Building sustainable communities: The future of Cities

The 7th Annual Association of Pacific Rim Universities – Sustainable Cities and Landscapes Conference and Student Symposium 2024 (APRU-SCL 2024) Conference on Advancing Sustainable Cities and Communities through Science, Technology, and Innovations is hosted and organized this year by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). (L-R): Dr. Jennifer Marie S. Amparo, Dean, CHE, Dr. Jose V. Camacho, Jr. Chancellor, UPLB, Dr. Thomas Schneider, Chief Executive, APRU, Makati Mayor Hon. Abigail Binay, Ms. Jessica Bianca Sy, SMPHI and SMDC Lead Executive for Design, Innovation and Strategy, Dr. Edgar M. Reyes, Jr., Conference Director, ICHSPD, Assoc. Professor, UPLB, and Dr. Yekang Ko, Director, APRU-SCL, Assoc. Professor, University of Oregon.  

A city's ability to prosper is a result of its developers' ability to provide opportunities for growth, collaboration, and mobility. It combines the celebration of life to the fullest with a strong focus on the community. 

“At SM Prime (SMPHI), we dream big for our shared future. True prosperity transcends financial success. Our commitment to developing sustainable integrated properties is matched by our efforts to foster vibrant, inclusive communities wherever we build legacy properties that weather the challenges of time and that last for generations. We are developing this living framework together with our knowledge partners. Currently the ambition is to combine our efforts and actionable items under six themes of – transport, energy, water, biodiversity, built form and materials. We believe this will be the future of cities in the Philippines and we are committed to delivering it to our future generations. ” ~Ms. Jessica Bianca Sy, Lead Executive for Design, Innovation and Strategy for SMPHI and SM Development Corporation (SMDC)

Sy will be attending the 7th Annual Conference of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities - Sustainable Cities and Landscapes Conference and Student Symposium 2024 (APRU-SCL 2024), where she will be joining a distinguished group of local and international professors, climate specialists, and government officials. 

"Advancing Sustainable Cities and Communities through Science, Technology, and Innovation" is the theme for this year's three-day conference. 

SM Prime is a prominent integrated property developer in Asia, and the company places great emphasis on disaster resilience and sustainability in all of its projects. Disaster preparedness and infrastructure resilience are top priorities in the Philippines, a nation susceptible to climate change, with the aim of bringing these initiatives to the city level. 

Rapid urbanization raises energy demand, calling for creative and effective renewable energy solutions. In order to systematically control energy use and progress toward net-zero emissions, SM Prime has partnered with franchise holders.

According to Sy, SM Prime is approaching utility infrastructure for upcoming large-scale master planned developments from a systems perspective, incorporating it into the urban design guidelines at the precinct or plot level.

Sy considers this well-defined vision to be a crucial component of the future. 

As it continues to create creative and sustainable lifestyle cities, SM Prime is dedicated to its role as an engine for economic growth, improving the lives of millions of people in the process. SM Prime is working to create sustainable cities of the future by exploring the next frontier in integrated property development. 

The 7th APRU-SCL 2024 is hosted and organized this year by the University of the Philippines Los Baňos, at the SMX Aura Convention Center, from August 6-8, 2024. For more information, email: hspdconf@up.edu.ph or visit the website: dcerp.che.uplb.edu.ph/ichspd.