SINGAPORE – A further $115 million will be set aside to research Singapore’s most pressing development problems, and find solutions to improve city life for residents.
This includes research on making the best use of available space, managing heat and noise, and implementing nature-based solutions.
The additional funding for the Cities of Tomorrow research and development programme was announced by Second Minister for National Development Indranee Rajah on June 16 at the closing plenary of the World Cities Summit 2026.
These research areas “reflect our commitment to build the tools and knowledge to manage density without compromising liveability”, said Indranee at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The Cities of Tomorrow programme was launched in 2017, with an initial sum of $150 million from the $19 billion that the Government had set aside under its Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2020 plan, which covered work done from 2016 to 2020.
The programme has received additional funding over the years, including the latest $115 million sum, which falls under the $37 billion Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 plan, for the years 2026 to 2030.
Some $39.4 million of the fresh tranche of funding will be used to research how Singapore can optimise its land, sea and underground spaces.
This includes overcoming the cost and technical challenges that get in the way of further developing underground spaces, or creating new ones.
Researchers will also study how to make land reclamation more productive and cost-effective, as well as alternative methods of creating space.
They will also look at increasing the development potential of sea space, and assess various uses for such space.
The grant will also be used to study how Singapore can safeguard its terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity while pursuing development plans.
A further $32 million will go towards studying solutions that give Singaporeans a better quality of life.
Research areas include how the built environment shapes health and well-being, as well as healthier and more active lifestyles, stronger social connections, ageing in place, and the longer-term health impacts of planning and design decisions.
Researchers will also study the impacts of noise on liveability and well-being, and solutions to reduce the impacts of noise in cities like Singapore.
Other studies will focus on how urban planning, design and infrastructure improve thermal comfort and help Singapore adapt to rising temperatures.
Finally, $44 million will be set aside to help Singapore realise its “City in Nature” vision.
To this end, researchers will focus on three areas.
First, they will focus on improving the understanding of public attitudes towards nature, wildlife and pets, and devise solutions for human-wildlife conflict.
Second, they will study how trees can become more resilient to climate stressors, such as heat and drought, and how to enhance zoonotic risk mitigation amid climate change.
Third, researchers will use AI, modelling and automation to enhance operations such as tree inspections.
In her speech, Indranee said that partnership between city leaders and others, such as the private sector and citizens, will be essential to find solutions that balance density and residents’ well-being.
She suggested that governments should give people a voice in how their city develops, as this helps them to form stronger connections to the place.
Second Minister for National Development Indranee Rajah speaking at the closing plenary of the World Cities Summit 2026 on June 16.
Indranee cited Paris’ Participatory Budget, which was launched in 2014, as an example of how this can be achieved, as residents have an opportunity to decide how a portion of the city’s investment budget is spent.
The city has also given residents a stake in the redesign of major public spaces through public workshops.
Indranee also encouraged the public sector to partner businesses and innovators.
“The private sector brings capital, innovation and the agility to scale in ways public agencies often cannot, while the research community deepens our capabilities and puts us at the frontier of technology to remain competitive,” she said, and invited international partners to work alongside local researchers and companies to tap the $115 million that has been set aside for research.
Finally, Indranee said governments should partner each other across borders, as “solutions that work in one context can work in another, when adapted thoughtfully”.
The World Cities Summit, which takes place once every two years and is in its 10th edition, ran from June 14 to 16.
In total, it attracted close to 4,200 delegates and trade visitors from 263 cities.
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