Vietnam is ranked globally as the country with the fourth highest exposure to flooding. Monsoon rains regularly begin in the north of the country in April to May, and typhoons impact the long coastline, especially the central and southern provinces, from October to January. Climate change is exacerbating the intensity of these extreme weather events, and rapid urbanisation is increasing the severity of the impacts. Network member Dr Trung Hieu Tran from Cranfield University, UK, is part of a team of researchers from University of Kent, the University of Nottingham, Asian Management and Development Institute, Transport and Development Strategy Institute, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, and Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change who are working with local authorities in Vietnam to minimise the impact of flooding on road infrastructure in the country. Investment strategies for urban road infrastructure are guided mainly by development and economic growth targets, by the influences of international finance institutions, and by sometimes competing sectoral priorities of government planning, construction and transportation departments. These influences lead to investments that are strategic, but not economically and socially optimal in the context of rapid urbanisation and climate change. This project seeks to redress that balance, by introducing scientific methods of operational research to demonstrate, based on existing data, the comparative impacts of flooding of urban road infrastructure systems on different levels of a city’s economy and society, under different investment scenarios. You can follow the project on Twitter at @GCRF_OSIRIS, on Facebook at GCRF.OSIRIS, or visit the project website. |
