Solution to develop 10 urban areas along Metro line No. 1
According to experts, traffic infrastructure is synchronous with urban areas around Metro Line 1 to help the city reduce traffic jams and create a comfortable living environment for people.
The Department of Planning and Architecture of Ho Chi Minh City is collecting expert opinions on the draft "Regulation on management of urban architecture", including the planning of 10 urban areas around Metro Line 1 stations (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tre). Fairy). The planning scope is in 11 wards of Thu Duc city, with a total area of more than 577 hectares, 14.8 km long.
According to the Department of Planning and Architecture, along Metro Line 1, there is a large land fund to develop multi-functional and specialized service centers, high-rise buildings. The development of urban areas along the metro aims to improve space and landscape towards modernity and civilization, and to promote cultural heritages.
Metro Line 1 runs along Hanoi Highway, Thu Duc City, viewed from above, April 2020. Photo: Quynh Tran
Appreciating this idea, Dr. Vo Kim Cuong, former deputy chief architect of Ho Chi Minh City, said that the development of urban areas along Metro line No. 1 follows the general trend of the world with the TOD model (Transit Oriented Development). Accordingly, at the traffic hubs, urban development, population and service types will be developed. The concentration of population around the stations has created a convenient living environment for people and is also an abundant source of metro users, creating a habit of using public transport for people.
However, according to Dr. Cuong, public transport must develop synchronously with surrounding urban areas. The massive construction of houses and commercial centers, but the accompanying traffic infrastructure is not adequate, will cause congestion and prolonged traffic jams. Therefore, along with focusing on urban development, the city should pay attention to developing traffic axes.
"People not only get on the train for a single route, but also have a need to move around the city, so public transport must be completed soon. In addition to the metro, there is also a bus system and other types of public transport for people to enjoy. People can access 'door to door', ie from their house to where they want to go. Only then will the metro come into play," said Mr. Cuong.
If traffic and urban development are not synchronized, people still use personal cars, leading to traffic jams, making everything vicious. Therefore, urban and transport planning "needs to be included in the urban development equation of the whole city".
Sharing the same assessment of urban connection with traffic, senior expert Ha Ngoc Truong, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Port and Bridge Association, assessed 10 urban areas along Metro Line 1 that the Department of Planning and Architecture had drafted based on previous plans. The current problem the city needs to consider is the ability to connect these urban areas with new metro stations to promote the effectiveness of the project.
"This is a big problem because many areas will be entangled with previous plans and will have difficulties in adjusting. Especially, near the project, the construction density is very large, the architecture is uneven, most of the time, the construction density is very large. If you want to rearrange it, it's extremely expensive, the budget is difficult to do," Mr. Truong said, adding that these shortcomings were due to the fact that when deploying the metro line from the beginning, the surrounding planning was not methodical.
Perspective of An Phu urban area, Thu Duc city, in the future when Metro line No. 1 passes.
Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning and Architecture
Commenting on effective investment methods for urban areas along Metro line No. 1, according to architect Ngo Viet Nam Son, the development of arterial transport infrastructure such as metro, boulevards, highways... opens up opportunities. increase the value of land in the vicinity. Previously, with a single-sector mindset, the state only cared about building roads and infrastructure to serve the people. This happened as a consequence after the clearance, the surrounding areas appeared many ultra-thin, super-distorted houses, not worthy of the new infrastructure. The State also does not take advantage of land resources around the area where the infrastructure passes to continue to invest in other projects.
"The Department of Planning and Architecture needs to coordinate with other departments such as Investment Planning, Finance, Natural Resources and Environment to have a plan to compensate and relieve residents at market prices. When the infrastructure is completed, the value The land increases many times, the state can invest it and then sell it or auction it for investors to do it," said Mr. Son, adding that with this option, the city has more budget to reinvest the other project.
Expert Ha Ngoc Truong recognizes that urban railway projects have huge investments, billions of dollars. While this is a public building, the ability to recover capital is difficult because it is mainly through ticket sales, commercial development, etc. With future metro lines, the city needs to consider the connection from the time of design planning and planning to synchronously deploy the project with the surrounding urban development. In particular, the city needs to have mechanisms and orientations to profit from the land fund, real estate projects and services, to reinvest in other transport infrastructure.
Metro train docked at Khanh Hoi port (District 4), May 2021. Photo: Quynh Tran
As the first urban railway project in Ho Chi Minh City, Metro line No. 1 has a total investment of more than 43,700 billion VND. The whole route is 20 km long from Ben Thanh (District 1) to Long Binh depot (Thu Duc City), including 3 underground stations and 11 elevated stations. Currently, the whole project has reached 87.5% of volume and will increase to 91% by the end of this year, expected to be completed by the end of 2023 or early 2024.
Previously, according to the Department of Planning and Architecture, public lands within a radius of 800-1,000 m next to Metro stations 1 or Ring Line 2 (the section through Thu Duc city) will be re-planned for auction. This helps the city recover the money invested in the project and reinvest in other infrastructure projects.
According to Vnexpress.