Emerging Megacities in East Asia face common challenges in responding to rapid population growth and there is an urgency to develop these cities in a more liveable and sustainable manner. Future Asian Megacities can play a key role in improving energy efficiency and addressing the effects of climate change through practical and pragmatic urban environmental planning measures. This contribution illuminates the way adaptation to climate change is tackled in spatial planning strategies. The possible impacts of climate change on mega-urban regions in South-East Asia are highlighting that spatial design and urban environmental planning are a promising tool in adapting to climate change, because its integral responses are capable in dealing with uncertainties. Dealing with adaptation to climate change in the context of emerging Asian megacities requires a shift in policy options towards more proactive response strategies. While urban development trends in HCMC are addressing both mitigation needs and the rationale of adaptation to the effects of climate change, the main focus of combating climate change impacts in the mega-urban region of HCMC has to be the practical implementation of adaptation measures. Planned adaptation implies spatial planning decisions and measures at the urban-scale that facilitates the reduction of the adverse impacts of climate change. Further however adaptation has the potential to realise new opportunities for defining livability and sustainability in an Asian context of urban development planning, scoping planning issues and opportunities at different spatial scales.
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