Univer-cities: Combatting Existential Climate Change - Volume V

The book describes how universities can serve as stabilising anchors for society amid global uncertainty and accelerating climate change. Integrating Univer-Cities Volumes I through V, it introduces the concept of the Univer-City—a civic-collegiate compact that highlights the enduring bond between universities and the cities they inhabit.

The book frames the Univer-City as a modern agora: a dynamic space of engagement and exchange where ideas are debated, knowledge is synthesised, and intellectual and social capital are translated into meaningful civic action. It further extends this idea to a network of interconnected agoras, forming the foundation of a broader Cosmopolis.

Drawing on established models from the United States and Europe while engaging with the evolving aspirations of universities across Asia, the book offers a comparative and forward-looking perspective. It concludes by arguing that sustained academic and collegiate leadership is critical to enabling proactive, transdisciplinary responses in an AI-pervasive new millennium.

Mr Anthony Teo Soon Chye is a former Adjunct Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, as well as at the School of Human Development and the School of Business, Singapore University of Social Sciences. He is a Chevalier of the Order of the Palmes Académiques and a Life Member of the Economics Society of Singapore since 1981. He also serves as Convenor and Editor of the Univer-Cities series (Volumes I–V), published by World Scientific Publishing between 2013 and 2025.