Mitigating climate impacts in Southeast Asian coastal cities: urban decarbonisation and adaptation to sea-level rise
The Sea-City Interface focuses on the sea-city fringes in rapidly urbanising cities in tropical Asia, where coastal regions interplay. The threat of increasing shocks and stresses induced by climate change and excessive CO2 emissions is well-known. At the same time, demographers show that urban population growth is at its most intense in tropical coastal regions of Asian cities. These regions, as strategic locations, are developed as logistic hubs where ports and airports are often concentrated. This combination of environmental, demographic and logistical factors places stress particularly on the zones where urban development meets the sea - the sea-city interface.
The module is focusing on three broad areas. First, it develops measures to mitigate climate change and reduce its effects. This is done through improved regenerative approaches to urban design and planning, environmental modelling to quantify the role of urban vegetation on water fluxes and heat island effects, and building biomimicry technology to capture, absorb, store and remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Second, it develops practical and scalable nature-based approaches for cities in the tropical Asian region to mitigate the effects of climate change and rising sea levels through urban design and biophilic approaches for water-sensitive design. Finally, the research considers the demographic and economic aspects of the sea-city interface, focusing on the interplay between climate change and an ageing population, and how this interface can combine its historical manufacturing roles with emerging hybrid developments towards a creative economy that supports diverse industries and promotes liveability.
