The sixth World Cities Summit Mayors Forum: “Innovative Cities of Opportunity”

Based on the theme of “Innovative Cities of Opportunity,” the sixth World Cities Summit Mayors Forum will be hosted by New York City. It will take place June 8-10 and is officially entitled “Liveable and Sustainable Cities: Innovative Cities of Opportunity.”

The organizers of the World Cities Summit decided that New York City would serve as the ideal venue to conduct a critical urban conversation that will involve mayors hailing from around the world. After all, for generations New York City has been a beacon of opportunity — a cosmopolitan city of immigrants that came to build a better life for themselves and their families. More important, New York City was the winner of the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize in 2012.

New York City is many things to many people: a global hub of finance, fashion, media, culture, technology and design; an increasingly resilient coastal city; a five-borough path-work of diverse neighborhoods/cultures; and a cutting-edge center of cool.

The upcoming forum will bring the unique city leaders roundtable closer to cities in the Americas for the first time and feature special speakers and luminaries from the region. The event will also include speakers and participants from cities in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and the Oceania. The Forum will seek to deepen the discourse on urban solutions, encourage greater international collaborations between cities and provide opportunities to translate many of the ideas into real solutions.

The World Cities Summit Mayors Forum is organized by the Centre for Liveable Cities (Singapore) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (Singapore). They are working closely with the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City and the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

According to Khoo Teng Chye, executive director for the Centre of Liveable Cities, “The World Cities Summit Mayors Forum brings together global leaders for discussions on innovative solutions for today’s city challenges. I look forward to any collaborations and partnerships forged at this year’s Mayors Forum in New York City.”

The forum has also attracted an impressive collection of corporate sponsors such as ARCADIS, AECOM, Siemens and Jonathan Rose Companies.

Additionally, the World Cities Summit serves as a continuous dialogue on the theme of “Liveable and Sustainable Cities.” The 2015 Mayors Forum will specifically focus on “Innovative Cities of Opportunity,” to foster discussion on best practices in urban policy innovation and encourage collaboration among city leaders.

The forum will feature a series of keynote case study presentations as well as roundtable discussion sessions to further the global dialogue on best practices when it comes to urban policy innovation. The event seeks to help encourage collaboration among city leaders and policy experts.

At the heart of the forum will be the interactive, moderated discussion segments. Through four sessions (Housing and Economic Development, Transportation and Mobility, Sustainability and Resiliency, and Education and Competitiveness), forum attendees will have the opportunity to participate actively in discussions and explore approaches to address the challenge of creating opportunities for all. And several keynotes by thought leaders in sustainable urban development and inspiring city case studies will lead into each of the four sessions.

One of the discussion segments is “Sustainability and Resiliency: a changing climate, population shifts, strained infrastructure and the evolving global economy that pose challenges to every city’s success.” The future of many cities will largely depend on how their leaders and citizens respond to these challenges by developing initiatives that reduce waste, improve water systems, conserve energy, increase the resiliency of the built environment and of the community, and promote economic sustainability.

Large municipalities continue to face specific water challenges because of aging water/wastewater infrastructure, and this issue affects all cities and mayors worldwide.

It is important to remember that cities are uniquely situated to advance conversations of global importance. The fast-approaching 2015 World Cities Summit Mayors Forum provides a key opportunity for city leaders to build momentum for continued growth and partnership around the world.

The forum is an exclusive, invitation-only event featuring approximately 80 mayors from across the globe. The participating mayors represent cities that are highly regarded for their urban practices and achievements. Each mayor may bring one additional city representative.

Around 60 other individuals/leaders (including leaders from industry, international organizations, foundations and nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs) have received invitations to join as guests. Additionally, selected WCS Young Leaders may join as observers and additional contributors.

Furthermore, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and National Development Lee Yi Shyan will be serving as chairman of the forum.

With Mayor Bill de Blasio’s focus on promoting inclusivity, New York City looks forward to hosting the 2015 World Cities Summit Mayors Forum to advance these conversations.