Above: Flooding in the Mekong Delta in 2050. Source: Southern Institute for Water Resources Planning The growing problem of urban flooding in southern Vietnam has attracted the attention of the national government, but few practical solutions have been put forward. The combination of rapid urban growth, inadequate infrastructure, land subsidence and climate change all contribute to this challenging problem. At a workshop held in Can Tho on Oct 27, national, regional and local participants heard that there is no single solution to the problem, and no perfect set of solutions. Multiple actions are needed at different scales, from the community to the ward, district, city, province and regional
The sixth Asia-Pacific Urban Forum (APUF-6) took place on Oct. 19-21 in Jakarta. This meeting, organized every four to five years through the UN, was hosted by the government of Indonesia and brought together policymakers and practitioners to discuss emerging and critical urban development issues. This year’s forum took place at a pivotal moment, following the recent adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — an inter-governmentally agreed set of targets that will build upon and replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) — and leading up to the third United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat III) next year in Quito. APUF-6 provided an opportunity to focus on th
