Envisioning Cities as Sites and Actors for Sustainable Development: Lessons from the 2025 Trans-Pacific Sustainability Dialogue
Envisioning Cities as Sites and Actors for Sustainable Development: Lessons from the 2025 Trans-Pacific Sustainability Dialogue
Held in Manila, Philippines, the fourth annual Trans-Pacific Sustainability Dialogue generated cross-sectoral insights on complex issues faced by cities and human settlements across the region, from housing and mobility to disaster resilience.
Stakeholders from national and local government, private sector, development, civil society, and academia joined the fourth annual Trans-Pacific Sustainability Dialogue (TPSD) hosted by the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) and the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future, with co-host Asian Center of the University of the Philippines, Diliman (UP). Held in Manila, Philippines, TPSD 2025 generated cross-sectoral insights on complex issues faced by cities and human settlements across the region, from housing and mobility to disaster resilience.
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Dialogue beyond Disaster: TPSD as a Call to Action
For the first time since its inception, the Trans-Pacific Sustainability Dialogue was held in Manila, Philippines and brought together stakeholders from across the region. At the time of the dialogue, the Philippines faced Super Typhoon Fung-wong (locally, Uwan) with a 1,600km (994-mile) rain and wind band that was predicted to affect at least two-thirds of the archipelago. Fung-wong came in the wake of Typhoon Kalmaegi, which has left nearly 500,000 Filipinos displaced.
The Philippines has ranked as one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Between October and November of the previous year, the Philippines endured six consecutive typhoons within the span of 25 days, which collectively damaged or destroyed 480,000 houses and displaced 11 million people, and cost an estimated PHP 15.6 billion (US$274 million) in agriculture, housing, and infrastructure damage and losses. As noted by Cheryll Alipio, APARC associate director for program and policy, at TPSD’s opening, these disasters serve as a poignant reminder of the importance and urgency of the dialogue, and the broader need to build resilient, adaptive, and inclusive urban systems that can withstand the growing challenges of climate change. In the words of APARC director Kiyoteru Tsutsui, “Manila is a vibrant metropolis that captures the premise, promise, and the pressures of rapid urbanization [and] embodies the dynamism, creativity, and grit of Southeast Asian cities.”
While the event highlighted expertise from diverse sectors offering rich issue-area insights, a set of key themes emerged that linked keynote speeches, panels, and emerging research on sustainable cities and communities. These themes move beyond disaster recovery and sector-specific solutions, addressing both challenges and opportunities to strengthen cities’ capacity to survive and thrive amidst complex crises.
SDG 11 in Focus: Centering Cities and Communities for Collaboration
Today, more than half of the world’s population live in cities, and that number is expected to rise to 70% by 2050. SDG 11 on sustainable cities and communities embodies the cross-cutting nature of the 2030 Agenda as observed by Ambassador Kim Sook, executive director of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future: “It touches almost every aspect of society and the economy, and is ultimately linked to the success of the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development […] Cities are epicenters of both the problems and solutions for sustainable development, adaptive infrastructure, affordable housing, green transport, efficient energy systems and social services […] crucial for [a] just resilient, low-carbon future, and the well being of humanity.”
The scope of SDG 11 was evident even among the dialogue’s participants, with academics and policy practitioners, as well as foreign dignitaries, key industry leaders, and representatives from international development and humanitarian organizations contributing to the forum. Centering SDG 11 reveals the ways in which policy issues overlap, and the importance of integrated and collaborative approaches to sustainable development across sectors, levels of governance, and the region.
Sustainable Development in an Urbanizing World
With the vision of developing cities that are more livable for all, national governments are working to integrate the SDGs and sustainability norms into national and local policy instruments like the Philippine Development Plan as detailed by Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan of the Department of Economy, Planning of Development (DEPDev) of the Republic of the Philippines and Ulaanbatar’s Master Development Plan in Mongolia as described by Member of Parliament Nominchimeg Odsuren However, cities have different needs and capacities, and are often evolving faster than the speed of policy development and implementation. This for instance is evident in the existence of key bilateral development initiatives between Japan and the Philippines at the national and local levels as noted by Mr. Endo Kazuya, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Philippines.
As cities change rapidly over time, growing population and infrastructural needs provide openings for more innovative and efficient urban planning and design. We see this in private-public partnerships through the historical evolution of the Ayala Triangle in Makati’s central business district President and CEO and the economic growth of Bonifacio Global City in Taguig as highlighted by President and CEO Cezar P. Consing of Ayala Corporation and Senior Undersecretary Henry L. Yap of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development of the Republic of the Philippines, respectively.
Outside the Philippines, Vice Senior Chief Researcher, Norio Yamato, at the Institute for Urban Strategies of The Mori Memorial Foundation showed the expansion of Tokyo’s metro system and integration of green spaces and mixed-use projects as the metropolitan area expanded over the yearsvice , while Vice President for Management, Chang Sug Park, of the Korea Environment Institute described the growing movement to achieve carbon neutrality in South Korean cities through advanced data reporting platforms managed by national ministries.
In the call to address sustainable urban energy sources, Managing Director Sohail Hasnie of Energypreneurs Advisory pointed to the need to shift away from internal combustion engines to reduce urban heat, while Senior Advisor Dave H. Kim of the Global Green Growth Institute recommended the adoption of broader systemic mechanisms, including green bonds and climate finance, to support carbon-efficient infrastructural development and Senior Director Priyantha Wijayatunga of the Energy Sector Group at the Asian Development Bank urged for the global expansion of the carbon market. However, Gita Wirjawan, Visiting Scholar at Stanford’s Precourt Institute for Energy, noted that these efforts must consider barriers to accessing decarbonization technology, especially given inequalities not just between the Global North and South, but within countries in the region.
Policy Translation to “Localize” Sustainable Development
While sustainable development is a global agenda, it requires locally-responsive implementation, involving policy translation at different levels, awareness- and capacity-building, and education initiatives for local communities. In terms of disaster risk reduction and prevention, Secretary General Gwendolyn T. Pang of the Philippine Red Cross demonstrated how international actors engaging locally facilitate the community-based early warning systems, nature-based solutions, and locally-determined definitions of safe and affordable housing.
Researchers are further taking an active role in not only contributing data and evidence to inform policy, but also mediating engagement between communities and government actors. Efforts involve creating open data platforms that the public can use to better understand risk and exposure to disasters like the work of Executive Director Alfredo Mahar Francisco Lagmay of the UP Resilience Institute, as well as developing projects that effectively link local and national planning requirements with global standards, including the SDGs, like the work of Director Francisco A. Magno of the Jesse M. Roberto Institute of Governance at De La Salle University.
Private sector coalitions can also contribute to gaps in GovTech, or public sector modernization and digitalization to advance data capacity and transparency, especially for use in disaster preparedness and recovery efforts as detailed by Chairman Guillermo Luz of Liveable Cities Philippines, and broader advancements in smart city technology to improve mobility and access to basic services as noted by Vice Director Shari Yamaguchi of El Camino Real Co. Ltd. in the case of Japan. At the same time, there are also efforts to better communicate climate change phenomena and disaster resilience strategies, not just through translation into local languages, but also in more accessible and resonant ways—from art and dance, to storytelling for the youth as demonstrated by UP Professor Glecy Atienza.
Community engagement does not just entail communicating with members of society, but also creating spaces for them to participate in developing and implementing policies. To better address the needs of communities, especially in informal sectors, policymakers and other grassroots actors must engage in citizen-driven planning processes to develop socially-engaged research agenda as urged by UP Professor Redento B. Recio, which can then inform local and national policies and programming.
For example, in the area of urban transportation, Maria Golda Hilario, Director for Urban Development at the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, and Robert Siy, Advisor and Co-Convenor of Move As One Coalition noted that early efforts to electrify the public transport system as well as expand bicycle lanes in the Philippines involved collaboration among civil society and non-governmental organizations, university researchers, different national ministries, and members of the community to share experiences on mobility and accessing and using transportation. Lloyd Wright also emphasized the need to amplify and emulate local best practices, such as through governance awards and collaboration with international development partners that can offer technical expertise to address challenges presented by the built environment in dense cities.
Given the theme on SDG 11, speakers also focused specifically on the critical contributions of local leaders, such as those in municipal governments, to align with global standards, and even youth participation in the circular economy and responsible waste reduction and management as found by De La Salle MS student, Daisy Mae R. Bongtiwon. These include research on Voluntary Local Reviews and SDG localization globally as noted by APARC Shorenstein Postdoctoral Fellow Gaea Morales, developing an integrated governance model within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for sustainable development as described by UP MA student Rebecca Anne Verzola, as well as examples of city-driven efforts to emulate smart city targets and regional standards as variously demonstrated by UP MA students Junna Queen Prudenciado and Kevin Bautista, and UP BA student Lordivine Marie Pineda.
Conclusion: From Vision to Implementation
In the closing of the Dialogue, UP President Angelo remarked, “Every neighborhood holds the wisdom of survival, every resident the power of imagination […] Let us use data not to divide but to deliver justice. Let us ensure that every road we build leads not just to progress but to people […] The measure of our success will not be the number of skyscrapers we raise, but by the number of lives we uplift.” TPSD 2025, therefore, revealed existing gaps and opportunities to further advance the 2030 Agenda as a whole through the exchange and scaling of best practices.
“Meeting the goals by 2030 will require systemic, transformative action, and scale,” Ambassador Kim Bong-hyun of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future argued, noting that “We've seen significant problems in reducing poverty, improving education, and fostering innovation. These examples underscore the importance of partnership and the power of collective action in achieving sustainable cities and communities. In particular, public-private partnerships have been crucial in scaling up innovation and infrastructure projects, especially in areas such as clean energy [and] digital systems.”
These lessons, while particularly resonant for Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, are transferable as cities globally are increasingly exposed to weather extremes. The dialogue’s ambition is to serve as a “catalyst and coalition for delivery,” primarily through enabling cross-sectoral partnerships and networking to transform these lessons into reality. From linking research and data hubs to policymakers, to connecting policymakers with financial instruments and international developmental partners, this year’s TPSD revealed pathways to move dialogue into collaborative action.
For more information on the breakdown of the session topics, please visit the TPSD 2025 homepage >
