The fourth edition of WORLD CITIES SUMMIT (WCS), held from 1–4 June, attracted 1,168 senior-level participants, including 129 mayors and city leaders, 26 ministers and 80 internationally renowned speakers, from 67 countries and regions.

Themed "Liveable and Sustainable Cities: Common Challenges, Shared Solutions", the Summit featured the makings of a "smart city", where there was broad agreement that a smart city is a green city that is sustainable and liveable. Read more

>A key event at the WCS was the fifth edition of the WORLD CITIES SUMMIT MAYORS FORUM, which featured the largest gathering of mayors to date, with over 120 mayors and city leaders in attendance. The major consensus that arose from the Forum was the need for governments to engage communities and put people at the centre of policy goals. Chaired by Lee Yi Shyan, Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Trade & Industry and National Development, the Forum featured experts from international organisations and the industry. Mr Lee also announced that New York City, USA would be the location for next year's Forum; the city was the LEE KUAN YEW WORLD CITY PRIZE 2012 Laureate. Read more

An annual publication at the Forum — CITY PORTRAITS 2014 — puts together the profiles of all the participating leaders and case studies from their cities and states. Read it here.

This year's Summit launched the inaugural WCS YOUNG LEADERS. Aimed at cultivating the next generation of urban leaders from governments, industry and academia, this group comprises young leaders committed to help shape urban development agendas in cities around the world. About 70 of these young leaders took part in the WCS YOUNG LEADERS Symposium on 31 May 2014, where they shared their ideas and vision to transform their own cities and be effective agents of change. The symposium was chaired and moderated by Ambassador Burhan Gafoor, Singapore's Chief Negotiator for Climate Change, with Guest-of-Honour Desmond Lee, Minister of State for National Development. Themed "Seeding Change in My City", the Symposium highlighted the need to plant seeds of change and nurture them to fruition.

Source: Centre for Liveable Cities Singapore Newsletter (June 2014)