Recent statistics released by the Ministry of Construction show thatVietnam now has 770 urban centres and the rate of urbanisation in thecountry reached 33.4 percent in 2013.
Nguyen Thanh Nghi, DeputyMinister of Construction, spoke with Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper about‘green cities' as the key to sustainable urban development.
* Has Vietnam been able to finalise a definition of a green city?
A ‘green city' is generally a city that integrates green spaces. That is, it merges artificial and natural environments.
Vietnam is yet to develop a specific legal definition for this kind ofcity. Although the notion of ‘green' is also embedded in legaldocuments and standards that regulate trees, transportation, water andwaste management, it is scattered and not relevant enough to ‘greencities'.
The Ministry of Construction and relevant agencies arepushing ahead to develop standards for green city assessment and guidethe development of green cities in Vietnam.
* What do you thinkof current cities in Vietnam? How many urban complexes nationwide meetthe requirements for green cities?
In my opinion, our country isundergoing rapid urbanisation. For example, in 1998, the urbanisationrate only reached around 24 percent, only to climb to more than 33percent in 2013.
The urban economy contributes around 70 percentto the national GDP while average economic growth rates in urban areasare between 12-15 percent, 1.2 to 1.5 times higher than the average rateof the whole country.
On the other hand, it is undeniable thatVietnamese cities have failed to catch up with demand and there aresignificant quality issues.
There are inconsistent levels oftechnical and social infrastructure while overcrowding is commonplace.For all of these reasons, the national strategy on green growth for theperiod of 2011-20 aims to overcome these obstacles and charter a coursefor stable urban development.
I think the green city assessmentcriteria will be an effective tool to evaluate and recognise greencities in Vietnam. It will also help to plan out an investment route topursue green standards for all cities throughout the country. Of course,it will take time and a detailed plan to make all cities meet thecriteria.
In 2008, the Ministry of Construction issued Circular15 detailing a six-point criteria. This included points on things likeinfrastructure, trees and environmental spaces, to assess new urbandevelopments.
Under the circular, Hanoi's Linh Dam urban complexand Ho Chi Minh City's Phu My Hung were both recognised as model urbancomplexes.
There are also plans to develop new urban complexesin Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Hung Yen. These newly builtcomplexes will be assessed and recognised as green cities should theymeet the criteria.
* What legal avenues are there to enforce the policy on local governments and investors?
What needs to be done next is releasing the city planning standardstogether with green city assessment criteria, legal documents andpolicies to ensure practical enforcement. At the same time we need toencourage the development of green cities in Vietnam.-VNA
Nguyen Thanh Nghi, DeputyMinister of Construction, spoke with Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper about‘green cities' as the key to sustainable urban development.
* Has Vietnam been able to finalise a definition of a green city?
A ‘green city' is generally a city that integrates green spaces. That is, it merges artificial and natural environments.
Vietnam is yet to develop a specific legal definition for this kind ofcity. Although the notion of ‘green' is also embedded in legaldocuments and standards that regulate trees, transportation, water andwaste management, it is scattered and not relevant enough to ‘greencities'.
The Ministry of Construction and relevant agencies arepushing ahead to develop standards for green city assessment and guidethe development of green cities in Vietnam.
* What do you thinkof current cities in Vietnam? How many urban complexes nationwide meetthe requirements for green cities?
In my opinion, our country isundergoing rapid urbanisation. For example, in 1998, the urbanisationrate only reached around 24 percent, only to climb to more than 33percent in 2013.
The urban economy contributes around 70 percentto the national GDP while average economic growth rates in urban areasare between 12-15 percent, 1.2 to 1.5 times higher than the average rateof the whole country.
On the other hand, it is undeniable thatVietnamese cities have failed to catch up with demand and there aresignificant quality issues.
There are inconsistent levels oftechnical and social infrastructure while overcrowding is commonplace.For all of these reasons, the national strategy on green growth for theperiod of 2011-20 aims to overcome these obstacles and charter a coursefor stable urban development.
I think the green city assessmentcriteria will be an effective tool to evaluate and recognise greencities in Vietnam. It will also help to plan out an investment route topursue green standards for all cities throughout the country. Of course,it will take time and a detailed plan to make all cities meet thecriteria.
In 2008, the Ministry of Construction issued Circular15 detailing a six-point criteria. This included points on things likeinfrastructure, trees and environmental spaces, to assess new urbandevelopments.
Under the circular, Hanoi's Linh Dam urban complexand Ho Chi Minh City's Phu My Hung were both recognised as model urbancomplexes.
There are also plans to develop new urban complexesin Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Hung Yen. These newly builtcomplexes will be assessed and recognised as green cities should theymeet the criteria.
* What legal avenues are there to enforce the policy on local governments and investors?
What needs to be done next is releasing the city planning standardstogether with green city assessment criteria, legal documents andpolicies to ensure practical enforcement. At the same time we need toencourage the development of green cities in Vietnam.-VNA
