Southeast Asia is urbanizing at an unprecedented pace, with cities from Jakarta to Manila, Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City growing rapidly even as they confront intensifying climate risks. Flooding, water scarcity, heat stress, and land subsidence are already reshaping the urban experience, threatening both infrastructure and livelihoods. Yet within these challenges lies an opportunity: to design cities that not only adapt to climate change but thrive with it—climate-smart, resilient cities that weave nature back into their fabric.
Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are at the heart of this transformation. Singapore’s Marina Barrage demonstrates how flood control, water storage, and public green spaces can be integrated into one multifunctional system. In Surabaya, Indonesia, a citywide green infrastructure plan has introduced parks, urban forests, and permeable streets that absorb stormwater and cool the air. These examples show how blending ecological processes into urban design can protect cities while making them healthier and more liveable.
Across the region, cities are adopting NbS to manage water and heat simultaneously. Sponge city concepts, green streets, and bioretention ponds capture and filter stormwater, reducing flood risk while replenishing aquifers. In Jakarta and Bangkok, where land subsidence and flooding converge, solutions such as urban water buffers, infiltration channels, and aquifer recharge zones are vital to prevent groundwater depletion and ensure long-term water security.
Cooling is another critical priority. Expanding urban forests, green belts, and rooftop gardens provides shade and reduces the urban heat island effect. In Ho Chi Minh City, vertical gardens and green façades are being explored as natural cooling systems woven into dense high-rise areas. At the community level, initiatives such as urban farming, pollinator corridors, and landfill-to-park regeneration are transforming underused spaces into green hubs of food security, biodiversity, and social cohesion.
