This document summarizes initiatives from various cities to improve liveability through new technologies, social inclusion, long-term visioning, and culture. It discusses how Auckland uses hackathons to create apps, Seoul uses big data for bus routes, and Penang introduces gender budgeting. It also mentions Medellin's mayor staying on as advisor for stability, and shares views on innovation from leaders in Taipei and Hong Kong.

1. Issue 69 September 2016
BETTER CITIESYour monthly update from the Centre for Liveable Cities
How should cities take advantage of new opportunities
to improve liveability? Some cities, such as Auckland,
New Zealand mobilise their young population through
hackathons to create apps that improve liveability. In
Seoul, South Korea, big data is used to draw out bus
routes for late-night commuters.
Beyond new technological opportunities, new
ways to bridge traditional social fault-lines is also
improving liveability. In Penang, Malaysia, gender and
participatory budgeting is introduced to align budgeting
decisions with the ideals of gender equality and social
justice.
For Medellin, Colombia, the outgoing mayor stays on
as advisor. This creates stability for the achievement
of long-term visions, which so often conflates with
liveable solutions.
Read more forward-thinking ideas and initiatives
from 92 mayors and city leaders in the World Cities
Summit Mayors Forum Report.
Taipei City has led many innovations in city governance in
recent years. Yao Chingyu, Advisory Officer of the Taipei
City Government, shares her views and experience on
innovation, governance and social inclusion.
The soft infrastructure is crucial to the development of
innovative cities. Duncan Pescod, CEO, Kowloon West
Cultural District, Hong Kong, shares his views on the role
of culture, creativity and its interaction with the built
environment.
connect with clc:
How to Create a Liveable City
“Wemayorscannotwaittillthelawsarewritten,
wehavetohelptowritethelawourselves.”
— Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor of Rotterdam, the Netherlands
“Donotbea‘metoo’city.”
— Yao Chingyu
“Thereisahearttothecommunity,andoneof
thebestwaystoexpressthatisthroughculture.”
— Duncan Pescod

2. Connect with CLC:
“Rankingsthatdoshape
discussionsareincidentally
theonesthatadoptnarrower
definitionsofliveability.”
— Alisha Gill
Measuring the liveability of cities
and countries can be difficult. In
the assessment process, liveability
indices often oversimplify, exclude
or give extra weight to selected
indicators, resulting in city rankings
that are skewed. Such indices, if
prominent or popular, can shape
public perceptions of a city’s
liveability. How then should we
understand city rankings? In this
thinkpiece, CLC researcher Alisha
Gill explores the limitations of city
rankings and why they should be
read with a pinch of salt.
Ranking cities
with a pinch of salt
How can cities become friendlier to pedestrians and
cyclists? One approach is to identify ‘quick-win’ pilot
projects. For instance, the successful pedestrianisation
of Deoksugung-gil in Seoul and Club Street in Singapore,
quickly demonstrates the benefits of pedestrian-friendly
environments in high-density city centres.
Besides quick solutions walking and cycling options need
to be integrated with public transport system to make it
convenient and comfortable for people to get from point
to point without cars. In Singapore, intra-town footpaths
and cycling networks have been created to connect Mass
Rapid Transit stations and bus interchanges with residential
areas, making walking and cycling safe and convenient for commuters.
Increasing the presence of pedestrians and cyclists often means reclaiming road
space from cars. Since the early 2000s, Seoul has been actively narrowing roads
to expand pedestrian sidewalks and introduce dedicated bus lanes. In Yonsei-ro,
the creation of a transit mall has improved public transit service and walkability
in the area. It has also transformed the formerly congested street into a bustling
public space for activities.
These strategies for urban success in walkability and bikeability from Seoul and
Singapore areextracted from collaborative research by the Centre for Liveable
Cities and Seoul Institute. Read the full report in Walkable and Bikeable Cities:
Lessons from Seoul and Singapore.
Bringing Back Pedestrians and Cyclists:
Success Stories from Asia
“We believe when citizens can envision the
future,theyareabletotakeownershipofit.”
Singapore held The Future of Us exhibition
from December 2015 to March 2016 to present
visions of the city’s future. In this essay, the
exhibition’s Creative Director Gene Tan and
Deputy Director Wan Wee Pin illustrate how
their innovative presentation of urban plans
encouraged citizen ownership of the future.
Coming Together to Dream
Urban Solutions
Issue #9: Innovation
“The innovative component of the partnership was that
30% of the private partner’s profits were conditioned on
its meeting a number of outcome-based key performance
indicatorssuchasattracting4,200jobs…”
Faced with high unemployment, an ageing workforce
and economic doldrums brought about by the decline of
its fishing industry, the North East Lincolnshire Council in
the UK entered into a long-term partnership with a private
company to regenerate the borough and improve the
lives of its residents.
A Transformative Relationship