCityPrize Secretary Lay Bee Yap, the roundtable will become a regular edition that brings together key experts and practitioners to discuss and exchange ideas and insights on urban design. P.S. More info on the speakers in the comments below ⬇️ Photo credits: Urban Redevelopment Authority #LKYWCP

Cities in the Asia-Pacific face a growing number of challenges – climate change, inequality and rapid urbanisation. How can urban leaders play a part in creating more sustainable, resilient and equitable cities? Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (URA) CEO Eng Hwee Lim shared more about Singapore’s experience as the keynote speaker at the recent United Nations’ dialogue in Bangkok and about the Lee Kuan Yew #WorldCityPrize as its Nominating Committee member. The high-level dialogue is organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme), United Nations ESCAP and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The speakers and leaders discussed how urban governance and collaborative leadership can contribute to cities’ transformation. Thanks to UNDP for bringing together urban leaders to exchange ideas on pressing urban challenges. The Prize hopes to promote cities' exchanges on creating more sustainable and liveable environments. Read more on Prize cities: https://lnkd.in/g43eX6fV Photo credits: UNDP #LKYWCP #UrbanTransformation #SustainableCities

Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (URA) is honoured to be part of Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)’s recent new City Advocacy Forum programme in sharing ideas and initiatives on shaping sustainable, resilient and inclusive high-density urbanism. Lay Bee Yap, the Lee Kuan Yew #WorldCityPrize Secretary, spoke at its opening plenary. In addition, we also learnt more about strategic planning and placemaking efforts from the Greater London Authority team. In sharing more about Singapore and the Prize, we are always on the lookout for transformative city stories and impactful innovations. Connect with us and nominate a city if you know of any inspiring city stories and efforts: https://go.gov.sg/nominate Photo credits: CTBUH and URA #LKYWCP #Placemaking #UrbanPlanning #SustainableCities

The best way to experience and get to know a city is to walk through it! 🚶 It is encouraging to see the next generation of city planners taking an interest in sustainable urban planning - and the City of Vienna is a great place to learn from. 🌍 They are recognised for reinventing itself for success in the 21st century without losing its distinctive identity as a capital of culture, music, and history. In particular, Vienna has taken on a leading role in addressing the global challenges of climate change. Vienna’s efforts in greening their building and creating walkable streets are replicable ideas for other cities. We are glad to have Lee Kuan Yew #WorldCityPrize 2020 Laureate Vienna and UIV Urban Innovation Vienna as part of founding members of the LKYWCP Network. #SustainableCities #Liveability #UrbanTransformation #UrbanPlanning #ClimateAdaptation

When architect Wong Mun Summ visited dynamic Mexico City (Gobierno de la Ciudad de México)as part of the Lee Kuan Yew #WorldCityPrize evaluation process, it wasn’t just about evaluating the city’s transformative projects. It was about diving deep and uncovering the city’s soul and people. After touring the large projects in the city’s core, a different story unfolded on the city’s fringes. He was “astounded” to see a remarkable transformation amongst its marginalised communities. Through innovative policies and strategic measures, the city was improving lives. It was inspiring for Mun Summ, a testament to the power of focused action. For the award-winning co-founder of WOHA Architects, being part of the Prize jury since 2018 has been a continuous learning experience as well. Each city he has visited has unveiled a unique approach to urban innovation and citizen wellbeing. It’s a constant reminder that cities are always in a continuous state of growth and evolution, and progress can truly impact people. His message to city leaders out there? Share the story of your city’s progress and potential! This prestigious award celebrates urban excellence on a global stage, offering a platform to inspire and learn from each other. Nominate your city for the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize cycle 2026: https://lnkd.in/dsV6Y3nj #LKYWCP #UrbanInnovation #Liveability #UrbanTransformation #SustainableCities

It’s baby animal season in zoos around the world - and in New Zealand’s capital city of Wellington, it’s happening in the wild.🐣 More than cuteness, their first kiwi chick of the season is a testament to Wellington’s dedication to conserving and restoring natural habitat in urban and natural areas. Wellington continues to see success from extensive citizen engagement and involvement in rewilding efforts, promoting environmental #conservation, social cohesion, and community spirit – an exemplary model for harmonious urban-nature coexistence.🤝 We are proud to have Wellington as a 2024 Special Mention City, and we hope this can inspire other cities in their efforts towards living with nature. Wellington City Council #WorldCityPrize #UrbanTransformation #NatureRestoration #SustainableCities

Experts from the Lee Kuan Yew #WorldCityPrize Network’s founding member cities—Eider Inunciaga Serna (Bilbao), Simón Arango Velásquez (Alcaldía de Medellín), Zoe Baldwin (City of New York), Kim In-Hee (Seoul), and Johannes Lutter (City of Vienna)—convened at the inaugural WRLDCTY and Bilbao Metropoli 30 #TheBayAwards Summit in Bilbao, sharing how cities can drive revitalisation efforts and build resilience. Moderated by Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) Executive Fellow Michael Koh, the Network panel emphasised that beyond just enhancing the physical environment, engaging and involving local communities as part of cities’ rejuvenation efforts is crucial to building social and environmental resilience. On the sidelines, the Network’s members also came together for a closed-door International Panel of Experts session, sharing how building universities in cities is also about creating the right social ecosystems that can drive a greater exchange of ideas and innovation. The Prize’s Network was first launched in June this year to build a community of urban leaders and practitioners to exchange ideas and insights on creating liveable and #SustainableCities and to address common urban challenges together. Members of the Network comprise representatives from the 7 Laureate cities of the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize. The 20 Special Mention cities are also invited to join the Network. Here’s to more member-led sharing and collaborations! Special thanks to Bilbao Metropoli 30 for hosting the first Network panel. Read more about the Prize’s Network here: https://lnkd.in/gCzAfBMh Photo credits: Bilbao Metropoli 30, Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) #LKYWCP #ThoughtLeadership

We are excited to catch up with friends at the recent Future Green City World Congress in Utrecht, Netherlands—Professors at Eindhoven University of Technology：Ronald Rijnen, Juliette Bekkering and Rik van der Velden as well as Joyce van den Berg, Chief Landscape Architect, Amsterdam. In addition to sharing about Singapore and the Lee Kuan Yew #WorldCityPrize at the Congress, we also learnt of more inspiring stories and innovative projects driving greener, more sustainable cities. Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (URA) looks forward to growing the Prize’s community of city leaders and champions to continue sharing best practices and address common challenges together. Join the community by submitting for the 2026 Prize cycle: https://go.gov.sg/nominate

Besides New York City’s (City of New York) popular High Line, #DidYouKnow that the city has almost 600 privately owned public spaces (POPS)? Following the 9/11 event in 2001 and its recognition as the Lee Kuan Yew #WorldCityPrize Laureate in 2012, New York City has invested even more heavily in the public realm in creating a world-class central business district and city. We catch up with Edith Hsu-Chen, the Director of New York City‘s Department of City Planning, on how the city has created such an impressive number of public spaces since the 1960s:   📝Continuously calibrate regulations to not just cater for the lowest common denominator, but for outliers to create more interesting and unique public spaces 🛠️Build up a good understanding and culture of the value of good public spaces for businesses, the city and people ✅Provide the right amount of incentives to the private sector to make the provision of public spaces viable      Read our full interview with Edith for more insights behind its POPS stars, and discover a lesser-known strategy for making the High Line viable for future developments around it. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gWgRnQ2j #LKYWCP #UrbanPlanning #UrbanTransformation #PublicSpace