Local and Cultural Context

Consideration of the local and cultural contexts is an important prerequisite for tailored and effective solutions for sustainable and resilient regional development. Although there are cross-national and cross-cultural commonalities of urban life and business, there are local-specific characteristics that make each city and region in Southeast Asia and China unique. Different regions have geographic characteristics, values and traditions, individual stakeholder settings and culturally specific planning processes that define the way of living and shape economic structures (e.g., in IMECOGIP). Additionally, data accessibility, resource efficiency, human capacity and financial resources often vary from region to region. Civil society risk prevention programs against natural disasters must be inclusive and culturally sensitive, including measures for awareness raising and education on natural and human-made risks (e.g., in MYrisk).

Strategies and interventions of the SURE collaborative projects are characterized by a high degree of adaptability which enables them to incorporate the local and cultural contexts of different regions in Southeast Asia and China. The SURE collaborative projects do not aim for a “one size fits all” solution. Their designed solutions leave enough room for local adaptation for other regions or countries to benefit from the implemented solutions and transformative practices. The open character of the self-explanatory documented implementation plans facilitates goal-oriented adaptation possibilities in other cultural contexts. Technologies for disaster preparedness such as water-sensitive infrastructures need a high degree of flexibility, modularity and polycentricity in a progressive implementation (e.g., in PolyUrbanWaters).