Masterplanning in Vietnam: Enhancing the Vision

URBAN DESIGN SERIES – PART1            

Masterplanning in Vietnam: Enhancing the Vision

The vision shared by the investor and the masterplanning team has a vital story: it’s a look into a better future for Vietnam, where we can accommodate new workplace and a work force in a unique approach of “enhanced preservation”. This new community will enjoy higher quality of life that rivals the global benchmarks set by previous new town developments across the region.

Enhanced Preservation – the Vital Elements

There are two platforms that must always be addressed in the new Vietnam: culture and environment.

As the masterplanner I am addressing these challenges with this new strategy: engaging a multi-disciplinary collaborative approach based on my studies in early 2000s at Hong Kong University. As project director, I am now pushing this effective strategy in a very large-scale new development masterplan near the expansion areas of the Southern Economic Region. This is the first chapter of some of the attributes of the process we are utilizing that should bring better tools for the planning process across the country as we face a vibrant decade of growth ahead of us:

1.     Existing Villages can be seen as a virtue and resource to the future community:

a.   The character and composition is maintained and appreciated and only upgraded on an “only as needed” Vocal Scale program that best suits the culture and the dynamic needs of the people.

b.   The village cluster is integrated into the new development areas with mobility corridors that consider more sustainable forms of transportation and movement to connect the residents to future work opportunities and provide better regional transit.

c.    The ecological framework embraces the settlement areas to offer amenities, water resources, local scale agriculture, and environmental mitigation.

2.     Village Life is a lifestyle choice that must be part of an Inclusive Masterplan approach:

a.   As a comfortable lifestyle and residential model choice, the new development seeks opportunities to expand, and not use excessive controls, to enable the new workforce to maintain its heritage sense of community.

b.   Over time, and at a comfortable timeframe, village redevelopment as well as expansions can offer a “first step” towards establishing better housing stock without losing the elements that are essential to community spirit. 

3.     Ecological Fabric is the “Spirit of the Place”  

a.   Creative preservation of vital agricultural lands can be achieved by determining new use opportunities that maintain access to the earth, air, and sky (rainwater). Instead of a highly impactive replacement strategy.

b.   The smaller-scale waterways can be “collected” into a more usable scale and become new ecological, recreation, and management resource for the overall development.

c.    More robust waterways should not be seen to divide sectors of the community, but instead provide new methods of creating focus connectivity, and enjoy the value of that commitment.

4.   A large-scale development should never be “single mission”:

a.   Inclusive circular economy is now our main stay in future planned communities. We want everyone to achieve a better level of success and resultant quality of life as they too will become vital elements of the new workforce and culture of the new city.

b.   There is a greater return when a development strategy becomes a structure for elevating the quality of life for everyone – not just targeted investors.

c.    A comprehensive plan will consider all aspects of needs from the future community as well as the present and will integrate those aspects of the local culture that must live on through the modern new community (not always an easy one – but when the answer appears a huge benefit results).

d.   An inclusive set of uses new workplace opportunities such as “live-work spaces (a serious post-pandemic contender), or commercially viable social spaces instead of traditional retail malls, that can achieve safeguards for future investment.

5.   The responsibility of the masterplanner goes beyond the submittal of the plan.

a.   To create the new community of the future, the masterplanner must also consider and influence the strategy for its realization: Magazine cover design is not part of the resilient realm of legitimate inclusive community development. The plan must consider the investor exposure as well as the public agenda that lie behind those beautiful renderings that of course help sell the concept!

b.   The masterplanner must consider the fourth dimension: implementation. (or “time”). Although we can never predict the precise future, we do know enough from experience and exposure to trends and specialist to enable us to enhance a visionary plan to build in resilience and “future-readiness”.

c.    The masterplanner is the critical conduit of negotiation between investor’s ambitions and regulatory control. For new master-planned communities, it is important that our objective point of view can educate, not manipulate decision-making – founded on the credibility of our professional certification.

d.   A critical aspect of new community planning will be the inclusion of technological advancement. Energy, communication, management, and mobility are at the forefront of cultural progress for future communities. The masterplanner must stay current with these developments and consider how they will influence, and likely, benefit the future generation we design for.

Summary:

The best approach to planning the future is ensuring we have the best talent, the best intentions within our perspective, and the best resources within our team, and then we are ready to set off balancing all of these factors into a more resilient product: the framework for improved quality of life. We must look forward to living healthier and bringing together (and appreciating) all levels of our current society as we enable the growth of those through the next generations.

The keys to the new city - achieving a more inclusive higher quality life lies in our hands: the administrators, project sponsors, investors, masterplanners, architects, partners in technology and cultural resource, and most importantly our responsible builders who create those enabling frameworks. When we work together as an inclusive team to create the vision, resilience and “future readiness” are assured for the next generations.

This is my wish now for Vietnam – and the world.

I welcome your feedback and inspiring discussion!

Steven Townsend

STUDIO URBAN DESIGN VIETNAM