Huế

The GreenCityLabHuế explores how Nature-based Solutions (NbS) can address urban challenges in Hue, such as climate change and urbanisation. It maximises the city’s green-blue potential by sharing knowledge on Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and green-blue infrastructure (GBI), while offering space for creativity, discussion, and validation with input from decision-makers, researchers, stakeholders, and citizens.

Modelling the effects of green-blue infrastructure

Modelling at selected sites demonstrated that greening interventions, such as tree planting, green facades, and vegetated strips, reduce air temperature and improve outdoor thermal comfort, with tree shade identified as the most effective cooling measure. Co-benefits, including air quality improvement, recreation, and aesthetic value, were also highlighted. At the city scale, GIS-based modelling assessed the potential of widespread NbS adoption to enhance ecosystem services like air quality regulation, recreation, and green space accessibility. This analysis identified priority areas for greening, particularly in planned urban expansion zones, and provided insights into spatial and systemic NbS benefits.

Analysing policies and involving stakeholders’ and citizens’ views

Policy and governance analyses identified barriers to effective NbS implementation in Hue, including insufficient policies, lack of expertise, poor project coordination, limited public awareness, and funding challenges. Stakeholder roundtables revealed that strategic governance, clear guidelines, and cross-sectoral cooperation would be crucial for successful NbS integration. Participatory events with citizens and community leaders further emphasized citizens’ concerns over urban densification, heat stress, and unequal green space distribution and access across the city. Residents called for better maintenance of existing green spaces, the creation of new, evenly distributed green areas, and greater involvement of citizens in planning processes. A survey collected additional data on citizen’s environmental perceptions, ecosystem service demands, and preferences for NbS designs.

Implementing Nature-based solutions

Four pilot projects of practical NbS implementation, developed in a co-creative process, including the greening of a rooftop of a cultural center, vertical greening at a schoolyard, and the transformation of two brownfields into small-scale public green spaces, provided valuable lessons on implementation, approval processes, and feasibility of NbS in Hue, while showing that effective NbS projects can be implemented even with small budgets.

Digital activities

The GreenCityLabHuế also wants citizens to discover a glance of the huge diversity of green and blue spaces in Huế city through the GreenCityLabHuế Story Map.

Guiding governance on Nature-based solutions

The findings of all project activities will be compiled into a best practices handbook to guide NbS governance and implementation in Hue, emphasizing collaboration of various stakeholders to support Hue’s urban resilience.

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