VIENNA, AUSTRIA — Cities may differ in geography and culture, but their most pressing challenges often share common threads, and the solutions devised locally are proving to inspire globally. That was the central theme at the World Cities Summit Mayors Forum, held on July 3 and 4 in Vienna. Chaired by Singapore’s National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat, the high-level gathering brought together mayors and leaders from over 50 cities to discuss strategies for tackling urban issues such as affordable housing, climate resilience, and inclusive governance.
“Innovation thrives when cities come together to learn, share and adapt,” said Minister Chee in his closing remarks. “It’s about clarity in our goals, coupled with openness to new ideas and a commitment to collective progress.”
Minister Chee highlighted how citizen involvement strengthens public policy, citing Venezuela’s Caracas government plan as a notable example. The roadmap for national development until 2030 was shaped through widespread public engagement and is now a foundation for national transformation projects, aimed at diversifying the economy and reducing crime.
“By inviting citizens into the policymaking process, governments can deliver services that are more responsive, more effective, and ultimately more impactful,” he said.
Vienna’s celebrated flood prevention system also drew attention at the forum. The city’s bold 1980s move to carve a secondary channel alongside the Danube River, using the excavated soil to create the 21-kilometre Danube Island, transformed a vulnerability into an asset. The island now serves as a popular recreational destination and helped protect Vienna from widespread damage during Storm Boris in 2024.
Coinciding with the forum, Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities released several publications, including a comparative study on housing policies in Vienna and Singapore. Vienna’s distinctive approach, where over half the population lives in public or subsidised rental housing, has succeeded in keeping rent levels low, reducing market speculation, and erasing socio-economic divides in neighbourhoods.
“The ability to pass down subsidised housing to future generations, despite a low homeownership rate, reflects Vienna’s long-term planning and land management,” said youth delegate Zac Toh, founder of City Sprouts, an urban farm and social enterprise.
Singapore Management University’s Professor Winston Chow, who moderated the forum, emphasized the importance of listening to community voices, especially those often marginalised. “Urban success hinges on inclusion. When indigenous knowledge is ignored, it leads to unsustainable and often harmful outcomes,” he noted.
Preceding the main event was the SMU City Dialogues conference on July 2, which shifted focus beyond established global cities to those struggling with more fundamental issues. These so-called “survivable cities,” a term used by Professor Loretta Lees of Boston University, are still grappling with poverty, housing shortages and unemployment, making long-term resilience a distant goal.
“They’re in crisis mode daily, just trying to survive, feed their children, find work, secure shelter,” said Prof Lees during a roundtable discussion. The three-day series of conversations underscored that while every city has its own journey, mutual learning remains a powerful tool in shaping better, fairer urban futures.