Well-being in the City: URA 'Innovating Healthy Living' Exhibition Tour & Healthy Cities Seminar

In collaboration with the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), join us for an engaging afternoon at the URA Centre as we explore the intersection of urban planning, health, and well-being. The event includes an exclusive exhibition tour and networking reception for ULI members and non-members, followed by the Healthy Cities Seminar (open to invited guests) featuring thought leaders from academia, industry, and healthcare sectors.

This event begins with a guided tour of the 'Innovating Healthy Living' exhibition, which showcases research insights on promoting physical, social, and mental well-being, and how some of these insights can be translated into innovative solutions for Singapore. ULI attendees are also invited to join the insightful Healthy Cities Seminar, “The Flourishing City: Planning for Health and Well-being”, which will further explore how integrated approaches in planning, design, arts, and healthcare can transform Singapore's urban environment into places that promote community well-being and resilience.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and network with professionals dedicated to building healthier and more resilient urban environments!

Event Details:

Event:       Well-being in the City: URA 'Innovating Healthy Living' Exhibition Tour & Healthy Cities Seminar
Date:         20 May 2025 (Tuesday)
Time:        2:00 PM – 5:25 PM
Location: URA Centre Atrium (Level 1), 45 Maxwell Road, Singapore, 069118

Event Programme:

2:00 – 2:30 PM:  Registration @ URA Centre Atrium (Level 1)
2:30 – 3:00 PM:  ULI Exclusive 'Innovating Healthy Living' Exhibition Tour @ URA Centre Atrium (Level 1)
3:00 – 3:30 PM:  ULI Exclusive Networking Reception @ URA Function Room (Level 5)
3:30 – 3:35 PM:  Welcome and Introductions of Healthy Cities Seminar “The Flourishing City: Planning for Health and Well-being" (*Open to ULI and URA's Invited Guests*) @ URA Function Hall (Level 5)
3:35 – 4:35 PM:  Presentations 
4:35 – 5:05 PM:  Moderated Panel Discussion
5:05 – 5:20 PM:  Q&A
5:20 – 5:25 PM:  Closing

Event Highlights:

• ULI Singapore Exclusive Exhibition Tour
  • Discover research insights on enhancing physical, social and mental well-being through urban planning and design. Explore how some of these insights can be translated into innovative solutions for Singapore.
• ULI Singapore Networking Reception
  • Connect with peers over refreshments and exchange ideas on building healthier, more resilient urban environments that enhance community well-being.
• Healthy Cities Seminar
  • Gain insights from experts who will share evidence-based strategies, case studies, and research insights on creating health-enabling environments through design, arts, healthcare, and community engagement.

1. Healthy Cities through Public Health: Evidence, Equity, and Action

– Associate Professor Muller-Riemenschneider Falk, Vice Dean / Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore

This presentation explores the pressing health challenges of urban living, including physical inactivity, chronic disease, and growing health inequities. It highlights interdisciplinary research at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, featuring flagship initiatives such as the Singapore Population Health Studies and the School’s strategic programmes on Climate and Health and Physical Activity and Nutrition Determinants in Asia (PANDA). The talk makes the case for why public health must be at the table in shaping cities that go beyond being liveable to truly health-promoting.

2. Designing for Wellness: Nature as an Urban Framework

– Mr. Tan Shao Yen, President & Group CEO, CPG

Singapore’s urban transformation from a "Garden City" to a "City in a Garden" and now a "City in Nature" demonstrates its dedication to fostering a green, liveable, and sustainable environment. This vision integrates nature into the cityscape by expanding green spaces, enhancing parks, restoring urban biodiversity, and connecting green corridors. As we realise the “City in Nature,” we also recognise the vital link between nature, health, and a healthy city. The challenge lies in making nature accessible to all, as finding this connection is essential to promoting well-being and sustainability in urban living.

3. The Healing City Designing for Health, Joy and Resilience

– Mr. Rayvees Goh, Director of Landscape Architecture, Benoy

Can design help cities care for us? In this talk, Rayvees Goh, Director of Landscape at Benoy, explores how design fosters care, connection, and urban resilience. Through local and regional case studies, he illustrates how integrated approaches — blending planning, the arts, and health-supportive design — can transform everyday spaces into places of healing and belonging. From therapeutic gardens to public art, he highlights the role of emotional infrastructure in supporting mental well-being. This presentation reimagines design as a framework for well-being — offering a fresh perspective on how cities can help people not just live, but thrive.

4. The Arts are not an Afterthought: Rethinking and synergizing systems for flourishing communities

– Dr. Michael Tan, Dean (Research & Knowledge Exchange), University of the Arts Singapore

Eighty percent of a person’s health is shaped by what happens outside of healthcare—by the environments in which people are born, live, work, and age. The gain or depletion of subjective health and well-being is influenced by interactions and relationships—between people, places, environments, institutions, and broader social structures. How can the arts support human flourishing across life stages, transitions, and life circumstances? By positioning the arts as a public health resource, this presentation outlines the potentials and opportunities in the arts for place-based strategies to foster flourishing communities and calls for greater synergy across systems.

• Moderated Panel Discussion | Q&A
  • Join an insightful panel discussion that explores how integrated approaches in planning, design, arts, and healthcare can transform Singapore's urban environment into places and spaces that actively promote community well-being and resilience.
    • Moderator:
      – Mr. Chiu Wen Tung, Group Director (Research & Development), URA
    • Panellist:
      – Associate Professor Muller-Riemenschneider Falk, Vice Dean / Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore
      – Mr. Rayvees Goh, Director of Landscape Architecture, Benoy
      – Mr. Tan Shao Yen, President & Group CEO, CPG
      – Dr. Michael Tan, Dean (Research & Knowledge Exchange), University of the Arts Singapore

Event Registration:

This event is open to all ULI members and non-members.

Note:
1. When you attend this event, you consent to recording media and its release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction.
2. We only accept VISA or MasterCard for credit card payment in Singapore Dollars. If you would like to use an American Express card for payment in US Dollars, please reach out to ULI Singapore at [email protected] for registration.