The New Urban Agenda in the Tropics - research and design

Currently just over 40% of the world's population lives in the tropics. Close to 50% of those live in tropical cities. More people are living in cities than ever before, and by the middle of this century, most of those will likely be living in a tropical city.

It will be in tropical cities that the great sustainability challenges will be faced. By their very nature, tropical cities face unique challenges associated with planning, sanitation, water, extreme events and heat waves. Combined with planning challenges and the ecological footprint of growing cities alongside diverse ecosystems, an intensifying tropical region presents formidable challenges.

The recently launched Tropical Urbanism and Design Lab (TUDLab) at James Cook University focuses on research and design capability in areas related to urbanism in the tropics. Bridging academic knowledge and real-world planning, the TUDLab works in partnership with the development industry, government and non-government organisations and design firms by providing effective and appropriate solutions for tropical cities.

One partner is the Pomeroy Academy (Singapore), a provider of training and educational courses in the field of sustainability for the built environment. The courses focus on the process of designing climate responsive sustainable built environments through an evidence-based approach. Another new partnership is with the Center for Sustainability, Health and Architecture (CESHA) (Sri Lanka). CESHA acts as a focal point for research focused on healthy built and urban environments and explores a broad notion of 'resilience' in indoor and outdoor milieus.

This side event introduces the TUDLab and these partners to the global community by providing an overview how they help address the New Urban Agenda by focussing on environmental sustainability and urban resilience. It will also provide an update of the international State of the Tropics project, particularly its most recent output on sustainable infrastructure in the tropics. This event is supported by the Australia ASEAN Council, an initiative of the Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.