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Urban growth sparks calls for better planning
Rapid urbanisation is changing the face of Vietnam, but at the same time creating problems that need to be solved, according to the head of the Institute of Urban Research and Infrastructure Development, Pham Sy Liem.
Statistics supplied by the Vietnam Association of Urban Planning and Development show that the average speed of urbanisation in Vietnam ’s 700 or more cities has increased sharply since 1991.
In 1989, the percentage of the total population living in urban areas, known as the urbanisation rate, was 18.5 percent. This increased to 20.5 percent in 1997, 23.6 percent in 1999 and 28 percent in 2008.
Hanoi and HCM City are expected to have an urbanisation rate of more than 30 percent by 2010 and 55-65 percent by 2020.
HCM City is likely to have more than 10 million residents compared to its present 7 million.
According to the Institute of Architecture , Planning, Urban Areas and Rural Areas under the Ministry of Construction, this only reveals that the speed of urbanisation in Vietnam is outpacing planning.
“The country is witnessing the highest rate of urbanisation in its history,” said Deputy Minister of Construction Tran Ngoc Chinh.
While urban areas play an important role in the socio-economic development of a nation, they also create problems for planners.
According to the Institute of Architecture , Planning, Urban Areas and Rural Areas, when urban populations quickly rise, roads, schools, hospitals, power, phones and other infrastructure services will become inadequate. Unbalanced development can also intensify pollution and other environmental problems, and lead to severe traffic jams.
According to Pham Hung Cuong from the University of Civil Engineering in Hanoi , rapid urbanisation is responsible for what he calls scattered development.
“Many buildings and new urban areas are built without proper planning and in a spontaneous manner, which makes the city lack character and look messy,” said Cuong.
Tran Thi Huong from the University of Architecture in Hanoi said inadequate infrastructure is a big problem.
She said drainage systems can only meet 40 to 50 percent of demand, which leads to flooding in many urban areas when heavy rains occur.
“The difference between the speed of urbanisation and that of infrastructure development has caused serious environment pollution in many areas and this could hinder the development of the country,” said Huong.
The heavy flooding in Hanoi early last month was an evidence of this.
Lack of adequate planning can also create slums. According to the Institute of Urban Research ’s Pham Sy Liem, HCM City has 300,000 residents living in squalor, while in Hanoi , 30 percent of the population have only 3 sq.m of space each to live in. While the legal minimum area for each person is 100 sq.m, the average for Vietnam is only 42sq.m per head.
Another tragic impact of rapid and improper urbanisation is the displacement of farmers from their homes and from the land that provides their only source of income.
Rural people who previously earned a reliable living from agriculture are forced to find new jobs and homes. This can instantly downgrade their lives and incomes – and extinguish traditional characteristics, such as craft villages and customs.
Nguyen Thi Hanh, vice head of the Department of Urban Development of the Ministry of Construction, said the ministry has submitted a plan to the Government about rapid urbanisation.
It proposes focusing on the quality of urban areas, such as architectural styles, community space, trees and transport facilities.
VNA
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