From centuries-old heritage to AI-driven districts, Thai urban planners return from Singapore and Penang inspired with bold ideas for climate action

Penang and Singapore, 21-25 July 2025: What if the answer to our climate crisis was hiding in plain sight – tucked away in historic buildings, transformed storm drains and rooftop gardens? The approaches adopted in Singapore and Penang in Malaysia, have demonstrated that climate adaptation can easily be implemented everywhere and that there are various ways to achieve it. The delegation, comprising senior planners, engineers and architects from Thailand’s Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning (DPT), partnered with GIZ Thailand through the Urban-Act project to explore how Southeast Asian neighbours are turning climate challenges into opportunities through clever, sustainable urban design.
Heritage preservation as climate action

Delegates at Fort Cornwallis cultural preservation site

One of the most unique insights of this study visit was how historical George Town, Penang, Malaysia has seamlessly integrated cultural preservation with sustainability. The city restores traditional materials, along with passive architectural techniques (a design approach that harnesses natural elements to regulate indoor temperatures, thereby reducing heating issues) in the restoration of historic sites, such as Fort Cornwallis.

Moreover, George Town’s historic buildings, with their shaded arcades and green corridors, help create cooler microclimates without using a single watt of electricity. These features not only enhance comfort and energy efficiency but also strengthen the city’s unique identity, thereby promoting the liveability of the city.

Thermal imagery of George Town streets: The images highlight the impact of materials and shading on surface temperatures. There is a marked difference in temperatures in shaded areas and bitumen road surfaces. Source: Produced by Think City with Perfect Prime IR0006 Thermal Imager Camera

The art of urban transformation

Dr Matt Benson from Think City illustrates how the use of local materials at Fort Cornwallis helps lower indoor temperatures naturally

Behind Penang’s urban transformation is Think City, a public-purpose organisation that has spearheaded projects ranging from the expansion of urban green spaces –from rooftop gardens and green alleys – to the creation of pedestrian-friendly areas, district cooling systems, and improved flood management solutions. By fostering collaboration between researchers, government, the private sector and citizens to mobilise investment and innovation, it is creating shared value for both the city and its communities.

This model enables the development of climate-resilient urban areas without relying solely on government funding.

Singapore’s masterclass in people power

Introduction of URA by Caroline Seah, Director, Professional Development Group

The Singapore leg of the trip left Thai planners genuinely inspired. At the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), interactive exhibits at the Singapore City Gallery combined technology and innovation with interactive activities, allowing participants to engage deeply with the content rather than simply observing it. It showcased Singapore’s evolution from a small island nation to a model of sustainable urbanism. The exhibition highlighted key urban planning pillars – green infrastructure, integrated transport, housing and heritage preservation, and demonstrated how all these elements work together seamlessly.

Singapore City Gallery at the URA Center

More than showcasing cutting-edge technology to engage visitors, the exhibition highlighted that Singapore’s true success lies in its strong public participation. The country’s commitment to involving citizens through community dialogue and visual storytelling fosters a genuine shared ownership that is a valuable lesson for any city to learn from.
Making every raindrop count
Water presents a double challenge for Thailand: too much during floods, too little during droughts. Singapore’s solution? Make every drop work twice as hard.

Thai delegates visit Marina Barrage

Marina Barrage, a dam seamlessly connected to Singapore’s world-renowned Marina Gardens, stands as a striking example of a cutting-edge engineering project serving three purposes simultaneously: flood control, freshwater storage and recreational space.

At Kampung Admiralty, Singapore’s first integrated residential and community complex, facilities have been reimagined vertically, and designed specifically with the elderly in mind, offering a new option tailored to the needs of an ageing society.
Bidadari Park, meanwhile, provides lush green spaces and tranquil views around its ponds, embodying the concept of ‘living in harmony between people and nature’.
Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, once a concrete canal, has been transformed into a meandering three-kilometre river surrounded by rich vegetation.

Bishan–Ang Mo Kio Park’s water elastic area, designed to restore natural ecosystems and create a nature-centric urban environment

Together, these three sites showcase how rain gardens and bioswales naturally retain and absorb stormwater, helping to mitigate flash floods, reduce urban heat and create welcoming public spaces. At the same time, they reflect Singapore’s policy of not merely building parks, but embedding them into people’s daily lives and emotional connection with the city.

Letting nature do the heavy lifting
Both cities demonstrate how nature-based solutions (NbS) can transform grey infrastructure into green, climate-adaptive landscapes.

Sungai Ara Linear Park in Bayan Lepas, Penang has proven to be a successful pilot project for a blue-green corridor due to the involvement of the local community (Image Courtesy of Think City)

In Penang, the Drains-as-Parks (DaP) initiative in the linear park at Sungai Ara, a residential area in George Town, has transformed an original concrete storm drain into a thriving bio-filtration corridor, where families can picnic and children can play.

In Singapore, bioswales, eco-ponds and green roofs create a network of natural climate measures that boost biodiversity while keeping cities cool and flood-free.

Both cities have also elevated district cooling systems, strategic shading and green rooftops from optional features to essential elements for liveable urban environments. These measures reduce energy costs and improve the quality of life for millions of residents.

A glimpse of tomorrow

Singapore’s Punggol Digital District, hailed as ‘Singapore’s Silicon Valley’

Punggol Digital District is a next-generation smart city that seamlessly blends AI-driven infrastructure with sustainable design, demonstrating that technology and nature can work hand in hand. From intelligent energy management to climate-friendly mobility solutions, Punggol demonstrates that smart cities need not sacrifice green spaces for digital innovation – they can have both.

The transit-oriented development (TOD) of Punggol Digital District has been designed to provide seamless access to public transport, while integrating green spaces and smart infrastructure alongside mixed-use development creating a modern and sustainable urban hub

The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) campus, and smart working hubs for digital innovation, sustainability and liveability

Bringing Solutions Home

This Urban-Act study trip was more than a learning journey – it was filled with the delegation’s commitment and inspiration to transform cities into climate-resilient environments. The team was determined to adapt best practices to Thailand’s challenges, integrating them seamlessly with the country’s cultural, natural, technological and local wisdom contexts.

With climate change accelerating and urbanisation continuing across Thailand, the question is not whether Thai cities can implement these approaches, but how quickly they can get started.