At the APCS conference held in Japan, Da Nang City introduced a groundbreaking approach to building safe cities that shifts the focus from disaster prevention to adaptation and recovery. It presented specific policies, including securing space for water resources, adopting three-layer gray, green and digital infrastructure, and establishing cross-basin cooperation frameworks.
Da Nang City attended the 15th Asia-Pacific City Summit (APCS 15), held in Fukuoka, Japan, and presented a new resilience strategy focused on shifting urban policy from disaster prevention to adaptation and recovery. The delegation included relevant departments such as the Department of Construction, the Department of Environment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and outlined a policy of linking nature, infrastructure, data and communities as a single system.
Following the integration of administrative divisions, Da Nang City is expected to cover approximately 11,870 square kilometers and have a population of more than 3.2 million. The city is adopting a “one city, one basin” approach. Under the plan, bodies of water will be identified first, urbanization will be restricted in areas where flood depths exceed 1.5 meters, and flood drainage channels and retention areas will be strictly protected.
The measures comprise three groups. First, the plan prioritizes securing space for water resources, with the master plan for the city through 2050 incorporating the identification of water bodies and river management. Second, infrastructure will combine three layers: gray infrastructure, including drainage, sewage and canals; green infrastructure, including sponge-city-style blue-green infrastructure; and digital infrastructure, including spatial data and real-time alerts. Third, non-structural solutions include coordinating upstream reservoirs with downstream early-warning systems, implementing the “four on-the-spot” principle in each local authority, and involving citizens in joint design and implementation.
The Da Nang City People’s Committee will strengthen cooperation with the APCS network, with the aim of promoting data sharing, risk mapping, early-warning systems, sponge cities, green and blue infrastructure, funding arrangements and community-based adaptation measures. It also expressed its intention to strengthen exchanges between delegations and industrial and business cooperation through its friendship and cooperation relationship with Fukuoka City. Further joint efforts are expected to advance sustainable urban development, digital transformation and smart cities.