More than 1,000 distinguished leaders, thought leaders, senior officials and industry leaders from around the world attended the World Cities Summit (WCS) 2010, including about 50 ministers, mayors and governors. They benefitted from the opportunity to hear from leading urban planning experts, to share ideas, and to see firsthand how Singapore itself is successfully addressing its own challenges in planning and environmental sustainability.

Taking on the theme of “Liveable and Sustainable Cities for the Future”, WCS 2010’s highlights included the Plenary and Expert Panel Sessions, the WCS Mayors’ Forum, the Ministerial Dialogue, the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize, and Learning Journeys.

The Plenary and Expert Panel Sessions featured leading speakers, such as Mrs Anna Tibaijuka, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN-HABITAT, Mr James Adams, Vice President of the East Asia and Pacific Region, World Bank, Dr Jumaa Ahmed Al Kaabi, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture, Kingdom of Bahrain, Ricky Burdett, Professor of Urban Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Dr Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary, UN Convention on Biological Diversity, and Mr Jim Clifton, Chairman and CEO of Gallup Organisation.

Mrs Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN-HABITAT, speaking at the Joint Opening Plenary of the World Cities Summit (WCS) and the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW), titled ‘Sustainable Cities: Leadership and Governance’

Minister for National Development, Mr Mah Bow Tan presented a copy of the User's Manual on the City Biodiversity Index to Dr Ahmed Djoghlaf, UN Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity at the Expert Panel Session organised by NParks, titled ‘Urban Biodiversity & Ecology for Sustainable Cities’.

Together with other policy makers and industry experts, they discussed the challenges faced by cities around the world and their solutions. These issues are related to the five core components of liveable cities – good governance, a competitive economy, master planning, good quality of life, and environmental sustainability.

Ambassador Ong Keng Yong moderated Plenary 2 of the World Cities Summit, themed ‘Harmonious, Creative and Liveable Cities: Balancing Community Needs’.

At the sidelines of Plenary 2, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan met students from Anglo Chinese School (Independent) and River Valley High School, finalists of the NUS Chancellor’s Challenge Shield competition.

The inaugural WCS Mayors’ Forum was a new and strategic platform for leading mayors and governors to gather to share best practices and suggest solutions that are scaleable, practical, and replicable, in a common effort to build liveable cities and foster harmonious communities. Titled "Cities as Growth Engines in a Post-Crisis World" and moderated by Mr Mah Bow Tan, Singapore’s Minister for National Development, the forum leveraged on the strong attendance of around 30 mayors and governors at WCS 2010. Cities represented at WCS 2010 included Bern, Switzerland, Chongqing, China, Phoenix, USA, Melbourne, Australia, Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia, and Lagos, Nigeria.

At the same time, a Ministerial Dialogue, titled “Leading the Change: Building Liveable and Vibrant Cities”, was organised as well. Moderated by Ms Grace Fu, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education, this Ministerial Dialogue comprised speakers from emerging countries and cities, and discussed the vision for a liveable and vibrant city, as well as the priorities of a country or city given the recent economic crisis. The speakers included Mr Jaime Lerner, the noted former mayor of Curitiba, Brazil and Mrs Carrie Lam, the Secretary for Development from Hong Kong.

The Ministerial Dialogue, themed ‘Leading the Change: Building Liveable & Vibrant Cities’, was moderated by Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education, Ms Grace Fu

Another first for WCS was the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize, which provides a platform to highlight and celebrate urban solutions, and to spur further innovation in the area of sustainable urban development and city excellence. Jointly organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Centre for Liveable Cities, the biennial international Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize seeks to generate positive social, economic and environmental impact in cities around the world. Bilbao City Hall topped 78 nominations to become the inaugural Prize Laureate, in recognition of its integrated and holistic approach in urban transformation. Bilbao's success is founded on visionary leadership, commitment to long-term planning, strong processes and supporting infrastructure.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Mr Teo Chee Hean received a commemorative book from the Mayor of Bilbao, Mr Iñaki Azkuna, during a tour of the World Cities Summit Expo. At the left of Mr Teo is Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, and to his right is the CEO of the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Mrs Cheong Koon Hean.

A component of WCS 2010 which facilitated the on-site sharing of best practices and expertise in urban development and management was the Learning Journeys. Comprising six distinct visits (spanning City Planning, the Built Environment, Public Housing, Waste and Resource Management, Urban Biodiversity Conservation, and Marine Aquaculture) to different parts of the island-city, the Learning Journeys offered international delegates opportunities to visit and understand the work of Singapore’s public agencies.

The journeys also provided insights into Singapore’s latest and key city developments, achievements in universal design, public housing, ecological offshore landfill, nature and conservation, and tropical marine aquaculture. The Learning Journey sites included The Pinnacle@Duxton, Marina Bay Sands, the Southern Ridges, Chek Jawa Wetlands @ Pulau Ubib, and the Offshore Landfill @ Palau Semakau.

Despite having one of the highest population densities in the world, Singapore is often rated as one of the world’s most liveable cities. One such ranking is the Mercer’s 2010 Quality of Life survey, which identified Singapore as the highest ranking Asian city among 221 cities globally. As host nation of the World Cities Summit, Singapore was well placed to share its expertise in specific areas such as public housing, waste management, green infrastructure, and urban planning.