The Century of Cities

The Century of Cities welcomes Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui of Cambridge, Massachusetts, as part of our special series recorded in Singapore in association with the World Cities Summit Mayors Forum and the Centre for Liveable Cities. A city once shaped by manufacturing and industrial decline, Cambridge has reinvented itself as a global centre for research and innovation. But that success has brought a new challenge: how can a city remain prosperous without becoming inaccessible to the people who call it home?
Sumbul explores the next chapter for Cambridge, where housing affordability, climate adaptation, emerging technology, and economic inclusion are becoming inseparable from the city's future. She makes the case for long-term, collaborative leadership that brings universities, businesses, community organizations, and residents into the same conversation. For a city built on knowledge and innovation, the next great challenge may be making sure that opportunity remains open to everyone.

The Century of Cities welcomes Mayor Raisa Treñas of Iloilo City as part of our special series recorded in Singapore in association with the World Cities Summit Mayors Forum and the Centre for Liveable Cities. Once a major sugar-exporting centre, Iloilo experienced economic decline and underinvestment before embarking on a remarkable revival rooted in good governance, environmental restoration, heritage, and inclusive growth. Today, the city is emerging as one of the Philippines' fastest-growing urban economies.
Raisa has a different ambition for Iloilo: not to become a megacity, but to become a better city for everyone. She shares how restoring the Iloilo River, investing in health and education, strengthening climate resilience, and bringing citizens into the process are reshaping the city. She imagines a place where culture, technology, nature, and human-centred development work together, and where the city's future is shaped by its citizens.

The Century of Cities welcomes Mayor Hillary Schieve of Reno as part of our special series recorded in Singapore in association with the World Cities Summit Mayors Forum and the Centre for Liveable Cities. Convening mayors and urban leaders from more than 100 cities, the Summit focused on one central challenge: how to turn ambitious urban ideas into meaningful action.
For Mayor Schieve, transformation begins by rethinking what a city is known for. She shares Reno's evolution from a gaming town into a centre for innovation, entrepreneurship, arts, and outdoor living, revealing how strong leadership often means seeing potential where others see limitations. From embracing unexpected assets to fostering a culture of collaboration and calculated risk, Hillary offers a compelling reminder that the future of cities belongs to leaders willing to challenge convention, listen deeply, and create with their communities.

The Century of Cities welcomes Mayor Ciprian Ciucu of Bucharest as part of our special series recorded in Singapore during the World Cities Summit 2026, in association with the World Cities Summit Mayors Forum and the Centre for Liveable Cities. Bringing together mayors from more than 100 cities under the theme Liveable and Sustainable Cities: ACT Now!, the Summit provided a global platform for city leaders to exchange ideas, share practical solutions, and strengthen collaboration on the future of urban life. Against this backdrop, Mayor Ciucu reflects on Bucharest's transformation from a centrally planned communist capital to a modern European city navigating growth, mobility, and resilience. Looking ahead, he explores the leadership needed to reduce earthquake risk, modernize ageing infrastructure, and create a more liveable city. His perspective is both practical and optimistic: great cities are shaped not only by long-term vision, but by collaboration, courageous leadership, and the ability to manage complexity.

The Century of Cities welcomes Sanjay Shukla, Managing Director of the National Housing Bank of India, as part of our special miniseries in collaboration with UN-Habitat. Sanjay explores a critical question: if the need for housing is clear, why does finance remain out of reach for millions? As cities grow, he suggests that solving the housing crisis depends as much on transforming financial systems as increasing housing supply. Emerging from conversations at World Urban Forum 13, Sanjay outlines a new vision for housing finance, one designed around how people actually live and earn. From informal workers to alternative lending models, he explores how finance can expand access rather than create barriers. 
As the global community prepares for the upcoming SDG 11 Review and the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on the New Urban Agenda, conversations that began at World Urban Forum 13 will continue there. This episode is part of that broader dialogue on the future of cities.