Climate Resilient Housing: Co-Designing with Community and Tackling the Funding Gap
In this episode of Habitat for Humanity International’s “Open the Door,” moderator Aaron Opdyke, an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney and Disaster Risk Management Specialist with the GFDRR/World Bank, is joined by Sanjeev Hada, Associate Director, Program Operations Asia-Pacific at Habitat for Humanity, and Ngoc Anh Chu Thi, “Kiu,” an architect with Think Playgrounds and a 2025 Habitat Youth Solutions winner. Together, they explore what it takes to make housing more resilient to the impacts of climate change across Asia and the Pacific. They discuss why housing remains underfunded despite its wider social and economic benefits, what “climate-resilient housing” looks like in practice, and why community participation and localized design matter. Kiu shares her experience co-designing floating homes with a vulnerable community along Hanoi’s Red River, using local materials, natural cooling techniques, and repair training. Sanjeev reflects on the challenges posed by short donor funding cycles challenges, the need for stronger evidence of impact, and the range of approaches available to communities, from retrofitting existing homes to and relocation where necessary.
Chapters
00:00 Podcast Introduction 02:14 Meet The Guests 07:00 Floating Housing Concept 07:44 Why Housing Gets Underfunded 11:17 Vietnam Climate Stakes 13:14 Defining Climate Resilience 16:25 Red River Reality Check 22:15 Rapid Response Without Funding 25:23 Donor Cycles And Evidence 29:27 Community Participation Tools 34:27 Co-Designing with Community 38:44 What does Resilient Relocation look like? 42:17 Asia Pacific Solutions 46:13 What Needs To Change 50:58 Lightning Round 54:08 Final Takeaways And Call To Action
Sources/References
Habitat for Humanity, 2026. Youth Assembly Event Report. https://www.habitat.org/sites/default/files/documents/2025_Habitat_Youth_Assembly_Event_Report.pdf Habitat for Humanity, 2025. “People-centered approach in disaster response.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKZBRXxOU4g&list=PLZw2r9T-PRIL044ubh0H6VexfrGIcN0Xa&index=4 United Nations Environment Programme and Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction, 2026. “Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2025-2026.” https://www.unep.org/resources/report/global-status-report-buildings-and-construction-2025-2026 Vietnam Express International, 2025. “Vietnam among Asian countries most vulnerable to climate change.” https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/environment/vietnam-among-asian-countries-most-vulnerable-to-climate-change-4871590.html Viet, A., 2024. “Climate Change Could Slash Vietnam's GDP by 14.5%, IFC Warns” in Vietnam Today. https://en.vneconomy.vn/climate-change-could-slash-vietnams-gdp-by-14-5-ifc-warns.htm
About the Moderator and Speakers
Aaron Opdyke is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in Humanitarian Engineering at the University of Sydney. He holds a role at the World Bank working on disaster risk management. His work combines data analytics with community-centered approaches to disaster and climate resilience. He has advised governments on housing policy, led disaster risk assessments from local to national scales, and developed tools that help decision-makers act under uncertainty.
Chu Thi Ngoc Anh, “Kiu", serves as the Head of Innovation and Design Team at Think Playgrounds. Leveraging her background in ecological architecture and urban design, she specializes in co-design approaches to create climate-resilient housing, biodiversity-friendly public spaces, and community-driven urban innovations.
Sanjeev Hada is Associate Director of the Housing Support Service Unit, Programs Department, at Habitat for Humanity International's Asia-Pacific regional office in the Philippines. With over 15 years experience across the region, he has led disaster response, risk reduction, and preparedness work through the Red Cross Movement and other humanitarian agencies. He brings deep expertise in program development, coordination, and management, with a strong focus on shelter, housing, and infrastructure - spanning program leadership, partnerships, and delivering resilient, sustainable solutions for community preparedness and recovery.
About Habitat for Humanity AP
- habitat.org/ap - linkedin.com/company/habitat-ap/ - instagram.com/habitat.ap/ - facebook.com/HabitatAP
55 min