2017 Vietnam Mission on ‘Scaling up Urban Upgrading Project’

Geoff was invited by the World Bank to contribute to the Vietnam on ‘Scaling up Urban Upgrading Project’. The objective of the project was to carry out a rapid assessment of urban resilience capacity in the Mekong Delta Region which is particularly vulnerable to climate change. The first mission was carried out in January 2017 and included workshops in Hanoi, plus rapid assessments in  the first four cities of Vi Thanh, Bac Lieu, Tan An and Ben Tre. In the second mission during March, 2017, the team undertook similar assessments in the cities of Long Xuyen, Soc Trang and Vinh Long.

Geoff was responsible for reviewing land use and master plans, while other international and local experts focused on Disaster Risk Management, transport planning, utilities provision and information management. Visits to each city were brief, but included intense discussions with local officials and site visits to a range of particularly vulnerable settlements, typical new commercial, industrial and residential developments and relocation projects. Each visit ended with a discussion with senior officials to report on our findings and implications for policy and practice. Reports were prepared on all seven cities and the key findings and recommendations will be peer reviewed within the Bank and then presented to the Ministry of Construction in Hanoi.