The Initiative on Cities Joins Leading Global Institutions in Launching Alliance to Advance Human-Centric Urban Research
By Singapore Management University
July 2, 2025 (Vienna, Austria) – Five globally respected academic institutions have come together to launch the Global Alliance on Sustainable Urban Societies – a pioneering initiative that places people at the heart of urban research and policymaking. The partnership was announced today at the Singapore Management University (SMU) City Dialogues held in Vienna, taking place as part of the Mayors Forum of the World Cities Summit 2025.
The founding members of the alliance are:
- Urban Institute, Singapore Management University
- Initiative on Cities, Boston University
- Department of Geography and Environment, The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
- Melbourne Centre for Cities, University of Melbourne
- School of Cities, University of Toronto
Representatives from the five founding institutions signed an agreement at a networking reception of the SMU City Dialogues Vienna.
Formed around a shared vision of interdisciplinary and human-centred urban research, the Alliance aims to deepen understanding of how city dwellers sense, navigate, and shape the urban environments they inhabit. This includes examination of the social and cultural norms, social networks, and economic linkages – the “soft infrastructures” – that underpin resilient and sustainable cities.
In an era of accelerating digital transformation, the Alliance combines critical social science with data science to provide fresh, actionable insights into urban life. By recognising people as sensors, enablers, and actuators, the collaboration acknowledges the vital, multi-faceted role of residents in shaping sustainable urban societies.
The Alliance will collaborate through:
- Joint research initiatives and academic publications
- Co-hosted workshops and global conferences
- Faculty and student exchanges
- Responsible data-sharing protocols that uphold privacy and confidentiality
The founding institutions extend an open invitation to like-minded academic institutions to join the Alliance in advancing a collective understanding of sustainable, people-first cities.
Loretta Lees, the Director of the Boston University Initiative on Cities, looks forward to working with like-minded research institutes: “The Initiative on Cities at Boston University is an interdisciplinary research, learning and practice centre focused on resilient and liveable cities. To be resilient and liveable, cities must be socially sustainable, and we need to understand how individuals and communities perceive, interact with, and are affected by urbanisation and the urban environment. Ensuring equitable access to resources and opportunities in cities is important because this affects well-being and quality of life. Investigating urban community building and socio-cultural interactions and connections is strategic in terms of building human resilience to shocks, environmental, economic, or other factors. Working with like-minded urbanists globally is critical towards these goals, and we are very excited to be a part of launching this global urban alliance.”
About SMU Urban Institute
Set up on 17 January 2024, the SMU Urban Institute plans to forge an interdisciplinary research agenda that bridges theoretical and applied research, data science and the critical social sciences, industry and academia, and Singapore and Southeast Asia. It seeks to synthesise and cultivate thought leadership and innovative solutions, inform policy decisions, and drive sustainable urban development practices for the development of more inclusive, resilient, and vibrant cities. Organised into three pillars – Urban Life, Urban Growth and Urban Infrastructure – it aims to address the evolving urban challenges that confront Singapore and key Asian cities.
About Boston University Initiative on Cities
The Boston University Initiative on Cities is a global urban research and policy center, founded in 2014, that serves as a bridge between academic research and real-world urban challenges. By leveraging the interdisciplinary expertise of Boston University’s faculty and connecting it to practitioners, policymakers, and communities, the IOC seeks to advance more livable and resilient cities.
About the London School of Economics and Political Science Department of Geography and Environment
The Department of Geography and Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is a centre of international academic excellence in economic and urban geography, planning, environmental social science, and climate change. Accommodating the largest concentration of urban scholars at the LSE, the Department’s research expertise is grounded in social sciences and policy relevance, excelling in six key areas that encompass city economies; housing, land and property; regional economic development; sustainability and environmental economics; global urban worlds; and environmental politics and justice.
About the Melbourne Centre for Cities
The Melbourne Centre for Cities is a cross-faculty, multidisciplinary initiative at the University of Melbourne, hosted by the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning. It leverages evidence-based research and bridges the gap between urban scholarship and policy-making, driving deeper academic understanding and transformative policy centred on key themes of urban sustainability, connectivity, leadership, and equity.
About the School of Cities, University of Toronto
The School of Cities is a unique multidisciplinary hub for urban research, education, and engagement, creating new and just ways for cities and their residents to thrive. Based at the University of Toronto and situated in a fast-growing, culturally diverse, and economically dynamic urban region, the School of Cities supports leading scholars, practitioners, and community members from diverse disciplines and backgrounds to co-create new understandings, policies, and practices. The School of Cities is playing a critical role in addressing climate change and justice, migration and belonging, inequality and democracy, and the world’s collective ability to address urgent urban challenges.