What Makes Cities Liveable and Loveable
Learn more about what makes a city tick and thrive, to go beyond the brick-and-mortar façades of our cityscapes to uncover the ‘urban software’ and sense of place that truly defines great cities.
Last updated 3 March 2025
This lecture has ended.
Lecture details
What Makes Cities Liveable and Loveable
12 Febuary 2025
3.30 pm – 5.30 pm.
Level 49, North Tower, One Raffles Quay, Singapore 048583
2 BOA-SIA Pts, 2 SIP Pts, 2 SILA Pts.
Seats are limited and priority will be given to pre-registered guests. Please be seated 10 minutes before lecture begins. Due to seating capacity, walk-ins will not be entertained. Reception will be available from 5.30pm - 6.30pm.
Source: (left to right) Big Ben, London, Luke Stackpoole/Unsplash; Empire State Building, New York,
Synopsis
As cities evolve, urban practitioners and policymakers face increasingly complex challenges in meeting the diverse needs of residents, businesses and visitors. Beyond creating functional spaces, cities of the future must also strive to enhance overall quality of life, and up the ante in providing well-loved places that add character and distinctiveness to cityscapes. This CLC lecture explores how the urban practice of creating liveable and lovable cities must be both a science – in how certain aspects liveability can be broken down and measured, and an art – where intangible elements like social interactions and urban design become instrumental in shaping the built environments we inhabit.
Join our keynote speaker and distinguished panel as they delve into what makes a city tick and thrive, to go beyond the brick-and-mortar façades of our cityscapes to uncover the ‘urban software’ and sense of place that truly defines great cities. The panel discussion will deliberate on how good practices of urban planning, design and management can meaningfully facilitate the “softer” aspects of urban life, to fostering better community interactions, social well-being and cultural vibrancy. Overall, this can lead to increased emotional attachment of the city by residents and its attractiveness to investors and visitors.
Resonance Consultancy will be presenting a new report focused on cities in the Asia-Pacific. A showcase of the most comprehensive evaluation of urban performance and perception in one of the world’s most dynamic regions. Covering a region that accounts for a third of global economic output, this report benchmarks cities across metrics that matter to residents, visitors, and investors alike. The report’s findings will serve as a valuable reference point for our panel discussion, illustrating how we can better measure a city’s liveability.
Resources
About the Speakers
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Chris Fair
CEO and President,
Resonance Consultancy
As Resonance’s President, Chris leads a global team in destination placemaking, branding, and marketing. Proficient in trend analysis, visioning, and city planning, he created the World’s Best Cities rankings for over 400 cities in 2016. A respected speaker on tourism, real estate, and urban development, he has also chaired the Urban Land Institute’s Travel Experience & Trends Council and teaches Placemaking at New York University.
MODERATOR
Ong Ker-Shing
Director,
Lekker Architects
Ong Ker-Shing is a designer and educator, co-founder of Lekker Architects, and Associate Professor (Practice) at NUS Department of Architecture. She is a registered Architect, with Masters degrees in Architecture and Landscape Architecture from Harvard GSD. Shing was granted the prestigious Wheelwright Traveling Fellowship in 2002, included in the third edition of the “20 Under 45” series organised by URA, and at Lekker, won the President’s Design Award of the Year in 2015 for The Caterpillar’s Cove Childcare and Development Centre and again in 2023 for Hack Care: Tips and Tricks for a Dementia-Friendly Home. Lekker works to advance interdisciplinary approaches to inclusive design, and to establish Singapore as a leader in this emerging field. Shing sits on the Advisory Board of PSM, Singapore, and the Council of Singapore Institute of Architects.
SPEAKER
Theresa Sheils
Regional Managing Principal,
Gensler
Theresa is the Co-Regional Managing Principal of Gensler’s Asia Pacific and Middle East (APME) region. Previously, she spent 28 years in Gensler’s Washington, D.C. office, seven of which she spent as Co-Managing Director of that office, working on some of the firm’s most complex international architecture and interior design projects. She is known for being a strategic advisor, leading client and consultant teams in tackling the challenges facing our cities across the globe. Theresa is a proponent of sustainable design and is adept at developing high-performance design solutions that use leading technology to reduce energy use and mitigate negative effects on the environment.
SPEAKER
Sebastian Ang
Founder,
Mama Diam, Lou Shang, Synthesis and Amacha
Sebastian Ang is the visionary entrepreneur behind Mama Diam, Lou Shang, Synthesis and Amacha– four unique concepts blending Singapore’s heritage with modern dining experiences. Through his ventures, Sebastian reimagines the softer aspects of city living, fostering community, nostalgia, and cultural appreciation.
Dedicated to creating lovable spaces, he integrates food, ambience, and hospitality to elevate urban culture. His work showcases the importance of preserving traditions while innovating for contemporary audiences, making cities more vibrant and liveable through meaningful F&B experiences.
SPEAKER
Anupam Yog
Managing Partner,
XDG Labs
Anupam Yog is a pragmatic urbanist, researcher and creative strategist. Through his research and advocacy on placemaking for healthy cities, he seeks to develop a “Conscious Cities Index”, which explores the connection between community well-being and a city’s urban design. Yog is an avid practitioner of meditation, and initiated The Big Sit in 2020 - an intentional, slow growing social meditation movement - from Singapore.
SPEAKER
Dr Limin Hee
Director (Research),
Centre for Liveable Cities
Dr Limin Hee is Director of Research at Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC), a nexus and knowledge centre for liveable and sustainable cities, where she focuses on research strategies, content development and international collaborations. Under her leadership, CLC Research spearheads forward-looking studies that consider how cities can prepare for the future and thrive in the face of driving forces such as resource shifts, the push for net-zero cities, ageing societies, and new ways of live-work-play.
Her own research focuses on urban liveability and sustainability and their agenda for architecture, urbanism and public space. Her recent books include A City in Blue and Green: A Singapore Story (Springer: 2019), and Constructing Singapore Public Space (Springer: 2016).