Prof Zehnder Spoke gave the distinguished keynote at the NUS Cities and the Urban Science Week 2025 in Singapore

Prof. Alexander Zehnder, partner at NanRise, delivered the distinguished keynote address, “Liveable and Sustainable Cities – the Grand Challenge for Humanity,” at the NUS Cities Symposium during Urban Science Week 2025 in Singapore on 3 September 2025.

Prof. Zehnder identified a critical institutional gap: although many global institutes are dedicated to specific areas such as water, food, health, and safety & security, there is currently no institute focused exclusively on the holistic challenges of cities.

He emphasized the urgent need to establish an autonomous city research institute – a project he compared to a 21st-century “man on the moon” initiative – to proactively address the future challenges facing urban environments.

This proposed institute would serve as the global hub for exemplary inter- and transdisciplinary research, collaboration, and development. Its mission would be to pioneer new models of urban design and planning, fostering more livable and sustainable cities globally. Prof. Zehnder concluded by advocating that Singapore is uniquely positioned to establish and host this essential, dedicated research body.