The master plan for construction in Hanoi needs to be both thorough and accurate to ensure the capital grows into the future.
Vietnams rapid development is there for all to see. Economic growth over the next 15 years is expected to average 7 per cent per year.
The urban population will increase from 20 per cent of the countrys total at present to over 50 per cent by 2050, so the Party and government have been active in directing the urbanisation process, which must be in keeping with the goal of socioeconomic development towards industrialisation and modernisation and the proper allocation of residential areas. The strategy for developing Hanoi is a top priority, and the capitals construction master plan to 2030 and vision to 2050 is now under preparation.
After expanding its administrative borders, the Prime Minister issued Decision 1878/QD-TTg on the Hanoi master plan to 2030 and vision to 2050. Organisations, associations and foreign consultants have worked actively for nearly two years, and the master plan is to be submitted to the National Assembly in August.
Together with continuing to seek advice from experts in order to improve the master plan, the Hanoi Peoples Committee is checking its land fund and building a map of land use in the capital. Results will be summarised by the Hanoi Department of Natural Resources and Environment and submitted to the Peoples Committee and the Ministry of Construction (MoC) in August. But strategies and policies for controlling and managing urban areas have shortcomings and land sources and investment are being wasted.
The construction of urban areas and industrial zones require considerable amounts of land, and while some projects are being implement effectively there are others that are not. The main reason is the low capability of some of the investors, and we havent fully assessed the feasibility of some projects, said Professor Dang Hung Vo, former Deputy Minister of National Resources and Environment. Some projects had time limits on land use but operated so poorly they were forced to close. The deployment of projects is also so slow, and many have been suspended. Its a waste. Plans for land revocations are in place, but nothing of substance has been seen.
An interdisciplinary inspection team headed by the Hanoi Department of Construction has checked 34 new town and housing constructions in Hanoi. According to evaluations by the Hanoi Peoples Committee, the development speed is good and the schedule nearly on time. But in deploying the projects there are some investors who were only interested in profit and they havent fulfilled their responsibilities as agreed.
Inspection results on the first phase reveal that seven new town projects have infringed plans. Social infrastructure is deficient after being given scant regard by investors, who used land allocated for social purposes to build more houses and office blocks. The Hanoi Peoples Committee has demanded related offices correct the situation and has started planning for the second phase.
The Hanoi Peoples Committee has acted promptly in recent times. For instance, it sent a document to the Hoang Mai District Peoples Committee and related offices regarding the revocation of 186,000 square metres in Dai Kim ward in order to allow the Vinaconex 2 Company to construct of the Kim Van-Kim Lu new town.
Not only housing projects have been studied thoroughly, but also entertainment projects. The Hanoi Peoples Committee has rejected eleven proposed golf course projects and approved eight. Authorities have demanded that the investors in these projects contact the Department of Planning and Architecture to have their projects re-evaluated or even re-zoned for other commercial interests within the first quarter of this year. If investors do not made contact with the department within this timeframe, their projects will be reassigned to other investors.
The Hanoi Peoples Committee also held a meeting to review the speed of projects in the golden land in the south-east of Tran Duy Hung Street in Cau Giay district, because of tardiness in deployment. Before representatives from departments and investors, the Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi Peoples Committee, Mr Phi Thai Binh, said that many investors have implemented projects slowly and this has led to waste and triggered concern in society. The Hanoi authority urged these investors to take prompt action on detailed work in the projects, such as high buildings, green spaces, lakes, and public services, etc.
Agricultural land is particularly important for Hanoi. According to Associate Professor Le Duc Thang, head of the faculty of Urban and Rural Planning at the Hanoi University of Architecture, it is necessary to check projects quickly because the scale of Hanoi will grow with the urbanisation process. Infrastructure in the capital must receive adequate investment and be determined specifically and gradually. Determining land use is an important part of Hanoi planning. Large chunks of agricultural land will change into urban land for industrial zones, factories, universities, and service centres, etc. Land use in Hanoi is related to micro and macro issues, said Associate Professor Thang. For example, changing agricultural land to urban land is part and parcel of the urbanisation process, so how the land fund is controlled in order to guarantee fresh food supply needs to be considered carefully.
According to Professor Vo, it is difficult for the capital to produce food but another role of agricultural land is in improving the environment. We should use our green space to conserve the environment, he said. Hanoi has some hilly and mountainous areas, in Soc Son, Ba Vi, Quoc Oai, and My Duc. The rice area is very large and cannot be changed. Many trade villages are located where land is needed, but are historical and cultural sites in the capital.
Although the Hanoi master plan is to be submitted to the government shortly, the inspection program will not yet be completed. The results are important because they form part of the master plan, said Associate Professor Thang. It is necessary to finish inspections quickly before the master plan is ratified.
The Hanoi Peoples Committee said that the Capital Law will be one of the main items passed at the 20th Session of the Peoples Council, to take place from April 19 to 23. Authorities will also review and discuss the strategy for Hanois socioeconomic development to 2030 and vision to 2050, the master plan for general economic development of Hanoi by 2020 and vision to 2030, and a proposal for a resolution to be submitted to the government for approval on the Hanoi capital construction master plan to 2030 and vision to 2050.
Land in Hanoi is currently a pressing issue. It must be resolved carefully and quickly if the capital construction master plan to 2030 and vision 2050 is to come into effect. The master plan needs to be comprehensive because even a small error or oversight will create major problems. In order to deploy the next step of the master plan, ministries, branches, and the population must all work together.
VnEconomy