Kuala Lampur, Dec. 1 -- When Hat Yai in southern Thailand was submerged by what authorities described as the worst deluge in "300 years," destroying up to 90 per cent of the city, another crisis was unfolding further east. In Tai Po, Hong Kong, a towering inferno consumed multiple residential high-rises, burning relentlessly for more than 24 hours.

The two disasters may seem unconnected. Yet both are symptoms of a larger structural reality: our cities, whether through climate pressure or design negligence, have become catastrophes waiting to happen.

What shocked observers across Asia was not merely the height of the burning towers, but the impossibility of combating a fire that high. Fire brigades could not reach the upper floors. Ladde...