Hanoi (VNA)♛ - The Ministry of Construction is drafting an amended Decree on the management of urban development and investment, which includes regulations on regional urban development, as well as building green growth urban areas, ecological and smart cities, and climate change-resilient cities.

Outstanding achievements

According to the Ministry of Construction, after more than seven years of implementation, Decree No. 11/2013/ND-CP of the Government has gradually promoted urban development investment activities across the country in line with the planning scheme, creating remarkable changes in managing urban development and investment with the unified control from the central to local levels.

The rampant and spontaneous urban development has been limited.

The national urban system has continuously developed in both quantity and quality, initially forming an urban network connected and developed in line with the plan. The urban quality has been improved significantly, with technical and social infrastructure systems built synchronously and modernly, even in rural areas.

The rate of urban residents having access to clean water increased to 86 percent from 76 percent in 2010, while the rate of domestic solid waste collected and treated is 87.5 percent.

Urban areas have also promoted their role as economic, political, cultural, educational, and medical and centres, and promoting heritage values and tourism, becoming an important driving force for socio-economic development of regions and the country.

ඣ Growth in centrally-run cities and provinces has contributed to creating jobs for labourers, especially those from rural areas.

The number of construction projects have promptly increased, event in remote and mountainous areas, reaching 4,38housing and urban area projects.

Problems need to be revised

Though there have been positive changes, the implementation of Decree No. 11/2013/ND-CP has revealed a number of problems and shortcomings that need to be amended and supplemented to suit the reality. Accordingly, by reviewing problems arising in the reality as well as receiving recommendations from localities, the Ministry of Construction found that the regulations related to urban development programmes have not clarified the differences for each type and size of urban areas, and the relationship with the medium-term public investment plan to defermine investment resources; and there is a lack of mechanisms to check and review the implementation of the programmes. Similarly, regulations on how to determine the size, boundaries, regions for  developing a urban development area, are not specific, especially the relationship between urban development area and the zoning plan, causing difficulties in the implementation process.

Additionally, Decree No. 11/2013/ND-CP does not have specific regulations on the construction and use of infrastructure fatalities in urban areas, leading to difficulties for management agencies as well as a lack of guarantee for the interests of users.

It also has no regulations on infrastructure impact assessment for building urban areas in inner-city areas, leading to an overload of technical and social infrastructure in urban centres.

💃 Regarding regulations on urban development programmes, localities are still confused about the foundations and contents of urban development programmes in different cases.

In most off urban areas in provinces, it has yet to link the medium-term public investment plan and the framework technical infrastructure investment plan of urban areas with the urban development programme of each urban area. Local authorities have also met difficulties in identifying a list of land use projects in line with programmes and areas for urban development.

Looking forward to smart “green” urban areas

In Resolution No. 83/2019/QH14 dated June 14, 2019 of the National Assembly on questioning activities at the 14th NA’s 7th session in the construction field, the Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Construction to amend and supplement Decree No.11/2013/ND-CP.

Accordingly, the ministry proposed that regulations on the urban development programmes should in line with the Law on Planning 2017 and the Law on Construction 2014, including inheriting amendments and supplements prescribed in Circular No. 12/2014 / TT-BXD; and annulling Decree No. 42/2009/ND-CP.

The ministry will elaborate regulations and contents, order and competence to approve, adjust and organize the implementation of the national urban development programme, those for provinces and centrally-run city cities, and for urban centres planned to be newly formed.

It will also regulate additional contents related to the urban development programme with the medium-term public investment plan, the land use plan, and the classification of urban areas and urban administrative units.

The ministry will be also responsible for stipulating requirements to define and invest in building green growth urban areas, ecological urban areas, smart cities, and climate change resilient urban areas; works for using energy and resources economically and efficiently, and environmentally friendly works; and priority and incentive mechanisms for urban construction projects to meet requirements of developing green growth urban areas, ecological urban areas and climate-resilient urban areas./.