Exploitation and planning of underground space

Ho Chi Minh City residents are truly happy that the city leaders have recently given strong direction to build new parks and renovate many parks. In the middle of a crowded, traffic-filled, hot city full of concrete blocks, adding precious green areas and open spaces is truly a “gift” to improve the quality of life for the people.

This is a great effort, demonstrating the city's determination in urban restructuring. However, according to many experts, to avoid wasting resources and taking advantage of opportunities, Ho Chi Minh City cannot only develop horizontally or vertically but must also focus on developing deep space - that is, exploiting and planning underground space.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050 approved by the Prime Minister , Ho Chi Minh City has an orientation to develop a multi-functional underground traffic axis to reduce pressure on above-ground infrastructure and ensure urban landscape architecture. Specifically, not only underground roads but also roads can be combined with railways or technical infrastructure (electricity, information cables, water supply and drainage) can be combined in the same underground route.

The priority area for underground space development is the existing center of nearly 930 hectares in the wards of Saigon, Tan Dinh, Ben Thanh, Cau Ong Lanh, Ban Co, Xuan Hoa, Nhieu Loc, Cho Quan, An Dong, Cho Lon, Gia Dinh, Binh Thanh, Binh Loi Trung, Thanh My Tay, Binh Quoi. However, currently, underground in the city is a drainage system, technical tunnels and some underground metro sections that have been and are under construction.

These projects lack connectivity and there is no overall plan for synchronous organization and management. Meanwhile, on the ground, the city is facing a series of pressures: exhausted land fund, overloaded traffic infrastructure, severe lack of parking lots and increasingly serious flooding.

After the merger, Ho Chi Minh City will become a "super city", with an area of ​​over 6.7 million ^km2 and a population of over 13.6 million people, posing an urgent need to develop a master plan for urban underground space, in sync with the general plan. This plan must identify priority areas for expanded underground development, not stopping at the 930ha core area as before.

It must include new urban areas such as Binh Duong ward, Vung Tau ward, metro stations and areas with potential for technical infrastructure development or commercial services. In parallel, it is necessary to establish an underground space database using 3D GIS technology to accurately manage the infrastructure system and avoid overlap when implementing new projects.

Along with the planning work is the completion of the legal corridor for investment and exploitation of underground space. Currently, regulations related to land use rights, construction ownership and underground exploitation are still lacking and unclear. This is a barrier that makes many underground projects encounter difficulties in the preparation stage. Expanding the public-private partnership (PPP) mechanism will be a suitable direction to mobilize social capital for projects such as underground parking lots, underground shopping centers or underground drainage systems and reservoirs.

In many large cities around the world , underground space has become an essential part of urban planning. Underneath Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore or Paris… is a “second city” - where there are subways, pedestrian streets, shopping malls, parking lots, even parks and cultural spaces. Thanks to that, these cities reduce traffic pressure, increase land use efficiency and significantly improve the quality of life for people.

A sustainable city cannot only develop horizontally or vertically but must also consider depth. Underground space is not only a technical solution but also a long-term development strategy, helping Ho Chi Minh City increase its resilience, improve the environment and quality of life.

To do that, a bolder vision is needed - to create an "underground city" parallel to the above-ground city. Only then will Ho Chi Minh City fully exploit its resource potential and truly become an urban area worthy of international standards.

PINK AND BLUE

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/khai-thac-va-quy-hoach-khong-giant-ngam-post820473.html