Sustainable Urban Futures: Governance, Equity, and Resilience

You are cordially invited to attend the research seminar by Shrena Joshi:

Date: Friday, 19 Sept 2025
Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Venue: SDE3 Level 4, LT424

Sustainable Urban Futures: Governance, Equity, and Resilience

Urbanization is accelerating worldwide, straining limited resources, intensifying climate change, and testing institutional capacity. From national governments to local agencies, developers, strategic partners, and stakeholders increasingly recognize the importance of planning at every scale. Yet urban planning often remains a secondary priority during resource allocation with governance as one of the greatest challenges in urban planning. Adoption and continuity of plans and policies are essential to build trust and secure the resources needed for sustainable outcomes.

This presentation explores: How can planners, administrators, academics, international agencies, and communities work together to make the right to live well on a thriving planet a reality?

Beyond comprehensive plans, the future requires participative and collaborative approaches across all dimensions of planning to build shared visions, strengthen accountability, and address governance instabilities. By leveraging rapidly evolving data-driven technologies, planning can become more transparent, equitable, environmentally sustainable, and politically resilient.

This session will explore practical frameworks for equitable and resilient urban planning, positioning planning as a transformative force for people and planet while deepening the academic–practice dialogue on embedding equity at the core of sustainable urban futures.

Shrena Joshi is the Deputy Director at Surbana Jurong Consultants Pte Ltd, with two decades of experience in urban and regional planning, city development, and urban design. She has led projects of varying scales across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the United States, partnering with governments, international agencies, and multidisciplinary teams to deliver sustainable and inclusive solutions.

Her expertise includes socio-economic analysis, regional positioning, land use strategies, urban design guidelines, and implementation frameworks, with a strong emphasis on capacity building and participatory approaches. Several of her projects have received international recognition, including the Gold Award from the Singapore Institute of Planners for the Kigali City Master Plan.

Alongside practice, Shrena contributes to academia as a part-time tutor for the NUS Master of Urban Planning Studio, where she mentors the next generation of urban planners and designers.