MAUD X MUP X MSC ISD JOINT GRADSHOW: SHAPING CITIES FOR CHANGE

On the evening of 8 May 2026, the future of cities took centre stage at the inaugural joint graduate show bringing together the Master of Arts in Urban Design (MAUD), Master of Urban Planning (MUP), and Master of Science in Integrated Sustainable Design (MSc ISD) programmes.
In his opening address, CDE Deputy Dean, Prof Heng Chye Kiang, noted that “across the projects, there is a clear commitment to addressing urban issues not only with technical skill, but with care for communities and the environment.

The programmes’ interdisciplinary and global outlook came through in student proposals addressing urban challenges across Singapore and Asia. The three programmes were directed by Assoc Prof Asma Annie Khawatmi (MAUD), Assoc Prof Zdravko Trivic (MUP), and Assoc Prof Nirmal Kishnani (MSc ISD).

“You learn to work across cultures, disciplines, and scales, while being exposed to experts with different perspectives. It is intense but rewarding”

- Arne De Backer, MSc ISD

Some project highlights include:

[MAUD] LIVING CORRIDORS BY YU LEWEN, HINAL MEHTA, JOANNE JOSEPH, ADVENT INDRAJAYA, YANG QI, LIU ANQI, WANG ZICHEN

A vision to reconnect fragmented housing and industrial estates in Sungei Whampoa through wetlands, pollinator paths, greener streets, and new mobility networks.

[MAUD] SI UDOM COALESCENCE HABITAT BY VAIBHAVI TOLAMATTI, IZWAN ISMAIL, SHUBHANGI KUMAR, VARUN ATHOTRA, ZHANG ZHIYUAN, SARVIKA VENU, ADVENT INDRAJAYA, ZHOU SHIXIAN, CHEN ZAIXUN, HE MENGXINYU, KSHITIJ SETHI

A greener, more connected, transit-oriented district in South Sukhumvit, Bangkok, shaped by ecological infrastructure, productive landscapes, and mixed-use community nodes.

[MUP] RISING AGAINST RISK: SMART CLIMATE ADAPTATION FOR HO CHI MINH CITY BY XINYI HE, ZHANG XIAN

A data-driven climate resilience framework combining hazard mapping, adaptive defence systems, and real-time sensors for long-term urban resilience.

[MUP] URBAN INTERFACE TOOLKIT: CLUSTER–CONNECT–RESILIENCE EMPOWER BY SHIVANGI ABROL, JIEWEN LIU, SOPHIA RITA JAYARAMAN

A flexible approach to neighbourhood upgrading in South Sukhumvit, Bangkok, through better mobility, shared public spaces, support for informal economies, flood resilience, and collaborative governance.

[MSC ISD] PLANNING FOR CARBON & URBAN RESILIENCE: SINGAPORE’S GREATER SOUTHERN WATERFRONT BY ANDREI FLORENDO BALANAG, ABHINAV PRAKASH KARENNAVAR, LIU RUICHAO, SANGEETHA DEVARAJAN, ZHOU SHUMENG, ZIYAN YUAN, ZHU HANJIE, ZHOU YAN

A future-forward vision that accommodates new programmes (including a World Expo site), increases blue-green carbon, improves ecosystem services, generates food, energy, and water onsite.

Reposted from CDE May 2026 Newsletter Highlights