From ideas to impact: RUCAS enters its next phase

Our flagship program – Resilient Urban Centres and Surrounds – is entering a new phase:

FROM

Reinforcing the value of NbS

Supporting practical, locally led delivery

Building on 5 years of regional collaboration

We’ve been working with stakeholders in the Greater Mekong region for around 5 years now, using urban water management as a catalyst to promote urban climate resilience in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam.

Supported by the Australian Government, Phase 1 of the program showed how hybrid nature-based solutions (NbS) can complement conventional infrastructure and deliver multiple benefits for flood management, urban cooling, water quality, biodiversity, public space, liveability and social inclusion.

Supporting practical, local-led delivery

Phase 2 is supporting locally led delivery through:

Demonstrations
Training
Technical support

Finance and maintenance planning
Decision-ready evidence.

Inclusion embedded from the start

Gender Equality, Disability Equity and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) is embedded from the start, so women, people with disabilities and other underrepresented groups help shape solutions and benefit from them.

These groups often face greater exposure to climate and urban development risks, yet have less influence over investment and planning and decisions.

Setting priorities with partners

RUCAS 2 is currently in its inception phase, confirming priorities, workplans, roles and systems. Team members met with 40+ partners and stakeholders in August and September to identify priorities, discuss activities and consider possible demonstration sites.