Brisbane City, 3-5 July 2018 – Twenty-one delegates from around the Philippines took part in an international field exposure and learning exchange from 3 to 5 July 2018, as part of the Building Climate Resiliency through Urban Plans and Design (BCRUPD) project being implemented by UN-Habitat Philippines.
The city of Brisbane in Australia hosted participants from the Climate Change Commission (CCC), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB), League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), and the cities of Angeles, Legazpi, Ormoc, Tagum, and UN-Habitat Philippines.
The main objectives of the learning exchange were to share lessons from urban adaptation, design, and climate resilience projects implemented and managed in Brisbane and Queensland, generate discussion and ideas exchanges on related urban planning and design ideas, and identify lessons that could inform key action points and recommendations to improve national agency and local government services in the Philippines.
“This learning visit made me realize that national policies will not be very effective unless it is really filtered down to the local authorities who are actually the prime movers and implementors of climate change actions.”
—Commissioner Ria Golez, HLURB
Participants began the three day program with Brisbane City Councillor David McLachlan, Chairman of the Environment, Parks and Sustainability Committee. Councillor McLachlan spoke of the key climate resilience challenges facing Brisbane, and stressed the importance of good planning, good governance, and working closely with communities to improve the city’s climate resilience.
Officers from Brisbane City Council shared the development and implementation of strong and innovative strategies, policies, and plans for urban design, climate and flood resilience, and urban biodiversity.
On the final day of the program, participants were hosted by the Department of Environment and Science at the Queensland Government, with support from Griffith University (National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) and Climate Change Response Program) and the Local Government Association of Queensland.
Site visits to 480 Queen Street and the Queensland University of Technology Gardens Point Campus enhanced practical understandings of climate resilient urban design in the subtropical Brisbane climate.
The program reflected the diversity of participants, their institutions, and the need for horizontal and vertical coordination in climate change governance and action.
Key HLURB recommendations developed out of this learning exchange include the review and enhancement of guidelines on urban design, improvement of the Development Control Handbook and the preparation of training modules on climate sensitive urban design for local government units. The DILG on the other hand emphasized the need to include urban planning dimension on the preparation of Comprehensive Development Plans and the assessment of enforcement of zoning ordinances.
The Building Climate Resiliency through Urban Plans & Designs project is supported by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety under the International Climate Initiative.
Download the project brief here.
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