Overall vision in the new planning

Co Co River has great potential for tourism development and needs to be opened soon to connect the center of Da Nang with Hoi An. Photo: SA KHE

Unleash ecological factors

Hoi An is a small-scale urban area but possesses many unique ecological elements. This urban area is the confluence of three rivers: Thu Bon - Truong Giang - Co Co. In addition, Hoi An has a dense system of canals and sandbanks closely connected to Cu Lao Cham. This unique ecological space system that has been preserved has helped Hoi An urban area adapt quite well to natural disasters, especially floods, in recent times.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Dang Van Bai, Vice Chairman of the National Cultural Heritage Council, the upcoming urban space planning of Hoi An needs to pay attention to promoting ecological factors.

“Da Nang City needs to soon promote the dredging of the Co Co River, an important waterway connecting Hoi An heritage to the world in the past. In addition, it is necessary to dredge the canal system - a unique feature of Hoi An to meet the multi-objective of landscape improvement, climate change response and promoting sustainable tourism. In addition, it is necessary to soon form ecological museums on the basis of craft villages, first of all the case of Kim Bong Carpentry Village”, Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Van Bai suggested.

Mr. Nguyen Su, former Secretary of Hoi An City Party Committee, said that without the rivers, Hoi An commercial port would certainly not have been formed, so the conservation process requires a comprehensive view not only on the shore but also connected to the water surface space. Just as heritage conservation does not only focus on preserving architecture but also must preserve intangible values in the lives of residents.

Overcoming old planning limitations

According to Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong, the new phase of Hoi An planning will focus on reviewing all the remaining issues in the 2012-2025 planning phase.

Heritage conservation not only focuses on preserving architecture but also on preserving intangible values in the lives of residents. In the photo: Singing Bai Choi is a tourist product that attracts visitors to Hoi An. Photo: SA KHE

“The new phase of Hoi An planning needs to unify the viewpoint of considering Hoi An as a historical, ecological, cultural and humanistic landscape. The expansion of the planning in terms of geographical scope needs to be considered at a certain level. The important thing is to put Hoi An in the context of the new Da Nang city with special attention to traffic connections and regional linkages,” said Mr. Hoang Dao Cuong.

Hoi An's major feature is that it is a living heritage city, so the new phase planning requires addressing the issues of identity dissolution as well as displacement and weakening of local communities.

According to architect Do Thi Thanh Mai, former Deputy Director of the Institute of Science and Construction Technology (Institute of Science, Technology and Construction), Hoi An can pioneer in building a "Living Heritage Index" to evaluate not only by the number of tourists or conservation works but also by the level of happiness, settlement and participation of residents - a core element of a livable city.

According to architect Dang Khanh Ngoc, Director of the Institute for Monument Conservation (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), the development of Hoi An city must be planned with a comprehensive and specialized plan, suitable to the characteristics of the urban - heritage and based on heritage as a driving force. In particular, it is necessary to pay special attention to maintaining urban balance in terms of morphology and historical - humanistic ecological environment.

Mr. Dang Khanh Ngoc recommended urgent solutions that need to be implemented soon to preserve and promote Hoi An heritage such as: social security policies to protect indigenous communities; control the conversion of ancient houses; establish a heritage data and monitoring system; manage buffer zones with strict architectural management regulations...

Source: https://baodanang.vn/tam-nhin-tong-the-trong-quy-hoach-moi-3307962.html