The transition from sustainable to regenerative urban design marks a shift in ambition: from minimising harm to actively restoring ecological and social systems. In 2025, the Adaptive Design Lab launched the Regenerative Cities project as the founding effort in a new programme with Singapore’s Centre for Liveable Cities, funded by the Ministry of National Development. The two-year project (2025–2027) is developing a Regenerative Cities Self-Assessment Tool, grounded in data-driven case studies of city districts internationally, a systematic review of regenerative frameworks, and a Delphi method consultation with global experts.
Citation
The outcomes of this research have been shared at COP30 in Belem, Brazil (2025); the Urban Solutions and Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress 2026; World Cities Summit 2026 (forthcoming); London Climate Action Week 2025 and 2026 (forthcoming).
Acknowledgements
Principal Investigator: F. Peter Ortner with co-Investigators Sam Conrad Joyce (MetadesignLab) and Samuel Chng (LKYCIC, Positive City Lab). Research Team: Xi Peng, Clifford Kyaw Zwa Thant, Arisa Teriyapirom, Jennifer Yunjing Li, Flora Yuting Du. This research is funded by the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC), Ministry of National Development, Singapore (Regenerative Cities Lab, 2025–2027).