Urban sustainability initiatives require trillions of dollars in annual investments, yet cities – especially in emerging Asian economies – face barriers in securing long-term capital flows. High perceived risks, fragmented regulatory environments and uncertain returns deter private investments into sustainable urban projects, leaving critical infrastructure underfunded.

Through strategic financial mechanisms, bridging public and private investments, cities can become magnets for sustainable investments, unlocking scalable solutions for climate resilience, green buildings and social inclusion.

Singapore’s FAST-P blended finance initiative combines concessional capital with private capital to derisk and fund decarbonisation and climate resiliency projects; municipal green bonds is financing climate-resilient urban growth in Indian cities; and Indonesia’s SDG-linked sukuk are directing billions into sustainable urban infrastructure, from flood-resistant housing to low-carbon mobility.

The challenging is cultivating the right enabling environment, from regulatory frameworks to standardised sustainability metrics, to harness the full potential of these financial innovations, while securing long-term stakeholder buy-in.

This session convenes financial experts, urban planners and developers to determine actionable strategies for turning Asia’s urban centres into engines for bankable, inclusive and sustainable growth.

Tourism accounts for approximately 8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, placing immense pressure on urban environments to balance economic and infrastructure growth with resource constraints.  

But if designed sustainably, tourism can be a powerful catalyst for inclusive urban growth and a springboard for innovation.  

Singapore’s Changi Airport is a model for nature-positive urban infrastructure, integrating biodiversity corridors and green spaces to spur tourist visits while restoring urban resilience. In Thailand, community-based tourism initiatives empower residents to co-manage tourism assets, ensuring that sustainable mobility, conservation and cultural benefits sit at the heart of urban communities.

What policy levers, financing structures and cross-sector partnerships are needed to enable cities across Asia to replicate, scale and systemise these successes? How do we rethink visitor flows and infrastructure to manage tourism’s economic, environmental and social trade-offs?

This session convenes policymakers, innovators and civic leaders, innovators to discuss bold strategies for positioning tourism as an engine for thriving, equitable and climate-positive urban centres.

By 2050, two-thirds of the population will live in cities. However, rising temperatures, flooding and air pollution are posing major challenges to the lives and livelihoods dependent on these cities, including major cities across Asia.

Nature-based solutions which integrate nature into urban systems provide natural cooling and carbon mitigation solutions, while strengthening climate resiliency and enhancing urban liveability at the same time.

From Singapore’s “City in a Garden” utilising vertical greening and biodiverse wetlands to reduce heat island effects, to China’s “sponge cities” designed to reduce urban flooding and water shortages through rainwater storage and purification, cities across Asia are increasingly recognising the vital nexus between nature and urban centres.  

How do we create the right policy and regulatory frameworks, financial mechanisms and stakeholder engagement to mainstream nature solutions for cities at scale? How do we quantify the multi-sectoral benefits – from greater resiliency to improved liveability and tourism revenue – to justify investments into nature-based solutions? And how do smaller, resource-constrained cities overcome inherent challenges and embody nature-positive concepts?

This session convenes key decision-makers from government, finance, urban planners and ecologists to build post-carbon, climate-resilient cities across Asia.

Coastal cities across Asia are increasingly threatened by rising sea levels, posing serious risks to millions of lives and livelihoods, alongside untold economic losses, due to rampant flooding and infrastructure damage.

Traditional approaches, such as sea and flood walls, are inadequate to cope with this rising threat, while adaptation costs for developing countries – currently in the hundreds of billions – could double by 2050.

The shift to water-positive urban systems, where cities actively restore watersheds and capture rainfall, can turn this vulnerability into an opportunity for greater resiliency, economic growth and ecological renewal.

From Bangkok’s "Monkey Cheeks" floodwater retention system to divert monsoon rains, to Jakarta’s biopore infiltration wells to replenish groundwater with urban spaces, city governments are finding hyper-local solutions to combat this global crisis.

What governance models, nature-based designs and blended finance tools can accelerate Asian cities’ transition to water-positive systems? How can cities align flood protection with green corridors and public space? And how do we ensure vulnerable communities are involved in the decision-making process and co-designing these systems?

This session brings together key stakeholders from government, finance and civic society to chart the course for urban water systems that protect, restore and thrive in the long term.

At 800 million tonnes per year, Asia is the largest waste-producing continent in the globe as rapid urbanisation and consumption outpace waste management capacity. From increasing greenhouse gas emissions to plastic-littered oceans, waste is threatening the resiliency of Asian cities to cope with urgent sustainability issues.  

Breakthroughs in smart waste tech and closed-loop, circular systems provide these urban centres with the opportunity to turn this crisis into an opportunity – slashing emissions, creating new jobs and recovering valuable resources from what was once considered trash.

From Japan’s circular cities to harnessing artificial intelligence for smarter and cost-efficient waste management solutions across cities in India, technology is a powerful enabler for cleaner and more resilient cities.

What regulatory and policy mechanisms are needed to spur investment into these innovative solutions while ensuring long-term scalability within urban designs? How do we ensure informal workers benefit from these tech-driven systems rather than being displaced by them? And what stakeholder collaborations are needed to accelerate adoption?

This session convenes key stakeholders across urban design, tech and finance to determine pathways to design inclusive, tech-powered and zero-waste cities.

As geopolitical tensions continue to intensify and reshape global trade flows, Asian cities are facing unprecedented challenges. Economic rivalries and increasing protectionism are threatening to slow cross-border collaboration, but city-led networks are emerging as agile platforms to bypass political bottlenecks and advance progress.

From the ASEAN Smart Cities Network, which began with 26 pilot cities across the 10 member states, to the C40 Cities Finance Facility to spur investment in urban climate resilience projects, these alliances are turning vulnerability into collective strength by pooling resources, standardising policies and co-investing in green infrastructure.

How do we harness these networks to create new and effective urban governance to manage geopolitical threats and global headwinds? What financial solutions are available in lieu of stalling external finance?  

This session convenes key decision-makers across government, finance and industry to chart collaborative pathways for urban resilience in an era of heightened divisions.