Forum for Urban Future in Southeast Asia Network of Southeast Asian and German Experts

Abstract:

Battambang City is facing serious environment stress/ problems/ crisis linked to improper solid and liquid waste management, air, water and noise pollution, and constant flooding. Population growth in the urban center has resulted in increased waste generation, putting immense pressure on the current urban waste management infrastructure. Lack of environmental awareness and poor waste management have lead to illegal garbage dumping and burning. Insufficient drainage systems and the blockage of the existing canals due to illegal dumping result in water logging and constant flooding in the city during the rainy season. Stagnant water in most parts of the city serves as breeding grounds for mosquitoes and leads to other health hazards. It damages public infrastructure as well as private properties and businesses and leads to temporary loss of income. The urban flooding issue is the topic of the presentation.

Mr. Som Sangva Sak,
GIZ Local Expert to Master Plan, Battambang City.

Mr. Song Soeung,
Chief of Public Work and Transportation Office, Battambang City.

Urban Networking - some critical remarks with examples from Europe and South East Asia

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Regional Collaboration in the Management of the World Heritage Cities of George Town and Melaka, Malaysia

Abstract
George Town and Melaka, two historic cities on the Straits of Malacca in Peninsular Malaysia, were inscribed jointly as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on 7 July 2008. Their inscription was based on three main criteria: (i) the cities represent exceptional examples of multi-cultural trading towns in the East and Southeast Asia forged from the exchanges of Malay, Chinese, Indian and European Cultures, (ii) they are living testimony to the multi-cultural heritage and tradition of Asia, where the greatest religions and cultures met, displaying a testament to the religious pluralism of Asia, and (iii) they reflect the coming together of cultural elements from the Malay Archipelago, India, China and Europe to create a unique architecture, culture and townscape, in particular, an exceptional architecture of shop-houses and townhouses.

Understanding Urban Environments from Satellite Imagery: Approaches, Data Extraction Methods and Applications

Abstract:
Studies on urban environments/ on THE urban environment require comprehensive understanding of the complex phenomena which shape and interact in urban contexts. One of the most important aspects in understanding urban environments is the use of the spatial approach, which can be carried out with the help of remotely sensed imagery. Satellite imagery can give a synoptic overview of an area, so that homogeneous analytical units can be developed as a basis for stratified sampling. Time series analysis using multitemporal images enables planners to monitor and to predict land-use change as well as urban area development. This presentation describes several approaches which can be used to study urban environments, followed by an overview of information extraction methods based on currently available satellite data. Several applications which integrate remote sensing and geographical information systems (GIS), related to land-use classification, settlement pattern analysis, land-use change and fragmentation, urban heat islands, vector-borne infectious diseases, urban green spaces and a prediction model for urban area development are briefly explained, including their advantages and limitations. This presentation also highlights some research needs from the geoinformation perspective.

Environmental Assessment of Hanoi's Municipal Socio-economic Development Strategy up to 2030 (with a vision to 2050)

Abstract
The Socio-economic Development Strategy (SEDS) for Hanoi up to 2030 sketches out five key functions of the capital as (1) the national political and administrative center, (2) the main cultural center, (3) the leading scientific, educational and training center, (4) the country's key economic center, and (5) an international transaction and communication hub.
From an economic point of view, Hanoi should target an annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 9-10% from 2011 to 2020 and 7.5-8.5% in the 2021-2030 period while ensuring an average GDP per capita of US $5,100-5,300 in 2020 and US $11,000 -12,000 in 2030.
Key environmental issues and objectives related to Hanoi's SEDS, as well as environmental impacts linked to SEDS were defined in a strategic environmental assessment and include:

1. Physical environmental components: water and air quality, solid waste management, and land use,

2. Natural resource exploitation and protection: forest resources, ecosystem and biodiversity,

3. Social and economic environment: employment transformation and creation, the gap between rich and poor, change in city life styles and the preservation of cultural traditions...

The multiple functions of Wat (pagoda) Space for urban Development

Abstract
The Wat (or pagoda) is a place where monks reside, and are educated in the principles of Buddhism. It also functions as a public space and plays a critical role in the establishment of Khmer cultural, social, educational and spiritual/moral identities in Khmer society.

From Civil Society to Urban Environmental Risk Management: Role of Women beyond Natural Disaster

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Isurban flooding "natural"?

Abstract:

Abstract:
Hanoi - the capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam - is one of the oldest cities in Southeast Asia. Its history spans several thousands of years l, and the city's formation and development are closely linked to the evolution of river and lake systems. Hanoi is spatially structured by water - in the form of the mighty Red River - Song Hong or Song Ca (Mother River) - and an extensive network of natural and man-made lakes. In Hanoi, ancient traditions of Feng Sui (the science of wind and water) placed special reverence on water bodies and their relationship to/ importance for/ meaning for settlements.
Historically, Hanoi's water paradigm served to (1) integrate different aspects of life and (2) to adapt to and to a certain degree accommodate the forces of nature. Today - in a period of economic liberalization and transition from tradition to modernity - water is often regarded from a singular and dominating perspective (be it political, technical or commercial). Considering the fact that both urbanization and climate change are increasing, water issues represent incredible challenges which Hanoi is already facing today.

Abstract:

Abstract:
Vietnam has been experiencing rapid population change with rapid urban growth, particularly in the last 15 years. Housing supply in big cities is always a pressing issue, especially for immigrant labourers from rural areas. However, the strategies concerning this issue have been misleading and have not caught up with economic development and the speed of immigration.
In order to cope with this situation, besides the urban housing development strategies, so called "social housing programs" for people who cannot afford to buy a house have been implemented across Vietnam by the Government and have achieved some positive results.
However, in Vietnam "Social housing" only refers to houses for (1) civil/ public servants, (2) students and workers in EPZs, (3) low income groups who contributed a lot to their country's liberation (determined by The Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs), (4) poor people who are legal citizens of the city. The unskilled laborers from rural areas are not eligible for social housing/ are not included in the social housing scheme, because they still do not have the right to complete their resident registration.

Urban new slums in Hanoi - new approach to old risks