Building green, sustainable cities

Da Nang is adjacent to the sea, with a natural area of ​​1,483 km2, nearly twice as large as the island nation of Singapore (718 km2). However, the population is concentrated in coastal areas, so in terms of urban scale, Da Nang has similarities with Singapore.

With similar features, Da Nang has long considered Singapore as a model to learn from in urban planning and development. Da Nang has even chosen Sakae Corporate Advisory Company and Surbana Jurong Consulting Company - Singaporean consulting units - to prepare a project to adjust the city's planning.

It can be said that Singapore has long had a strong awareness of the role of green space in urban architecture and until now, they have persisted in the orientation of building this island nation into a "green city" with sustainable development.

For Da Nang, according to Decision No. 1287/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister on approving the Da Nang City Planning for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, Da Nang is oriented to develop according to a compact urban model, reducing construction density in the existing central urban core area. Forming modern architectural works, prioritizing the development of public spaces, works, and services, creating the appeal of a modern commercial business center.

For existing urban areas with lower population density than the core area, they will develop with higher population density, construction density in accordance with standards, forming public green spaces, open spaces in residential areas, building an integrated transportation system with the general public transportation network of the whole city.

Architect Pham Xuan Thanh, Director of Binh An Architecture and Construction Investment Co., Ltd. said that, at present, after more than 25 years of construction and development, besides the central area, coastal area, or Han River area with high construction density, with high-rise, massive commercial centers, apartments, hotels... in the suburban areas, new urban areas - residential areas have been gradually formed, developing in the direction of green space, low-rise, synchronous traffic infrastructure, integrating technological utilities, creating a modern living environment. These are urban area projects such as FPT City, Phu My An (Southeast of Ngu Hanh Son district); Hoa Xuan - Hoa Xuan expansion (Cam Le district); Golden Hills (Northwest of Lien Chieu district), urban areas Phuoc Ly, Kim Long City (center of Lien Chieu district)...

Architect Pham Xuan Thanh assessed that Da Nang's urban architecture has many similarities with Singapore. If Singapore is famous for its title of "city in a garden" because it prioritizes green areas and protects natural resources, Da Nang also develops in this direction with many parks, green streets and ecological urban areas in satellite areas.

Besides, while Singapore takes advantage of its coastal location to build tourist areas and international trade centers (Marina Bay, Sentosa), Da Nang is also exploiting its sea strengths with a series of high-class coastal resorts, hotels and resorts such as InterContinental, Hyatt,

Vinpearl, Premier Village, Furama..., creating a modern tourist city.

In addition, if Singapore plans according to the "multi-center" model with satellite urban areas such as Jurong, Tampines to reduce the load on the center, Da Nang also has a strategy to develop satellite urban areas such as Golden Hills, Kim Long City, Hoa Xuan, FPT City..., helping to divide the population and reduce pressure on the central area.

“Currently, Singapore is a city-state with a high population, so planning must be very tight and optimize living space. Meanwhile, Da Nang has a larger area and lower population density, so there is still room to expand the urban area in an ecological direction without being too dependent on high-rise buildings. In general, Da Nang is learning a lot from the Singapore urban model, but still retains its own identity thanks to natural advantages and more flexible planning,” said Architect Pham Xuan Thanh.

Exploiting and promoting the efficiency of high-rise space

Experts say that in the past, Singapore developed its urban areas vertically, but then the island nation gradually expanded its “green space” vertically. Accordingly, construction works in Singapore are combined with trees in many forms, such as green roofs, vertical gardens or green walls. This is how Singapore solves the problem of development in the context of limited area and Da Nang also considers this a development direction that can be learned.

Architect Nguyen Quoc Thong, Chairman of the Architecture Council - Vietnam Association of Architects, said that Da Nang has all the important factors to realize the idea of ​​developing a coastal city with its own characteristics. To truly become a regional-class coastal city, Da Nang must choose a new urban spatial structure model that both allows overcoming the limitations of the past development process and ensures the development of a sustainable, distinctive urban space. In particular, urban space along the river and the coast with high-rise architecture is one of the important contents for the environmental quality and urban image of Da Nang.

“In the immediate future, Da Nang needs to review slow-moving urban and tourism development projects to create a basis for restructuring the planning of the eastern coastal area, on the principle of creating open spaces and green spaces facing the sea to bring in more vitality and energy for the city, breaking down the separation between the landscape and marine environment and the inner urban space, ensuring accessibility for all subjects, and adapting to climate change,” Architect Nguyen Quoc Thong proposed.

In fact, in the areas along the Han River or the coast of Son Tra - Ngu Hanh Son districts, many high-rise buildings and projects have been built in the past 25 years, such as Novotel, Azura, Hilton Bach Dang, Blooming Tower, Vincom, City Administration Center (along the Han River), Wyndham Soleil, Muong Thanh Luxury, Alacarte, Chicland (coastal) ..., creating the appearance of a modern and impressive Da Nang city as it is today. That orientation is still being continued with a series of new projects under implementation such as Ariyana Beach Resort & Suites, Sun Symphony, Sun Cosmo, Sun Ponte Residence, Landmark, Risemount, Peninsula Da Nang, Newtown, Gold View ...

Among these, many projects are designed by investors with a "vertical" "green space" model, typically Chicland Hotel, M. Garden City Danang Hotel, or most recently the Ariyana Beach Resort & Suites Project.

Architect To Hung, an expert in urban architecture in Da Nang, suggested that in order to achieve the goal of a good quality of life for the people, there are many specific criteria set out corresponding to each model of urban construction and development. To improve the quality of landscape architecture and create urban identity, Da Nang needs to implement basic solutions in terms of gathering and attracting landscapes according to specific principles.

“Regarding the landscape assembly solution, the most important core is not only to assemble residents, but also to assemble people associated with urban functional activities - active landscape. The distance between buildings with appropriate dimensions to the human ratio, this is a very important issue. This assembly is specifically considered in each planning context of the City”, Architect To Hung analyzed.

For his part, Architect Pham Xuan Thanh stated his opinion: “Da Nang urban architecture is making strong progress with a sustainable and modern orientation. However, it still requires strict management by functional agencies and local authorities in the appraisal and licensing of new real estate projects to ensure harmonious development, without disrupting the balance of architecture and natural landscape.”