INFRASTRUCTURE
What: HCMC wants to use more land to develop public parks
How: The HCMC Department of Construction has eyed proposing construction projects or calling for investment to develop public parks in the city, with over 10 hectares of land. Local authorities have aimed to achieve 2.512 square meters of green space per capita by 2025. The city has around 369 public parks and parks of residential areas with a total of 500 hectares. The land area planned for public parks in HCMC amounts to 11,400 hectares, equivalent to seven square meters per capita. Still, the actual ratio is lower than expected, reaching at only 0.55 square meter per capita. The HCMC administration has strived to increase the public green space and expand public parks, but the land area of some public parks was even reduced for the expansion of streets, such as Gia Dinh and Tao Dan parks, or used as a parking lot like Le Van Tam Park.
What: HCMC to build nine new pedestrian bridges along metro line
How: The HCMC Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) has said it will build nine pedestrian bridges at elevated stations along the Ben ThanhSuoi Tien metro line. Of the 11 elevated stations, the MAUR plans to build the pedestrian bridges at nine elevated stations: Tan Cang, Thao Dien, An Phu, Rach Chiec, Phuoc Long, Binh Thai, Thu Duc, High-Tech Zone and National University. Each bridge will be 78 meters long and 3.5 meters wide. The bridges will be built near bus stops to make it convenient for commuters to access the stations. Work on the nine bridges could be completed by the end of this year, along with the completion of the whole Metro Line No. 1, which links the landmark Ben Thanh Market in District 1 and the Suoi Tien Theme Park in Thu Duc City.
What: Hanoi wants to have two int’l airports
How: Hanoi City is seeking approval from the central Government for a plan to develop one more international airport for the capital city area besides the operational Noi Bai International Airport. The city has sent an official dispatch to the prime minister and the Ministry of Transport proposing to have one more international airport, instead of a domestic one, and include it in the national airport system development master plan for 2021-2030, with a vision toward 2050. The plan to have two international airports is meant for the Hanoi City area that also encompasses neighboring provinces. The capital city area is expected to have around 21-23 million people by 2050, covering 24,314 square kilometers. Hanoi previously proposed the Ministry of Transport study the size of its second airport, originally designed as a domestic one, and include it in the master plan, raising the two airports’ capacity to handle 130-150 million passengers by 2050 annually.