Spatial Indicators for Assessing Climate Risks and Opportunities within the Urban Environment of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

This paper describes the research results in the development of spatial indicators for assessing both climate risks and opportunities for the southern Vietnamese city of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). The assessment is based upon a shared spatial framework, utilising an urban structure type approach. The key urban environmental impact indicator of imperviousness is provided as an example. The proposed system represents a thematically integrative method, for ultimately compiling domain specific GISapplications, analytical models and thematic assessment methods. Climate change resilience and exposure indicators are used to generate spatial sector-specific analyses. Through the utilisation of planning recommendation maps, the comprehensive aim is to develop, designate, and incorporate climate change mitigation and adaptation potentials into the urban decisionmaking and planning processes. The research is envisaged to contribute to and promote an increase in the city’s resilience to climate-related vulnerabilities and the overall sustainability of structures. The main objective is to advance and disseminate knowledge and inform decision-makers and the general public about the climate change risks, aiding the appraisal of adaptation options, increasing capacities to respond to climatic stress, to implement necessary adaptation measures and to strengthen the sustainable responsive capacity of the urban system.