Cities may well be economic powerhouses, but their growth has often come at the expense of nature. Paved landscapes and towering structures typically dominate urban spaces, leaving little room for the natural greenery, and this has made cities particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change - from heat stress to extreme weather events like flooding. In response to these challenges, the concept of 'regenerative cities' has emerged as a way to build urban resilience. Unlike sustainable design which focuses on minimising environmental impact, regenerative design aims for a net positive effect; actively improving the surrounding environment, which includes ecosystems and biodiversity, in line with economic and social objectives.

According to Winston Chow, Professor of Urban Climate, the principle behind regenerative city solutions is how you integrate urban resilience by regenerating the parts of the city that used to be natural. This means allowing space for nature to grow and creating space for people to reconnect with nature.

Prof Chow, also the co-Chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II which assesses the impacts, adaptation and vulnerabilities related to climate change, shared his views on the topic at the World Cities Summit’s panel discussion titled ‘Resilient & Regenerative Cities Plenary 2: How do cities accelerate towards urban regeneration in harmony with nature?’ The panel explored the transformative potential of regenerative design, moving beyond simply incorporating green spaces and instead, embodying the principle of ‘giving back more than it takes.’

He was joined by a distinguished panel of city and industry experts: Mr Konstantine Vatskalis, Lord Mayor of Darwin (Australia); Mr Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40 Cities, a global network of climate-focused cities; and Mr Tan Wooi Leong of Surbana Jurong Group which specialises in sustainable architecture and design.

Here are some takeaways from their discussion.

What does regenerative city design look like?

During his presentation, Prof Chow shared findings from his work with his research team at the Sustainable Urban Living in Tropical & Extreme Environments (SULTREE) Lab. His study of Singapore’s Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, a 62-hectare park with waterways and greenery, showed the many benefits of green infrastructure in reducing climate risk, mitigating and adapting to climate change. This includes the cooling of the surrounding area by over 1.5 degrees Celsius, and sequestering and storing carbon away from the atmosphere. The park's naturalised stream also acts as a natural flood sponge, reducing the risks of flash floods during intense downpours.

Building regenerative cities, however, goes beyond the building of green infrastructure, and this is where Prof Chow stressed the importance of helping city dwellers reconnect with nature. “We need to value nature, not (just) because of its intrinsic value, but because of the many proven benefits it brings to cities’ residents, like facilitating active mobility and improving citizen health,” he argued. For instance, Singapore's 300km park connector network saw usage for exercise skyrocket from one per cent in 2006, to 26 per cent in 2011, demonstrating how green infrastructure can nudge citizens towards healthier lifestyles.

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As such, effective regenerative design involves having the right governance initiatives and policies that can bring the ecosystem and society together, addressing both their needs simultaneously.

As executive director of C40, a global network of city mayors who are committed to confronting the climate crisis, Mr Watts shared two examples of regenerative design by C40 cities. The GrowQC initiative in Quezon City, Philippines, is one example, where idle lands across the city were converted into productive, green and local urban farms, providing healthy and nutritious food to the population. The project also reduces transport and agriculture-related emissions, and creates inclusive and sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable groups.

Bogota, Columbia is another example, where it is estimated that 60,000 jobs have been created in the last five to 10 years in the greening of the city. Instead of following the twentieth-century model of designing cities for cars and car-owners, the city has also built a 25 km-long bicycle highway that will connect citizens from low, middle and high-income neighbourhoods with jobs, schools, and recreational opportunities. By supporting approximately 42, 000 bicycle daily trips, the development is estimated to account for 53 per cent of the city’s emissions reduction goal by 2050, highlighting the profound impact well-thought design can have on achieving climate goals.

Building blocks of regenerative city design

Gaining more natural capital is an essential component of regenerative cities, but how can city leaders achieve this while catering for their urbanisation needs, especially since an estimated two-thirds of the global population is projected to live in cities by 2050?

Prof Chow shared three other types of capital that cities need to accelerate urban regeneration in harmony with nature: Financial capital, knowledge capital and social capital.

First, bridging the gap between nature and economics is crucial. The private sector needs to recognise the financial benefits of nature-based solutions, such as the significant increase in property values for private and public housing that are closer to green infrastructure such as parks. A greater awareness of such benefits increases the funding available for such projects.

Second, fostering a deeper understanding of nature and its possibilities is essential. Education, from primary school to university, should emphasise the importance of natural capital and how it can be integrated with other disciplines. SMU’s Masters of Sustainability, for example, is an interdisciplinary programme that helps students learn how to use environmental and organisational resources wisely, thereby leading the way for effective and balanced solution-making.

Finally, shifting citizen behaviour towards a sustainable lifestyle is paramount. People need to develop an intrinsic understanding, not just intellectual knowledge, of the interconnectedness between their lives and the environment. This translates into everyday decisions that prioritise sustainability.

Prof Chow used the Singapore Green Plan 2030 as an example of how these three pillars work in tandem. The plan outlines a vision of becoming ‘A City in Nature’, but also includes targets like significantly reducing waste and water consumption, strengthening green initiatives in schools, and turning sustainability into a job engine. By addressing multiple aspects of citizen life – financial, educational, and behavioural – Singapore aims to galvanise a nationwide movement for sustainable development.

Mr Tan, Senior Executive Director of Global Energy, Infrastructure + Energy, at Surbana Jurong Group, a global urban infrastructure and integrated solutions consulting firm, shared another example of this multi-pronged approach at work. A timber plantation owner who had close to 5,000 hectares of land had plans to deforest the land further, but the Surbana Jurong team showed him an alternative path. By educating the client on the concept of nature-based solutions and explaining how he could utilise and monetise carbon credits for his own financial gain, the client eventually agreed to use the land for a low-carbon mixed development, thus benefiting himself, the environment and community at large.

Committing to holistic solution-building

Prof Chow described climate change as a “wicked problem” due to the simultaneous and sometimes conflicting stresses it brings to cities such as heat waves and water scarcity, alongside other extreme weather events. City leaders might feel pressured to focus on one issue over another, but Prof Chow encourages leaders to focus on holistic solution building.

“When it comes to regenerative city solutions, you can't think of one particular silver bullet. You have to include the whole system's perspective. It might seem challenging, but it's a way to ensure that government agencies break out of their silos and talk to each other to find an integrated solution,” he explained.

Mr Vatskalis, Lord Mayor of Darwin (Australia) shared a similar message. “Everything is interconnected. If you change something, something else will change,” he points out. For example, clearing land for development can affect water runoff, leading to erosion and the disappearance of plant and animal life that relies on it. But the same principle can reap positive benefits. Reforesting parts of a city can encourage wildlife to return and stabilise the ground, reducing flooding as trees absorb rainwater and prevent runoff.

“Having, living and being reconnected with nature can work for cities across different typologies, from established cities to rapidly growing and emerging cities in Southeast Asia,” Prof Chow highlighted. “So having this sort of reconnection with nature at the earliest stages is very critical if you want to plan for future urban development. The time for action is now”.

About the World Cities Summit

The World Cities Summit (WCS) is a biennial event organised by Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) that brings together government leaders and industry experts to address liveable and sustainable city challenges, share integrated urban solutions and forge new partnerships.