XJTLU, UN-Habitat strengthen ties to advance smart, inclusive cities

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University recently agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UN-Habitat’s Knowledge and Innovation Branch to jointly promote sustainable, inclusive, and data-driven urban development, formalising their long-term collaboration.

The partnership focuses on the implementation of the Global Urban Monitoring Framework (UMF) and People-centred Smart Cities, and is aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 11, to promote urban development that creates safe, inclusive, and resilient cities.

The MoU aims to build on the success of Monitoring Smart Inclusive Transition for Equitable Urban Futures, a three-year research initiative led by XJTLU’s Design School and Seoul National University in collaboration with UN-Habitat. Launched during the 2024 World Urban Forum in Egypt, the project showed innovative approaches to monitoring and supporting equitable urban transformation.

XJTLU at 12th World Urban Forum in Cairo

Under the MoU, XJTLU and UN-Habitat will strengthen cooperation in three key areas: sustainable urban planning, policy, and governance; smart inclusive transitions and urban data monitoring; and global knowledge-sharing that connects academia, government, and industry with international urban development initiatives.

“The partnership will really help accelerate UN-Habitat’s mission in the 21^st century to ensure that everyone has access to, and benefits from, quality urban services and adequate housing, regardless of age, gender, income, and location,” says Dr Juhyun Lee, Assistant Professor in XJTLU’s Department of Urban Planning and Design, and principal investigator of the collaborative project. “By leveraging the UMF, the research team will support cities in advancing evidence-based, smart and inclusive transitions.”

XJTLU, UN-Habitat and Seoul National University are now collaborating on the smart, inclusive transition of Suwon, a city in South Korea, with their findings set to be published in 2026. This is expected to serve as one of the key Asian pilots for the co-production of cities through social and technological innovation.

Monitoring Smart Inclusive Transition for Equitable Urban Futures (2024)

A delegation from Suwon recently visited XJTLU, signalling a growing partnership that bridges academia, industry, and government.

“This evolving collaboration reflects a shared vision of creating people-centred, data-driven, and sustainable urban futures - uniting global research expertise with real-world city transformation,” Dr Lee adds.

Story provided by Dr Juhyun Lee

Edited by Yi Qian and Patricia Pieterse