The increasing occurrence of natural hazards and extreme weather events caused by climate change is a growing threat worldwide, affecting urban areas and their inhabitants in particular. Central Vietnam, where the city of Hue is located, is considered to be one of the regions in Southeast Asia most vulnerable to impacts of climate change. It is particularly exposed to climate change-related hazards, including heavy rainfall events, storms, flooding, and the amplification of heat stress with increasing frequency and duration of heat waves. Nature-based Solutions (NbS) refer to designed interventions inspired by nature that help to address socio-environmental challenges by taking advantage of ecosystem services, i.e. benefits provided by plants, water, soil and other natural elements. Through their multifunctional character, NbS pose viable, locally adaptable solutions to tackle aforementioned challenges. NbS can play a key role in addressing societal challenges by supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation, disaster risk reduction, economic and social development, human health, food security, water security, and the reversal of environmental degradation and biodiversity loss through delivering a diverse range of benefits. In an urban context, in particular Green-Blue-Infrastructure (GBI) provides various ecosystem services and is e.g. recognized as an effective means for regulating urban air temperature.
Showcases for Nature-based Solutions in Hue
The GreenCityLabHuế project aimed to demonstrate how a co-creative process can be used to develop and implement small-scale urban NbS in the form of site-specific GBI measures in the city of Hue, referred to as “NbS Showcases”. Four locations for the implementation of the “NbS Showcases” were selected in close cooperation with the city administration. For these four locations, concepts for the small-scale implementation of NbS measures were developed in a design competition together with students and representatives of civil society. These are intended both to demonstrate in practice which effects can be achieved with NbS and to gather valuable experience for their planning, implementation and maintenance in the local context of Hue. They also serve as an example of how effective small-scale NbS can be created in cities, even with limited financial resources. The “NbS Showcases” include the greening of a roof and façades at a cultural center in Phú Hội, the greening of a schoolyard with vertical green elements in An Đông, and the transformation of two small brownfield sites into small-scale public green spaces in Trường An and Thủy Biều.

