UCR-CoP Newsletter No. 8, Oct 2016

UCR-CoP newsletter, October 2016
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Welcome to our October 2016 Newsletter!

Welcome to October 2016 Newsletter, the English version. In this edition, UCR-CoP members share in our Calendar update the upcoming Sustaining Urban Resilience in Vietnam – Lessons from 7 years of ACCCRN national workshop scheduled to be held this coming November, the Da Nang city’s first-ever comprehensive resilience strategy Resilient Da Nang, the results from recent workshops on the topics of urban climate change resilience experience in Mekong Delta region, and urban planning and development towards green growth and climate resilience, and the article on one of our UCR-CoP fellows being highlighted as an ACCCRN champion of September 2016.

We will also get to know Dr. Tran Van Giai Phong from The Institute for Social and Environmental Transition (ISET), follow up on news and articles about the Habitat III conference, learn about recently released reports on urban resilience across the globe and much 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.

November 24, 2016
Sustaining Urban Resilience in Vietnam – Lessons from 7 years of ACCCRN workshop, Hanoi, Vietnam (Learn more)

December 01-02, 2016 [tentative]
Agenda Setting Workhop of 100 Resilient Cities, pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation, Can Tho, Vietnam (Learn more)

Recent activity

Da Nang recently unveiled city’s first-ever comprehensive resilience strategy Resilient Da Nang. Read more. Uban climate change resilience experience in Mekong Delta region sharing event was organized by the People’s Committee of Can Tho City, in collaboration with ISET. Read more. The Vietnam forum on urban planning and development towards green growth and climate resilience was jointly held by the Ministry of Construction, UN-Habitat, and the Quang Ngai Provincial People’s Committee. Read more. Prof. Dr. Luu Duc Cuong from Viet Nam Institute for Urban-Rural Planning (VIUP) was highlighted as ACCCRN Champion of September 2016. Read more.

Meet Mr. Phong

In each newsletter, we get to know a little more about one of our fellow members. Read on to meet Dr. Tran Van Giai Phong, Technical Lead of The Institute for Social and Environmental Transition (ISET).

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 Habitat III - the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, newly released reports and analyses on urban resilience of cities across the globe, the global message for World Food Day 2016 which closely associates climate change with food security, how a water square can build resilience in Rotterdam, and the Kigali deal on cutting the emission of HFC achieved at the meeting in Kigali, Rwanda.

Member profile

Dr. Tran Van Giai Phong, Technical Lead at the Institute for Social and Environmental Transition (ISET).

When did you join your current company and what does your role involve?
ISET is an international non-profit research organization working mainly in the areas of climate change adaptation, water resource management, urban/peri-urban resilience and disaster risk management. I started working for ISET from 2011 as the Technical Lead of its projects. At present, in addition to leading ISET projects in Hue and Da Nang cities, I also provide technical guidance and support to regional research projects and projects in other cities.

How did you become interested in the topic of urban climate resilience?
I live and work mainly in Central Vietnam, a region highly exposed to natural hazards. Disaster and climate change impacts are increasing, particularly in today’s context of urbanization. Therefore, I'm always interested in identifying measures to sustainably mitigate climate change and disaster impacts for urban communities. My original background is in construction, thus, I am very interested in housing, specifically on how to build storm and flood resilient houses, through which to reduce disaster and climate change impacts for the urban poor. I’m specially interested in applying the perspective of urban planning to develop measures to tackle the impacts of natural hazards and climate change. Finally, existing institutional barriers to building resilience for urban communities have always motivated me to look for ways to promote policy change and improvements, contributing to climate resilience.

What are some of the main activities or projects your organization is currently working on that relate to urban climate resilience?
ISET has been implementing many programs and projects in Quy Nhon, Can Tho, Da Nang, Lao Cai, Hue and many other cities of Vietnam, to support these cities in building climate resilience. Within the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) program, ISET plays a key role: ISET-International is a regional partner, while ISET-Vietnam is the national coordinator of the ACCCRN program in Vietnam. We have been working closely with the cities, promoting new approaches and tools, and providing technical assistance to the cities’ research and intervention efforts for building climate resilience. Some projects within ACCCRN program include the Climate Change Coordination Offices (CCCO) project in Da Nang, Quy Nhon and Can Tho; the Storm-resistant housing project in Da Nang, which won the UNFCCC Lighthouse Award in 2014; the Saline intrusion, and riverbank erosion co-management projects in Can Tho; the mangrove co-management and Flood early warning system projects in Quy Nhon, etc. Later in November, ISET is going to organize a national workshop to share our lessons learnt from the ACCCRN program.

ISET also collaborates with other organizations to implement many other projects, such as with the Urban Development Agency under the Ministry of Construction and The Asia Foundation in a project to develop City Resilience Index for cities of Vietnam; with a diverse set of national and city partners to share experience and lessons from city intervention in a national engagement project; and with city partners from Hue, Da Nang, Can Tho, Quy Nhon to conduct case studies on flood vulnerabilities and urban planning in the peri-urban contexts of these cities.

Tell us a fact that we might be surprised to learn about you?
I like listening to Trinh Cong Son’s music and singing his songs. I also love to travel with my family.

Urban climate resilience news from around the world

Habitat III - the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development
is the third in a series of Habitat conferences convened by the United Nations General Assembly every 20 years to respond to a growing recognition of the challenges and opportunities of rapid urbanization. It took place from October 17-20, in Quito, Ecuador. Read more on the official website of the conference, or click here for a related article.

Urban resilience assessment reports
ICLEI's report on the outcomes of resilience building and climate change adaptation of cities in the world in 2016, with examples of specific models and lessons including the Climate Change Coordination Office (CCCO) model in Vietnam. Read more.
Overseas Development Institute (ODI)'s report which summarizes writing and debates in the field of resilience during the second quarter of 2016, focusing primarily on the context of developing countries. R ead more.
World Bank Group's report on the needs and potentials of investing in resilience in low and middle income countries. Read more.

“Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too”
is the global message for World Food Day 2016 by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The world’s poorest are being hit hardest by higher temperatures and an increasing frequency in weather-related disasters. Read more.

How a playground can build resilience in Rotterdam? A new water square Frederiksplein opened this October in Rotterdam was considered as a viable flood mitigation tactic. Read more.

Kigali Climate Deal
The deal was agreed by more than 190 countries in Kigali, Rwanda, for the reduction of HFC emission, which is considered to be thousands of times more dangerous than carbon dioxide in causing global warming. Read more.