March 4, 2026
/
For 4 years, the Resilient Urban Centres and Surrounds (RUCaS) program, has been using urban water management to promote urban climate resilience in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam.
Here’s some of what we’ve been up to lately.
Cambodia: Creating a catalogue of NbS typologies for wetland cities
Wetlands are a common feature of many urban communities in Cambodia. They support livelihoods (e.g. through fishing and agriculture), support biodiversity and act as natural storage basins, helping manage seasonal flooding.
But these wetlands come under pressure during rapid urbanisation, often filled in to support development.
We have been working with representatives from Cambodia’s Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction and E2Designlab to develop a catalogue of nature-based solutions (NbS) for wetland cities that can be applied throughout Cambodia. The 'Wetland City' concept integrates urban activities with seasonal flood and drought cycles.
Wetland Cities workshop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
The catalogue provides key principles to guide the integration of NbS concepts to support wetland cities and NbS typologies, including where they can be applied, what they deliver and the key considerations for ongoing management within a wetland city. A workshop in January 2026 was an opportunity to review the principles and the typologies with stakeholders, to ensure they are practical, relevant and align with Cambodia’s 9-step district and municipal land use master planning guide and other policies.
Feedback from the workshop is being used to revise the draft catalogue and develop a plan for mainstreaming the catalogue.
Download the wetland cities workshop – report
Lao PDR: Developing a local evidence base for nature-based solutions
Local environmental data is vital for smart, sustainable water and climate decisions. A workshop in November 2025 brought together local community residents, researchers, government agencies and others in Luang Prabang to build those skills.
- Collaborative discussions with wetland committee members explored how data from sensors can be useful for wetland and pond management, and how this information can be best shared.
- Local participants learnt how to calibrate and maintain IoT sensors, and how to retrieve, interpret and visualise water and air quality data.
The workshop was also an opportunity for local community members to explore a wetland and wicking bed demonstration for the Ban Mano heritage ponds. The demonstration aims to treat greywater while enhancing community spaces. Community members shared how they thought the design should function and look in different spaces and contexts. They also suggested ways to refine the prototype, which will be incorporated into the next stage of prototype development.
Read the workshop report
Thailand: Building a network of innovators
The ‘National Knowledge Sharing Workshop on Integrated Urban Water Management and the Role of Nature-based Solutions’ held in Bangkok (November 2025) brought researchers, government officials and practitioners to strengthen collaboration and shape Thailand’s future approach to urban water resilience.
The workshop focused on three shared goals: fostering an integrated water management mindset, collectively identifying Thailand’s most pressing urban water challenges, and exploring how nature-based solutions – from wetlands to mangroves to multifunctional green corridors – can enhance climate resilience and liveability.
With representatives from 10 leading Thai universities, the event highlighted the strong momentum behind coordinated, cross-sector action.
Co-hosted by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Thai Department of Climate Change and Environment and the Thai Office of National Water Resources, the workshop was a collaboration between the RUCaS program and the Urban Resilience project (supported by the International Climate Initiative and implemented by IUCN) which aims to enhance urban resilience through nature-based solutions.
Read the workshop report
Thailand: Design met resilience at Bangkok Design Week
Two Thai–Australia stormwater planter box installations showcased at Bangkok Design Week 2026 highlighted innovative, nature-based solutions for dense urban environments.
Co-developed by WSCA and the School of Architecture, Art and Design at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), the planter box installations:
- absorb and filter rainwater before it enters the drainage system, helping to reduce combined sewer overflows
- add much-needed greenery and enhance community spaces in Bangkok’s highly urbanised context.
CHECKOUT OUR LINKED IN POST
Vietnam: NbS masterplanning and stakeholder consultation in Can Tho
Our Can Tho University (CTU) case study explored options for using NbS to transform the university’s main campus into a green and sustainable space. As well as creating a water sensitive park that helps mitigate CTU’s flooding and environmental issues, the aim was establish CTU as an incubator of innovation for the Mekong Delta.
Building on the case study, CTU is now preparing a campus-wide NbS master plan in collaboration with RUCaS that integrates multiple NbS typologies – including rain gardens, bioswales and retention ponds – and explores opportunities beyond the campus. Recently, researchers from the university consulted with stakeholders from Can Tho City (e.g. the Department of Construction, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the Institute of Architectural Planning and the Ninh Kieu and Binh Thuy People’s Committees) to better understand how NbS can be applied throughout Can Tho more generally.
Dr Tuan and his team will summarise insights and feedback from these consultations in a narrative report, identifying the opportunities and challenges of applying NbS more broadly.
