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(13 Mar) Urban Resilience in 3 Acts

Date: 13 March 2026

Time: 2.00pm – 6:00pm

Venue: SUTD Hokkien Foundation Lecture Theatre 4

Theme: Adapting to Change I: Urban, Social, Cultural

How can a city stay resilient in a world of constant change — where AI reshapes jobs, communities evolve, and climate risks intensify?

This SUTD-LKYCIC seminar explores Singapore’s urban resilience from three perspectives: economic resilience, social cohesion and climate change adaptation. Discover how workers can thrive amid AI transformation, how neighbourly ties shape inclusive communities in mixed-income estates, and why rethinking “resilience” and “adaptation” matters for tackling rising urban heat. Drawing on a decade of LKYCIC research, the session invites all — students, residents, policymakers — to rethink what resilience means today. Join this cross-sectoral conversation on how we can prepare, adapt, and thrive together in changing times.

Speakers

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Prof Cheong Koon Hean

Cheong Koon Hean is Practice Professor and Chairman of the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities (SUTD) and the Centre for Liveable Cities Advisory Panel (MND). She also serves on advisory panels and boards, and is Rector of NUS College and Singapore’s Non-Resident Ambassador to Finland.

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Mr Poon King Wang

Poon King Wang is SUTD’s Chief Strategy and Design·AI Officer, and concurrently Director of the LKYCIC (where he also heads the Smart Cities Lab and the Future Digital Economies initiative).

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Dr Suhaila Binte Zainal Shah

Suhaila Zainal Shah is Research Fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities. A sociologist with expertise in interdisciplinary and applied social research, she studies social inequalities, inclusivity, and urban challenges.

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Jeremy Mok has served in the eldercare sector with Lions Befrienders since 2017. His work in community building through engaging residents, volunteers and partners has given him first-hand experience on how seniors can be meaningfully engaged and inspired to contribute back.

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Harvey Neo’s research focuses on urban futures, citizen urban science, policy-making, and nature-society interactions. He is Southeast Asian editor of Human Geography and Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, and serves on advisory boards including Geoforum and Progress in Environmental Geography.

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Tony Tan is the Chief Corporate Officer of CapitaLand Development (CLD), where he oversees the corporate functions of Human Resources, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and Communications.

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Ms Melissa Kwee

Melissa Kwee co-founded Beautiful People in 2006, a volunteer-driven mentorship initiative for at-risk youth and families. From 2014 to 2022, she served as CEO of the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), championing civic campaigns like Giving.sg and the “Company of Good” movement.

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Patrick Tay is Assistant Secretary-General of NTUC and Member of Parliament of Pioneer SMC. He chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education and co-chairs the Financial Sector Tripartite Committee.

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Yanjun Cai is Research Fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities. Her research focuses on climate resilience and urban sustainability in the face of digital transformation, paying additional attention to disadvantaged populations.

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