UCR-CoP Newsletter: Edition 4 (July 2015)

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UCR-CoP Newsletter July 2015

Welcome to our July 2015 Newsletter which is issued both in English and Vietnamese. In this edition, we share with UCR-CoP members results from the mid-year sharing event of UCR-CoP and the Conference on Urban Green Growth in Vietnam 2015 organized by the Vietnam Urban Forum. We will also get to know Ms. Nguyen Kim Ha from the Climate Change Coordination Office (CCCO) of Da Nang City, learn about interactive games in understanding urban climate resilience concepts, and more...

Upcoming activities

The UCR-CoP shared calendar is the information center for our community of practice. Visit the calendar to learn about fellow members' activities and add your own activities, projects and events.

Thursday, July 30, 2015
First Workshop of the Climate Development Fund (CDF) Network National Committee, at the office of the Association of Cities of Vietnam (ACVN). (learn more)

Thursday, August 20, 2015
Workshop on reducing climate risks from peri-urban development in Can Tho City, Can Tho (specific location TBA) (learn more)

Recent activity

UCR-CoP sharing event: The event was organized in Hanoi on June 16, 2015 with participation of 30 members. Topics of sharing include: Experience from the professional training for architects and urban planners on urban climate resilience; Ph.D. and Master's scholarship under the UCRSEA project, lessons on Climate Action Plan development in provinces, among others. Read more...

Meet Ms. Ha!

In each newsletter, we get to know a little bit more about one of our fellow members. Read on to meet Ms. Nguyen Kim Ha from the Climate Change Coordination Office of Da Nang City!

News and discussion

Read on to check out some interesting articles and discussions that are currently circulating online on the topic of urban climate resilience. In this edition, we feature recent posts on the Conference on Urban Green Growth 2015 of Vietnam Urban Forum; challenges posed by the May extreme heatwaves in India; interactive games on urban climate resilience; and a 20-step guide on how to build a city from scratch.

Member profile

Nguyen Thi Kim Ha, Technical Coordinator, Da Nang Climate Change Coordination Office (CCCO)

When did you join Da Nang CCCO and what does your role involve?
I joined the CCCO in 2011. I am the technical coordinator for two projects in the ACCCRN Program “CCCO - Documenting innovations and generating new knowledge” and “Pathways to Water Resilience in Da Nang City: A Comprehensive Assessment”.

How did you become interested in the topic of urban climate resilience?
At the CCCO, there are many activities that I have directly carried out related to urban climate resilience, including a sector study on climate change vulnerability for the city's tourism sector, research on an early warning system for flooding, assessment of climate change and urbanization impacts on the city’s peri-urban areas, and development of climate resilience indicators.
Through this work, I am often approached with the concept of urban climate resilience. Therefore, I have continued to promote this new concept to partner organizations, who show very high interest in it. Urban climate resilience is also very useful approach applied under the “Pathways to Water Resilience in Da Nang City: A Comprehensive Assessment” project and the “100 Resilient Cities” (100RC) program that I am working on.

What are some of the main activities or projects your organization is currently working on that relate to urban climate resilience?
For the ACCCRN program, this year we are continuing to implement the project “Pathways to Water Resilience in Da Nang City: A Comprehensive Assessment”.
Our office is also working with the 100RC program pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation, where we will coordinate with the technical partners of the 100RC to advise Da Nang City on how to build a Resilience Strategy.

Tell us a fact that we might be surprised to learn about you.
My training major is in chemistry, but I have been working in the environmental field for over 10 years and am currently working in the field of climate change.

Urban climate resilience news from around the world

Vietnam Urban Green Growth 2015

The annual General Assembly of the Vietnam Urban Forum (VUF) this year focused on the topic of promoting urban green growth, with many models and plenty of experience shared by Vietnamese and international organizations. Read more...

Summer in the City

Much more severe than the recent heatwave in northern and central Vietnam, the extreme heatwave in India in May was recognized as the deadliest in recent decades in this countries. Extreme heat and its consequences, together with the risk of it becoming more and more intense and unpredictable in the future, is posing tricky questions to urban designers. Read more...

Using games to demystify complexity

A workshop was organized by ISET-International to introduce highly interactive games that break down complex concepts and processes such as social networks, the impacts of legal institutions, resilience characteristics, core urban services, and uncertainty. Read more...

How to build a city from scratch?

Most cities in the world have been long built and shaped, and the urban planners and managers of these cities are struggling with planning and developing them on the established foundation. Meanwhile, here and there in the world, people are embarking on laying the first bricks for brand new cities. What do you think of the steps and advice to them from this article? Read more...