Ho Chi Minh City needs to re-establish the Department of Planning and Architecture.

Before the policy of re-establishing the Department of Planning and Architecture (QH-KT) of Ho Chi Minh City, many planning experts said that this is a correct and timely decision to serve the development of the super urban space of Ho Chi Minh City with a long-term vision.

Necessary direction

Architect Ngo Anh Vu, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Urban Planning, commented that it is not until now that the city has realized the important role of the professional team in the field of architecture and planning. Previously, Ho Chi Minh City used the model of Chief Architect, who is considered as the "conductor" coordinating and connecting all issues of space, urban landscape and general development orientation.

A corner of Phu My Hung urban area, HCMC. Photo: Hoang Hung

In 2002, the city established the Department of Planning and Architecture on the basis of reorganizing the Chief Architect agency. However, in the process of implementing the policy of streamlining the apparatus, the Department of Planning and Architecture later merged with the Department of Construction. In practice, the workload on planning and architecture of a special urban area like Ho Chi Minh City is extremely large and highly complex. Therefore, the city's leaders have decided to re-establish the Department of Planning and Architecture to ensure concentration and specialization in management work.

Architect Ngo Anh Vu analyzed that every time a locality arranges or merges departments and branches, planning must be considered the first basis for implementation. Even in the process of organizing the local government at two levels recently, the discussion of development orientation was based on planning. Therefore, planning is not only the pioneering work that needs to be done first, but also the compass for the sustainable development of each locality. Especially, after merging with Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau , Ho Chi Minh City needs to review, update and adjust the approved plans to suit the new stature.

Sharing the same view, Architect Khuong Van Muoi, former Vice President of the Vietnam Association of Architects, said that if Ho Chi Minh City wants to take advantage of the opportunity from expanding its boundaries, it must have a specialized agency to implement a systematic planning, based on an accurate information system and strategic vision.

Mr. Vu Chi Kien, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies, emphasized: “The policy of re-establishing the Department of Planning and Investment is completely correct, consistent with the development reality. The city is rapidly expanding in area, population, and socio -economic infrastructure, requiring a specialized focal point with sufficient capacity to coordinate and manage. This not only helps avoid overlapping and dispersion of responsibilities, but also shows that Ho Chi Minh City is determined to be one step ahead in urban planning, meeting the requirements of a modern megacity.”

Good planning must be associated with effective implementation.

Regarding the criteria for selecting leaders of the Department of Planning and Investment, Architect Ngo Anh Vu said that, in addition to management capacity, the leader must dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility; have professional qualifications in planning, an overview vision and long-term strategy. "In the era of growth and integration, planning officers need in-depth knowledge of international scope, a sense of responsibility, openness and strong capacity to apply digital transformation," Architect Ngo Anh Vu suggested.

According to architect Khuong Van Muoi, urban planners must possess talent, ethics, and socio-economic understanding. They need to understand the market and the global context, while also being proficient in architecture, planning, land use, and urban infrastructure.

Experts all agree that good planning but not effectively implemented will only remain on paper, causing waste of resources and social resentment. To overcome this, it is necessary to have transparent and synchronous policy mechanisms; adequate resources in terms of human resources, finance, and technology; clear assignment of responsibilities among departments, branches, and localities for implementation; specific implementation plans with a roadmap and close supervision. "If implemented synchronously from the planning stage to implementation, Ho Chi Minh City will shorten the gap between vision and reality, realizing faster the goal of building a modern, civilized, livable megacity," Mr. Vu Chi Kien suggested.

According to architect Ngo Anh Vu, for many provinces and cities, merging and consolidating the Department of Planning and Investment with other departments and branches may be appropriate, but for Ho Chi Minh City it is completely different. Planning work, especially development management according to planning, has a huge amount of work and is highly complex.

Without a specialized agency, this work will be easily dispersed, unfocused and difficult to promote efficiency. After the merger, Ho Chi Minh City will become a megacity, requiring strict management of space, landscape and architecture. Planning not only creates the face of an international-class city, but also directly impacts the socio-economic development and quality of life of the people. Therefore, re-establishing a specialized agency for planning and architecture is an urgent, objective and obvious requirement.

THANH HIEN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tphcm-can-tai-lap-so-quy-hoach-kien-truc-post813500.html