Shaping the resilient city

Abstract

This paper presents results of the research project ‘Integrative Urban and Environmental Planning for the Adaptation of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) to Climate Change’, which is part of the research initiative ‘Sustainable Development of the Megacities of Tomorrow’ of the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The overall objective of the research project was to develop and incorporate climate change adaptation strategies into urban decision-making and planning processes which will lead to an increase in the resilience to climate-related physical and social vulnerabilities for the urban system of HCMC. Cities, Megacities will be exposed to significant climate change-driven impacts especially those located in coastal areas as it is the case of most of the large urban agglomerations in Southeast Asia. More frequent and severe environmental hazards in the case study HCMC have raised awareness of climate change, particularly of flooding but urban development is viewed as the major cause rather than climate change. It is widely recognized that urban and spatial planning have to play a vital role in adapting to climate change and to move forward to a low carbon city. It is considered to be a key element for the city’s adaptation to environmental and climate change threats. The urban form is the most apparent part of an unsustainable urban development. However, while research on the environmental aspect of climate change impacts has been initiated, approaches for the integration of adaptation options into the current urban design and the current urban planning processes are still lacking and, thus, needed. The paper will demonstrate strategies of integration in urban planning and design and will discuss critically the possibilities to set up an integrative planning and adaptation framework in fast growing megacities with limited control over the urban development processes.