HCMC - Major changes will be made to the 2005 master urban plan of Thu Thiem New Urban Area in HCMC's District 2, with targets to increase the total floor space of construction facilities there by a staggering 43%, a city official said. Nguyen Anh Tuan, head of Thu Thiem Investment and Construction Authority (Thu Thiem ICA), told a workshop on Thursday that the total floor space will be revised up to 7.7 million square meters to accommodate 160,000 residents, the latter figure also showing a 33% increase over the previous plan. That will also mean changes to the construction density and the height of buildings there. U.S.-based consultant Sasaki Associates Inc. as the designer and Thu Thiem ICA have been tasked to make a study for the amendment of detailed planning of the scale 1/2,000 and urban design guidelines for the peninsula development. Tuan told participants in the workshop held at the Rex Hotel in downtown HCMC on Thursday that the approved master plan in 2005 shaped an image for Thu Thiem, but some problems had occurred during implementation, thus adjustment was needed to improve the effectiveness of the future urban town. Mitch Glass, project manager of the American consultant firm Sasaki Associates, elaborated that the goals of the master plan amendment this time included integration of the plan with infrastructure planning and adjustment of land use to meet current socio-economic conditions. Changes therefore will be made to construction density, heights, landmarks and block structure in the core area in the new urban town, he said. The amendment will affect An Khanh, Thu Thiem, An Loi Dong, Binh An and Binh Khanh wards that have been zoned for the Core Area, Central Lake, Southern Delta region and Eastern Resident Area. According the revised plan, Thu Thiem New Urban Area, which covers 657 hectares, will create workspace for 450,000 per day, as well as receive a million visitors every day. Besides mentioning some public facilities such as the Opera House, Children Palace and fire fighting facilities, the consultant presented areas for hotel developments and residential areas in the town. Architect Khuong Van Muoi, chairman of the HCMC Association of Architects, suggested the consultant mention in the plan the connection of roads for pedestrians as a popular component in any modern town. In addition, traffic system connection and parking lot system development are issues to be considered in the plan. Architect Luu Trong Hai said that the zoning plan should consider the effectiveness of investment if it wanted to woo potential investors. Therefore public facilities should be developed to pave the way for investors to follow. Unlike the popular practice that allows for development of high-rise buildings along main roads in different regions, Hai reckoned that high-rise buildings should be developed in group in a certain area only, and the height should not be capped. Currently, the approved zoning plan allows a maximum of 300 meters high for the observation tower and a maximum of 40 floors for other buildings in the peninsula. Architect Ngo Viet Nam Son echoed his colleagues' ideas, saying that the city should consider selecting a specific area for high-rise building development and should not limit the height of buildings in the area. Besides, some other participants suggested the consultant to join hands with other organizations to look for a suitable solution to traffic bottlenecks. The American consultant now has couples of weeks to make amendments and compile urban design guidelines before sending the master plan to the municipal authorities for approval by April this year.
—from City to redo urban planning for Thu Thiem, a other by Thai Thuong
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