Overview

The Megacities Research Initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research

The challenges of global climate change for metropolitan areas have stimulated the German government, Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), to edit the research programme

"Sustainable Development of the Megacities of Tomorrow - Energy and Climate Efficient Structures in Urban Growth Centres" [Link]

Within this programme ten projects in ten emerging megacities throughout the world are engaged in research on strategies to promote sustainable urban development adapted to climate change. All projects conduct applied research, meaning that a balance between research and implementation is requested.

Megacity Research Project TP. Ho Chi Minh

The Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus (BTU) takes part in the BMBF programme with a project called Megacity Research Project TP. Ho Chi Minh - Integrative Urban and Environmental Planning Framework Adaptation to Climate Change. After a successful starting phase to develop sustainable housing policies, now the focus is enlarged to urban development strategies for adaptation to climate change impacts. The project will be carried out within a 5 years period in cooperation with international partners in a transdisciplinary dialogue of German and Vietnamese institutions and universities.

The Megacity Research Project focuses on the mega-urban region of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) as one of Vietnams regions most affected by climate change. Here, risks and vulnerabilities are to be assessed and sustainable adaptation measures are to be developed and incorporated into urban decision-making and planning processes. The general aim of the project is to increase the resilience and adaptive capacity of the urban system of HCMC.

Two major topics constitute the project structure: Action Field 1 focuses on environmental research; Action Field 2 is concerned with urban development. Thereby, the project follows an interdisciplinary approach, combining expertise in different fields related to the two overall topics. The research team can draw upon extensive regional experience and knowledge on climate change adaptation.

If proven effective, it is aimed to upscale research results to the national level and/or transfer them to other regions of Vietnam. Also, it is envisaged to provide support for the implementation of the ‘National Target Programme to Respond to Climate Change’ (NTP).

Background information

All global comparative country studies list Vietnam as a country which will be extremely vulnerable to climate change in the future because of its topography. The metropolis and economic center Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) north of the Mekong Delta is particularly affected. Even today, HCMC has to struggle with climate-related problems whose impacts are brought about or intensified by shortcomings in managing rapid urban growth, in spatial urban planning and in urban infrastructure management. Against the background of climate change, it is necessary to carry out a well-founded examination of the consequences for urban development as well as substantial countermeasures on all levels of urban development planning.

As a densely built-up urban area in a low-lying region, HCMC has been historically sensitive to climatic effects. However, the vulnerabilities of lives and livelihoods to climate-related environmental processes are primarily the result of inadequate and unsustainable urban development practices associated with complex natural settings and societal structures. This combination of factors results in a high degree of physical and social vulnerability in most parts of HCMC. Vulnerability analysis of these climate-related natural processes and the enhancement of adaptive capacities are major challenges, as the areas prone to potential climate-related impacts vary and overlap with respect to their spatial scope, time and social environment. Since the adverse impacts of climate change will affect the land-use structures, the population and the natural resources of HCMC, efficient planned adaptation responses must be based on sitespecific designations within the decision-making processes of urban planning and development in HCMC.

The current research will build upon the findings of the preliminary phase. These include, among others, the extensive knowledge of all aspects of urban development in HCMC and of the institutions and stakeholders involved. In addition, analytical tools such as the environmental information system developed in the work to date will be further developed for application in the main phase. The requirements for sustainable neighborhood models and building typologies from the first phase of the research project will be further developed with emphasis on energy-efficiency and climate-appropriateness.