The mission of the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities (LKYCIC) is to stimulate thinking and research on the critical issues of cities and urbanisation, and to provide breakthrough urban solutions using technology, urban science, policy and design. Currently, it is focusing on the following research themes:
- Urban Futures
- People, Places and Health
- Urban Innovations
- Sustainable, Resilient Cities
LKYCIC works closely with faculties in SUTD and with partners in industry, government agencies, universities and research institutes for our research and education projects.
Pillars of Research
Research
Future of Cities I & II
The Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities launched “The Future of Cities” program in November 2014 with seven studies. Funded by the National Research Foundation and the Ministry of National Development, these studies examine the opportunities and challenges for Singapore over the next twenty-five years in seven areas
Ageing Urbanism
The Programme on Ageing Urbanism aims to bring together a pluri-disciplinary research programme to study population ageing and the city. Ageing is one of the major challenges faced by Singapore and cities around the world. Yet, comparatively little research has been conducted on ageing in the development sphere. This research will analyse and enhance the current understanding of older people’s appropriation and needs in the city, develop innovative designs and solutions to meet those needs, and disseminate theoretically rich but practical and context-specific frameworks for action.
Urban Innovation
The Programme on Urban Innovation is designed around a better understanding of what innovation means in today’s cities, why it is so important to producing better outcomes, the multi-faceted processes and actors that propel it, and its implications for society and policy.
Cities and Urban Science
Urban science, resting on the proliferation of urban data and new ways to analyse such data, is an emerging approach to understand the function and development of cities. The Programme on Cities and Urban Science aims to help solve urban problems and provide solutions to improve citizen well-being through behavioural, design and policy interventions. It will also explore ways to make urban science more citizen-centric.
Urban Environmental Sustainability
This programme studies how resources such as food, water, energy and nature, are “consumed” in cities and how consumers can adopt sustainable practices through technological/design, policy and behavioural interventions. At a broader scale, it evaluates how large-scale infrastructural planning and developmental goals (such as “healthy city”) can strengthen urban sustainability.
SUTD-JTC I³ Centre
SUTD-JTC Industrial Infrastructure Innovation (SUTD-JTC I³) Centre was established from 2014 to 2019 by JTC Corporation (JTC) and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) to promote the development of innovative and sustainable industrial infrastructure solutions in Singapore. It was managed by Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities and spearheaded collaborative research efforts in Integrated Architecture and Engineering and Design and Technology.
Labs
Smart Cities Lab
How can cities become and stay smart? The Smart Cities Lab under the Chen Tianqiao Programme on Urban Innovation at the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities aims to answer this question by focusing on three thrusts in education and research.
Urban Psychology Lab
The Urban Psychology Lab uses psychology and scientific research to understand behavioural phenomena in cities and to develop innovative human-centered strategies to addressing them.
DesignZ Labs
LKYCIC, in partnership with DesignZ, has established two pioneering labs where Design and Artificial Intelligence converge to tackle pressing urban challenges, driving innovative, human-centric solutions for a smarter, more sustainable future.