Hanoi authorities are prioritizing the development of satellite urban areas, small towns, and peri-urban areas to support rural development and relieve pressure on the city center, according to the Vietnam Institute of Urban and Rural Planning (VIUP).

Deputy Director of the VIUP Hoang Vinh Hung said Hanoi had planned to develop satellite urban areas into cities under the capital's jurisdiction and strictly control high-rise housing development in the city center during the 15 years since its boundary adjustment.

In the capital's urban space, the Red River is positioned as the central landscape for harmonious urban development on both sides. The consulting units plan to increase the proportion of land for urban development, build the model of sub-municipal cities in the north (Dong Anh, Me Linh, Soc Son) and the west (Hoa Lac, Xuan Mai), and develop urban underground space, green space, and public space.

A panoramic view of Hanoi from above. Photo: Cong Hung/The Hanoi Times

"For the rural development plan, the network of rural residential areas must be related to new-style rural construction. Local governments must identify areas for rural housing development in accordance with each planning period, and build a rural housing development model and structure that is suitable for economic, cultural, and social characteristics," Hung added.

Make a smart plan for urban expansion

Regarding Hanoi's urban construction area, the deputy director of VIUP stressed the need to focus on planning green spaces, cultural spaces, and infrastructure for the development of cultural industries.

At the conference held early this month, expertise and recommendations for the issue have been made by representatives of the Hanoi Institute for Socio-Economic Development Research, the VIUP, the Hanoi Department of Planning and Architecture, and the Hanoi Institute of Construction Planning to consult experts on the development plan for urban and rural areas in the planning period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050.

Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Ha Minh Hai stressed that along with economic development, the development of urban and rural areas is the core part of the capital's planning.

The official urged the departments and consulting units to continue to carefully study the Vietnamese government's decisions, especially those related to Hanoi, to fully unify and objectively assess the actual status of Hanoi's construction master plan to 2030 with a vision to 2050. He also emphasized a number of key contents in making the capital city plan, such as identifying culture and people as both the goal and foundation of development.