{"id":76489,"date":"2025-08-06T00:00:01","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T00:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/?p=76489"},"modified":"2025-08-21T13:22:40","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T13:22:40","slug":"designing-3r-cities-for-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Designing 3R Cities for Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Professor Lily Kong, BBM, PMB, FBA,
President, Singapore Management University<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Professor\u00a0<\/em>Lily Kong<\/strong>, BBM, PMB, FBA, President of Singapore Management University<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What does it mean for a city to be resilient in today\u2019s world?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In July this year, over 100 city leaders, scholars, and industry partners gathered at City Dialogues in Vienna, co-convened by Singapore Management University and Urban Innovation Vienna, to reflect on the critical question of urban resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Held alongside the Mayors Forum of the World Cities Summit 2025, the dialogue provided a timely opportunity to share how cities can navigate complexity\u2014not only in response to disruption, but also in pursuit of sustainable and inclusive futures. Vienna, with its long-standing commitment to public housing, green infrastructure, and civic inclusion, was a fitting backdrop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inspired by SMU City Dialogues, I explore here how cities can bounce back, give back, and bring us back to health\u2014through resilience, regeneration, and restoration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Left to right: Co-Chair of the IPCC Working Group II and SMU Professor of Urban Climate Winston Chow<\/strong>; Urban Innovation Vienna Senior Urban Planner Dr. Johannes Lutter<\/strong>; and SMU Urban Institute Director Orlando Woods<\/strong> | All photos: SMU<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Revisiting Resilience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Urban resilience is often understood in terms of preparedness and recovery \u2014 how cities respond to pandemics, natural disasters, or economic disruptions. These remain essential considerations, but the dialogue in Vienna revealed the need to think beyond reactive paradigms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Singapore Management University, we embrace the broader framing of cities as resilient, regenerative and restorative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resilient cities<\/strong> anticipate, adapt, and respond effectively to disruptions. This involves not only physical infrastructure, but also social cohesion and institutional foresight. My colleague, Professor Winston Chow\u2014Co-Chair of the IPCC\u2019s Working Group II\u2014has advanced important research on urban heat vulnerability and adaptive cooling strategies in Southeast Asia. His work exemplifies the role that place-based, data-informed research can play in shaping policy and public understanding in the making of resilient cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At SMU, we believe that knowledge must cross boundaries. Our researchers work alongside policymakers and practitioners, ensuring our ideas do not remain in journals, but shape neighborhoods.<\/p>Professor Lily Kong<\/strong>, BBM, PMB, FBA, President of Singapore Management University<\/mark><\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Regenerative cities<\/strong> go further. They are concerned with replenishing ecological and social systems that have been depleted. For instance, Professor Archan Misra\u2019s work on ultra-low power sensors and sustainable IoT infrastructure envisages the smart city as not merely efficient but also ecologically responsive and scalable in reducing environmental burdens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Restorative cities<\/strong> return us to the heart of urban life: its people. These are cities that foreground the emotional, psychological, and social well-being of residents. At SMU\u2019s Urban Institute, our researchers adopt interdisciplinary approaches to understand how different segments of a population \u2013 older adults, migrants, caregivers and others \u2013 experience and navigate the city. In this framing, restoration is not simply repair; it is about enabling dignity, care, and connection in the everyday fabric of city life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While distinct in emphasis, resilience, regeneration, and restoration are mutually reinforcing\u2014together, they shape cities that can withstand crisis, sustain life, and nurture the human spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introducing the Sensitive City<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the 3Rs, a fourth concept emerged in our City Dialogue in Vienna: the sensitive city<\/em>. This is a city that listens. One that uses data and technology not solely for optimization, but to understand how people feel, experience, and interact in shared spaces. It recognizes that vulnerability is unevenly distributed; and that resilience, without equity, can deepen exclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
One of the City Dialogues track discussions in-progress, where participants engage in deeper conversations around the sub-themes<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

To that end, sensitivity is not antithetical to resilience; it is its necessary complement. It reflects a posture of humility, reflexivity, and empathy in urban governance. And it resonates with longstanding values in many societies, including Japan, where harmony with nature, attention to place, and respect for the everyday are deeply embedded in the urban experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Policymakers, industry leaders and academia at the Roundtable Panel session at SMU City Dialogues, a partner event of the Mayors Forum, World Cities Summit<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Towards a Collaborative Practice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What emerged strongly from City Dialogues was the recognition that no single institution or sector can address urban complexity alone. The challenges we face – climate adaptation, social fragmentation, infrastructural renewal – are deeply interconnected. Responses must be as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At SMU, we believe that knowledge must cross boundaries. Our researchers work alongside policymakers and practitioners, ensuring our ideas do not remain in journals, but shape neighborhoods. Through platforms like our Urban Institute and City Dialogues, we embrace a \u201ctriple helix\u201d model \u2013 where government, academia, and industry engage in sustained, reciprocal partnership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this spirit, City Dialogues is more than just an academic symposium. It is a springboard for real-world collaborations\u2014where knowledge meets policy, where ideas become interventions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
SMU\u2019s city campus \u2014 home to interdisciplinary research on urban sustainability, resilience, and community wellbeing.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cities as Communities of Meaning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What then is the value of urban resilience?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its value lies not only in the ability to recover from crisis, but in the capacity to anticipate with foresight, to adapt with resolve, and to rebuild with care. In this way, resilience enables cities to confront complexity with confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if resilience is about responding to disruption, regeneration calls on us to replenish what has been depleted\u2014our ecosystems, our resources, our shared futures. And restoration reminds us to care for the emotional, psychological, and social well-being of those who call our cities home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, these orientations offer more than a defensive posture. They invite us to imagine cities not just as engines of growth, but as communities of meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was the aspiration that brought us to Vienna. It is also the work that lies ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information on City Dialogues, please visit: City Dialogues | City Perspectives<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Professor Lily Kong, BBM, PMB, FBA,President, Singapore Management University What does it mean for a city to be resilient in today\u2019s world? In July this year, over 100 city leaders, scholars, and industry partners gathered at City Dialogues in Vienna, co-convened by Singapore Management University and Urban Innovation Vienna, to reflect on the critical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":76505,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[899,292,259,976,281,519],"tags":[506],"class_list":{"0":"post-76489","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-899","8":"category-articles","9":"category-bridging-japan","10":"category-economic-development-singapore","11":"category-economic-development","12":"category-singapore","13":"tag-industrial"},"yoast_head":"\nDesigning 3R Cities for Life - Bridges Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Designing 3R Cities for Life - Bridges Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Professor Lily Kong, BBM, PMB, FBA,President, Singapore Management University What does it mean for a city to be resilient in today\u2019s world? In July this year, over 100 city leaders, scholars, and industry partners gathered at City Dialogues in Vienna, co-convened by Singapore Management University and Urban Innovation Vienna, to reflect on the critical […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Bridges Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/synergymediaspecialists\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-06T00:00:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-21T13:22:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SG25-SMU-FI-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Bridges\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Bridges\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/\",\"name\":\"Designing 3R Cities for Life - Bridges Magazine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SG25-SMU-FI-2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-06T00:00:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-21T13:22:40+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#\/schema\/person\/7eaae35415f3ab69a9001065f26f87dd\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SG25-SMU-FI-2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SG25-SMU-FI-2.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":720},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Designing 3R Cities for Life\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/\",\"name\":\"Bridges Magazine\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#\/schema\/person\/7eaae35415f3ab69a9001065f26f87dd\",\"name\":\"Bridges\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5793c7d81e6afee763d0b29c1aaa7981d5bf57671c451fa22aab9ec057e36cc9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5793c7d81e6afee763d0b29c1aaa7981d5bf57671c451fa22aab9ec057e36cc9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Bridges\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/author\/kira\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Designing 3R Cities for Life - Bridges Magazine","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Designing 3R Cities for Life - Bridges Magazine","og_description":"By Professor Lily Kong, BBM, PMB, FBA,President, Singapore Management University What does it mean for a city to be resilient in today\u2019s world? In July this year, over 100 city leaders, scholars, and industry partners gathered at City Dialogues in Vienna, co-convened by Singapore Management University and Urban Innovation Vienna, to reflect on the critical […]","og_url":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/","og_site_name":"Bridges Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/synergymediaspecialists","article_published_time":"2025-08-06T00:00:01+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-21T13:22:40+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SG25-SMU-FI-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Bridges","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Bridges","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/","url":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/","name":"Designing 3R Cities for Life - Bridges Magazine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SG25-SMU-FI-2.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-06T00:00:01+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-21T13:22:40+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#\/schema\/person\/7eaae35415f3ab69a9001065f26f87dd"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SG25-SMU-FI-2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SG25-SMU-FI-2.jpg","width":1080,"height":720},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/designing-3r-cities-for-life\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Designing 3R Cities for Life"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/","name":"Bridges Magazine","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#\/schema\/person\/7eaae35415f3ab69a9001065f26f87dd","name":"Bridges","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5793c7d81e6afee763d0b29c1aaa7981d5bf57671c451fa22aab9ec057e36cc9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5793c7d81e6afee763d0b29c1aaa7981d5bf57671c451fa22aab9ec057e36cc9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Bridges"},"url":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/author\/kira\/"}]}},"author_meta":{"display_name":"Bridges","author_link":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/author\/kira\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/SG25-SMU-FI-2-300x200.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/category\/year\/2025\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">2025<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/category\/articles\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Articles<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/category\/articles\/bridging-japan\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Bridging Japan<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/category\/articles\/bridging-japan\/singapore\/economic-development-singapore\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Economic Development<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/category\/industries\/economic-development\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Economic Development<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/category\/articles\/bridging-japan\/singapore\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Singapore<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">2025<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Articles<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Bridging Japan<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Economic Development<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Economic Development<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Singapore<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/category\/articles\/bridging-japan\/singapore\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Industrial<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Industrial<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 9 months ago","modified":"Updated 8 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on August 6, 2025","modified":"Updated on August 21, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on August 6, 2025 12:00 am","modified":"Updated on August 21, 2025 1:22 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76489"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76556,"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76489\/revisions\/76556"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sms-bridges.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}