The Speaker of the National Assembly raised concerns about building height in the inner city.

On the morning of April 22nd, at its 32nd session, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly gave its opinion on the draft Law on Urban and Rural Planning.

In his remarks, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue highly appreciated the thorough preparation of the draft law; the preliminary review report addressed many issues that provide a basis for further improvement of the draft.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue offered his comments on the draft Law on Urban and Rural Planning.

Mr. Vuong Dinh Hue expressed his agreement with the approach of this draft law, which inherits the provisions of the 2009 Urban Planning Law and the rural planning section of the 2014 Construction Law; and concretizes some contents of the Planning Law.

In addition, it will address new issues to meet the requirements of urban and rural development in the coming period; resolve difficulties and inadequacies in the implementation of laws; and ensure the synchronization and uniformity of planning laws.

The Speaker of the National Assembly suggested further reviewing and specifying some viewpoints and principles mentioned in the Party's documents.

Firstly, there is the relationship between urbanization and rural development. “I have said before that, in reality, it is easier for some district-level units that have not yet completed the new rural development program to be upgraded to a city district than for those that have already completed the advanced or model new rural development program, because it relates to the criteria. Therefore, if a commune is upgraded to a ward, or a district has the potential to become a city district, the principles and criteria for planning need to be reviewed, and the law should include some guiding principles for future implementation,” Mr. Vuong Dinh Hue noted.

Secondly, there is the relationship between urbanization and urban economic development. According to him, if we only talk about cities without mentioning urban economics, it will be very difficult to manage and develop cities sustainably. Therefore, it is necessary to clearly distinguish which parts are included in this law and which parts are in the draft Law on Urban Development Management (currently under study and development), and which need further review and clarification.

Another very important issue, according to the Speaker of the National Assembly, is that planning must adapt to climate change, so it needs to be reviewed and studied.

The Speaker of the National Assembly also noted the criteria and standards for urban planning linked to population density and infrastructure, in order to calculate a balance between extensive urban development and compact urban development according to the TOD model (where there is a high population density and small area, so development mainly focuses on height and above-ground space - PV).

Regarding building height, he said there had been many debates without a clear answer. “Only when working with the Ministry of Construction did I learn that it was due to aviation safety and security issues, not because anyone prohibits building high-rise buildings in the inner city. The issue is how to handle the relationship between infrastructure and building height. In reality, the Ministry of Construction does not regulate this height, so urban areas face difficulties in renovating old apartment buildings,” said Mr. Vuong Dinh Hue.

Or, regarding the planning scope, for example, Hoan Kiem district, with a planning area of ​​only 5km2, had to have a large population "removed" according to population criteria. However, after changing the mindset, all four old inner-city districts (Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Dong Da, and Hai Ba Trung) were included in the overall planning to achieve balance, thus solving the population and infrastructure problems.

"So, shouldn't standards and criteria for population density and building height be left to planning consultants to propose based on the overall master plan, rather than being rigidly regulated? Hong Kong (China) and Singapore are full of skyscrapers," said Mr. Vuong Dinh Hue.

Another practical obstacle, which the Speaker of the National Assembly believes would be resolved if addressed in this law, is the issue of conducting on-site surveys for planning implementation.

“The principle of planning is to conduct on-site surveys, but sometimes we don't have the resources to do it thoroughly. There are areas where people have lived for a long time, but the surveys weren't done carefully. When planning, they just label those areas as 'green zones,' but now no one is stepping forward to correct it. Such planning is not in line with reality. Perhaps we should consider adjusting the planning in such cases, allowing it to reflect the actual situation,” said Mr. Vuong Dinh Hue.

In addition, the Speaker of the National Assembly requested the drafting committee to continue reviewing the draft law to ensure consistency and uniformity within the legal system, as it relates to many other laws; to standardize certain terminology; and to conduct more thorough research on transitional provisions.

Secretary General of the National Assembly Bui Van Cuong

National Assembly Secretary General Bui Van Cuong agreed with the mobilization of resources to support the improvement of planning quality. However, the mobilization and use of these resources must be rigorous, avoiding the manipulation of policies through support, or the insertion of "group interests" or localized interests.

"More specific regulations on the public disclosure and transparency of information regarding supporting organizations and individuals, receiving agencies and units, and the use of these resources, will allow people to detect any 'underhanded' activities later on," said Mr. Bui Van Cuong.

Source: https://vov.vn/chinh-tri/chu-tich-quoc-hoi-dat-van-de-ve-chieu-cao-cong-trinh-trong-noi-do-post1090582.vov