Hong Leong Asia’s (HLA) CSR initiative, BeyondHLA - Youth4Planet Challenge, returned for its third year, bringing together 178 students from Westwood Secondary School to reimagine the future of Downtown Marina Bay in Singapore, and explore innovative ideas for a more sustainable and resilient city.

Over the course of three months, students participated in a series of specially curated workshops and site visits, gaining valuable insights into urban development, environmental sustainability and community living. The programme challenged participants to think critically about how cities can evolve to meet future needs while remaining liveable and inclusive.

At the challenge finale, a judging panel comprising HLA senior management and guests from the College of Design and Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) evaluated the students' proposals. The panel included HLA CEO Mr Stephen Ho, Head of Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Ms Kwek Pei Xuan, and Building Materials Group COO Mr Logendran Doraipandian and guests from NUS’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Dr Pang Sze Dai as well as ARC Studio Architecture + Urbanism Co-founder, Ms Belinda Huang. The judges were impressed by the creativity, innovation, and thoughtfulness demonstrated by all participating teams.

At the end of the programme, the students developed a deeper appreciation of the connections between urban planning, sustainability and community well-being, while reflecting on their roles as responsible citizens and future changemakers.