Adapting Urban Construction Plans to Climate Change in Vietnam by the use of Strategic Environmental Assessment

Climate change is predicted to increasingly affect urban areas and almost all aspects of human life in Vietnam. There is a growing sense of urgency in Vietnam to climate proof urban development planning and urban construction.

An SEA system has been established in Vietnam since 2005. Under the Law on Environmental Protection (LEP) 2005, SEA is defined as “the analysis and prediction of potential impacts of strategic projects and development planning and plans prior to approval, in order to ensure the achievement of sustainable development”. The LEP requires SEA to be undertaken for a broad range of national, provincial and regional strategies and plans including urban plans. The guidelines for SEA for urban planning do not yet incorporate climate change concerns.

The project aims to use Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) which has been established in Vietnam since 2005. Integration of climate change in SEA is a relatively new approach, which shows a significant potential for mainstreaming climate change concerns into various planning processes (OECD/DAC, 2008). Through guidance development, pilots, and capacity building and awareness rising of central stakeholders, the project will build capacity for mainstreaming climate change adaptation into urban planning processes in Vietnam and contribute to the general international knowledge base on adaptation through environmental assessment.

The project will focus on four major outputs that correspond with its specific objectives:

•Output 1: MOC technical guidance on addressing climate change adaptation concerns in SEA of urban plans
•Output 2: Seven pilot SEAs that rigorously consider climate change issues for urban plans in different regions in Vietnam
•Output 3:Capacity development for integrating SEA and CC assessments into urban planning
•Output 4: Awareness raising and promoting SEA as a formalised tool for systematic integration of CC issued into urban planning

The project will be headed by The Danish Centre for Environmental Assessment at the Department of Planning at Aalborg University, in close cooperation with “Centre for Research and Planning on Urban-Rural Environment"t (local partner in Vietnam) and Integra Consulting Ltd. (other partner).