USAID continues to support climate resilient urban planning

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The Climate Impacts Decision Support Tool (CIMPACT-DST) was developed to help reduce disaster risks, forecast climate change impacts and suggest responsive solutions via urban planning.

By bringing together information about the impacts of climate change into one place, the tool helps cities avoid infrastructure development in most at-risk areas and make better decisions about which areas are safe to develop more intensively as the population grows.

“By integrating climate change into the urban planning process, Viet Nam will be able to influence how cities develop and ultimately create resilient communities that are better protected from the impacts of climate change,” said USAID Viet Nam Mission Director Joakim Parker.

With USAID’s support, the tool was customized for the flood-prone city of Hue, which allowed the Hue Planning Institute to develop three new climate-resilient urban master plans for the city.

With information about how climate change will affect the severity and frequency of flooding, and which sites will be most vulnerable, city officials are now able to decide which parts of the city and surrounding areas are safe to develop.

The tool is currently being deployed in Can Tho city and Ba Ria-Vung Tau province and it is expected to be rolled out throughout all 63 provinces and cities of the country.

USAID has identified Viet Nam as a priority country for climate change assistance. Beside the ongoing climate change, Viet Nam is increasingly at risk for flooding, extreme heat and sea level rise.  These disasters can disrupt homes, businesses and agriculture, impacting the livelihoods of many Vietnamese.

USAID’s climate change initiatives in Viet Nam follow the framework provided in the USAID’s Global Climate Change and Development Strategy, released in January 2012.

                                                                                                                                  By Vien Nhu