Cities are potentially the most powerful driver of value for communities in the Asia Pacific region – but only if leaders continue to prioritise sustainable impact and citizen wellbeing.

In October 2023, KPMG was privileged to be a major partner of the 2023 Asia Pacific Cities Summit & Mayors’ Forum: Shaping Cities for our Future. The Summit drew leaders from 171 cities who came together to explore and discuss how city innovation can deliver accelerated and lasting impact. The City Leaders’ Forum, facilitated by KPMG, was a highlight of the Summit and provided a powerful opportunity for attendees to share strategies and insights into the delivery of lasting value to citizens.

Based on the outcomes of the Forum, KPMG developed a key framework to help city leaders unlock new and innovative forms of value for their citizens.

KPMG’s Cities of Value Framework

Cities have the power to create diverse forms of immense value, including social, economic, environmental, lifestyle, cultural and beyond. KPMG’s Cities of Value Framework has been designed to empower city leaders to unearth these layers through three strategic pillars.

Cities of value





Leverage digital technology and data to enhance citizen experiences, allocate resources insightfully and ensure connectivity with a focus on trust, security and data privacy.

Cultivate vibrant spaces, integrated transport networks and inclusive housing for economic development, community connection and enhanced safety and wellbeing.

Embed resilience into the city’s fabric, ensuring adaptability across environmental, social and economic dimensions to safeguard lasting value for current and future citizens.

Enabling sustainable value for citizens

Across each of these pillars, we’ve identified three critical enabling characteristics that cities should foster and nurture. These enabling characteristics will help to drive long-lasting value.




Invest in understanding evolving citizen needs, making them the central consideration in policy development, solution design and service delivery.

Forge impactful alliances with government, education, private industry and community groups. Join forces on programs, projects and solutions to unlock multi-layered value, funding partnerships and new income streams.

Access sustainable funding and financing solutions – from private and public sources – that enable cities to deliver exciting new digital, physical and sustainable solutions.

Case study - Auckland Council

As a member of the C40 Cities Network, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland needed to establish an integrated and inclusive climate action plan to the Paris Agreement. Along with outlining a clear strategy for cutting greenhouse gas emissions - to support holding global temperature rise to well below 2° Celsius and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5° Celsius - they also needed to show how the city intends to adapt to the impacts of climate change while delivering wider social, environmental and economic benefits.

Shaping Cities of Value

The outcomes from the 2023 Asia Pacific Cities Summit & Mayor’s Forum

Download report (7.16 MB)

How KPMG is helping city leaders deliver citizen value

KPMG is passionate about supporting cities on the journey to a more sustainable and prosperous future. We have a strong track record of working with leaders from cities at all stages of their maturity to help drive lifestyle, economic, social and environmental value to their communities. We’re committed to collaborating with cities to identify and build on new forms of community value now and into the future.

KPMG’s Cities experts are perfectly placed to support your immediate and long-term challenges, enabling you to unlock citizen value for your communities.

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