Singapore’s new Liveability Framework launched at World Cities Summit's Mayors Forum

Under the theme of Liveable and Sustainable Cities: Local Solutions, Global Impact, mayors from over 50 cities gathered in Vienna, Austria, on July 2 for a two-day conference to discuss local strategies to improve the quality of life in their cities.

The forum saw the launch of the new Liveability Framework by Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC), building on the original framework published in 2014, and a new joint report with Urban Innovation Vienna (UIV).

The updated Liveability Framework, titled Building Liveable and Sustainable Cities: A Framework for the Future, provides a refreshed understanding of liveability for cities considering present and future challenges.

CLC and UIV’s publication, Future of Public Housing: Insights into Housing in Singapore and Vienna highlights Singapore’s and Vienna’s housing strategies that contribute to maintaining housing affordability ahead of climate-related challenges and financing demands.

The Mayors Forum aimed to provide the opportunity for cross-collaboration between cities to address common global challenges such as climate change, ageing populations, and technological disruptions.

Chairing the forum was Singapore’s Minister for National Development, Chee Hong Tat, joined by Mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, representing the host city. 

The sessions covered five subthemes: delivering affordable housing, providing reliable municipal services, encouraging inter-city collaboration, rethinking urban energy transition, and managing urban water for resilience.

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Tackling urban energy transition

As cities are major carbon emitters, one of the key topics of the forum centred around sharing strategies to support the transition toward sustainable energy solutions.

Singapore’s buildings alone account for 20 per cent of national emissions, due to cooling in the face of constantly high temperatures.

“We are guided by the Singapore Green Building Masterplan, where we want to enhance the energy efficiency and green 80 per cent of our buildings by 2030 as a first step,” said Minister Chee in his opening address.

“As a city recognised for its commitment to sustainability, Vienna serves as a model for others around the world…[we] can share our experiences and learn from one another, demonstrating that local solutions can have a global impact,” said Mayor Ludwig.

Vienna is a 2020 Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize (LKYWCP) Laureate, in recognition of its commitment to climate neutrality, inclusive and sustainable urban policies, and high-quality public services.

Implementing more sustainable transportation, for example, was one of the strategies Vienna rolled out to achieve climate neutrality, with e-waste vehicles, affordable public transport, and accessible bike-sharing systems.

The revamped Liveability Framework shared the Bukit Timah Fire Station Project as one example that supported sustainability efforts with the implementation of “renewable solar energy, water and energy conservation fittings, and low-carbon mobility initiatives.”

The challenges for Singapore’s net-zero transition involve limited land space for green infrastructure, which calls for global networks of cooperation to unlock different strategies for future needs.

Global collaborations

The Mayors Forum acted as a locus of knowledge-sharing and included other programmes in addition to the sessions to further explore key global urban issues, such as the World Cities Summit (WCS) Young Leaders Symposium and the WCS Responsive Cities Sessions.

The aim with these interactive sessions was to deliver evidence-based solutions that could be applied to different contexts, addressing the challenges and ongoing efforts that cities adopt toward achieving resilience and liveability.

“This is why we are here, to learn from one another. It is through knowledge and collaboration that we can forge, that cities can accelerate and scale solutions. This is only possible with collective leadership and capability building,” Minister Chee concluded.

The next Mayors Forum will take place in Singapore as a part of the 10th edition of WCS, from 14 to 16 June 2026.