Denmark shares experience in sustainable urban development

Hanoi (VNA) – Sustainable urban development and planning was the main topic of a workshop co-held by the Ministry of Construction and the Danish Embassy in Vietnam in Hanoi on November 27.

The workshop formed part of the “Danish Week – Sustainable and livable cities,” bringing together policymakers, urban planners, architects and private companies from Vietnam as well as leading experts in urban planning from Denmark. It was the second time the Danish Week has been held in Vietnam.

Growing urbanisation is expected to motivate an increasing demand for new sustainable urban solutions, particularly for developing countries like Vietnam, according to a representative from the Danish Embassy.

Meanwhile, Denmark has years of experience in addressing challenges from urbanisation and is viewed as the world’s leading nation in green technology so the country has full capacity to support metropolises like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to find sustainable solutions for the issues and improve the local quality of life.

President of the Vietnam Urban Planning and Development Association (VUPDA) Tran Ngoc Chinh said urbanisation in Vietnam is expanding rapidly, causing many challenges, notably impacts of climate change. Therefore, it is vital to develop these cities in a green and sustainable way, he noted.

He further added that the Government of Vietnam has adopted specific strategy to deal with the issues, focusing on urban development, reality-based urban design and management, city for people, and green space architecture and public space development.

Chief City Architect of Copenhagen (Denmark) Tina Saaby said it is important to think about urban life before designing public spaces as well as buildings as urban life will determine the sustainability and livability of a city. No city exists without people living, working and traveling in it so people must be on top priority when it comes to urban planning.

Vietnamese authority will continue improving policies for urban development in the country to develop cities towards sustainability and in response to climate change, said Tran Thi Lan Anh from the Ministry of Construction. At the same time, Vietnam will put more effort to ease harmful environmental impacts of economy growth in the coming time, she added.

She also noted that the country wants to develop ecological urban areas that go towards sustainability, energy-saving, material sufficiency and low-carbon technology.–VNA