INTEGRATED LONG-TERM MASTER PLANNING VITAL FOR DEVELOPING LIVEABLE CITIES - WCSMF

SINGAPORE, July 5 (Bernama) -- The second annual World Cities Summit Mayors Forum (WCSMF) in the city state concluded successfully with a common consensus
among the mayors that integrated long-term master planning was necessary for
developing liveable and sustainable cities.

Another successful outcome was the exchange of programmes and strategies
from various cities to overcome future challenges, including a lack of technical
capacity among many municipalities, poor rule of law, and a culture of
non-enforcement of rules.

Thirty governors and mayors from 28 cities in 18 countries participated in
the WCSMF today.

Organised as a key component of the World Cities Summit (WCS), WCSMF saw
mayors from countries in Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Mexico, Iran and Austria,
gathered in the republic to share best practices and discuss urban solutions in
a common effort to build liveable cities.

Themed, “Building Economically Competitive, High Density and Highly Liveable
Cities”, the Forum was officially opened by Singapore’s Minister for National
Development Khaw Boon Wan.

Khoo Teng Chye, Executive Director of the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC),
said despite their diverse backgrounds, there was a lot of agreement on good
principles, such as long-term integrated planning.

"There was a palpable sense that the mayors were connected by a common
mission to better the lives of their people,” he told repr The forum delegates
also discussed the challenges of urban planning, especially in relation to
changing political leadership or when responsibility was shared with regional or
national government.