SUD Public Lecture – Tomorrow’s Public Spaces ✦ Apply Now 2026
SUD Public Lecture Series

Tomorrow’s Public Spaces:
Design for Adaptation & Inclusion

Sustainable Urban Development (SUD) public lecture series

Date & Time Saturday, 9 May 2026 · 9h00–11h30
Venue VGU City Center Campus
5th Floor, 130–132 Hong Ha, Duc Nhuan Ward, Ho Chi Minh City
Participants Lecturers, Experts, and Students

Speakers & Event Hosts

Bringing together leading researchers and practitioners in urban design, planning, and landscape architecture — hosted by the SUD programme team at VGU.

Event Hosts

Nguyen Ngoc Hieu Host
Nguyen Ngoc Hieu
SUD Coordinator · VGU

Welcome remarks & guiding the event from opening to conclusion.

Le Thi Thu Huong Co-host
Le Thi Thu Huong
SUD Programme · VGU

Closing remark, Co-host of the event and the interactive session on public space design.

Speakers

Pham Thai Son Speaker
Pham Thai Son
SUD Program · VGU
Presentation

Toward resilient and inclusive public space in urban planning and development

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Kelly Shannon Speaker
Kelly Shannon
Urban Design Researcher
Presentation

Fieldwork and Learning from the Everyday Public Realm

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Bruno De Meulder Speaker
Bruno De Meulder
Landscape Urbanism · KU Leuven
Presentation

Exemplary Street Reprofiling for Global Warming & Inclusion: Strategies from Paris

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Objectives of the Event

This public lecture brings together researchers, urban designers, and practitioners to explore how public space can be designed for resilience, adaptability, and social inclusion in contemporary cities.

01

Discuss the role of public space in adaptive and inclusive city

02

Provide participants with a practical framework to analyze public space (APST framework)

03

Introduce methodological approaches to understand public space, and how fieldwork and data inform public space design

04

Propose evidence-based urban design approaches to create functional, inclusive and multi-species public space

05

Showcase how SUD program equips students with hands-on skills and interdisciplinary knowledge

Tentative Agenda

Saturday, 9 May 2026  ·  8h30–11h30  ·  VGU City Center Campus — 5th Floor, 130–132 Hong Ha, Duc Nhuan Ward, Ho Chi Minh City

# Time Activity Person in Charge
01 08h30–09h00 Registration and Reception Admin SUD & ARC teams
02 09h00–09h10 Welcome remarks Opening Nguyen Ngoc Hieu, SUD Coordinator
03 09h10–09h40 Toward resilient and inclusive public space in urban planning and development Keynote Pham Thai Son
04 09h40–10h00 Fieldwork and Learning from the Everyday Public Realm Keynote Kelly Shannon
05 10h00–10h20 Exemplary Street Reprofiling for Global Warming & Inclusion: Strategies from Paris Keynote Bruno De Meulder
06 10h20–10h50 Q&A session Discussion
07 10h50–11h20 SUD program introduction and interactive session with all participants ★ Interactive Pham Thai Son, Kelly Shannon & Bruno De Meulder
08 11h20–11h30 Closing session Closing Le Thi Thu Huong, ARC Coordinator

Highlight of the Event

The centrepiece of the lecture is a hands-on, collaborative exercise guided by all three speakers.

Interactive Session

Understanding and Designing Public Space

The speakers will guide participants on using the APST framework (Activity – People – Space – Time) to understand public space and to propose design strategies for adaptive and inclusive space.

A
Activity
P
People
S
Space
T
Time
1
Introduce a typical public space in Ho Chi Minh City with basic information and maps
2
Using supporting materials (maps, stickers), ask participants to identify A–P–S–T elements of the public space
3
Based on the lecture of Kelly Shannon: participants will propose strategies to conduct fieldwork to understand in details A–P–S–T elements
4
Based on the lecture of Bruno De Meulder: participants will present on how to transform data to inclusive design

Participants & Venue

The event welcomes a diverse audience from academia, research, and the built environment professions.

Participants

  • Lecturers, Experts, and Students
  • External Experts
  • Potential Candidates for SUD master program

Venue

  • VGU Ho Chi Minh City Campus
  • 5th Floor, 130-132 Hong Ha, Duc Nhuan Ward, Ho Chi Minh City
  • Saturday, 9 May 2026
  • 9h00–11h30 (Registration from 8h30)
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