20 urbanization years of Binh Duong province - Practical issues – Part 1

Recently, Thu Dau Mot University in collaboration with Urban Development Research Centre, and Binh Duong Urban Planning and Development Institute held a national scientific seminar named “20 urbanization years of Binh Duong province - Practical issues.” One of the most concerned issues at the seminar was architecture planning and technical infrastructure in the urbanization process.

Position of Binh Duong province in regional development planning

Binh Duong province is in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) region and also in southern key economic zone. HCMC is a dynamically economic region, plays an important role in the national industrialization, modernization, and urbanization process; performs a function to compete with other urban areas in ASEAN and Asian – Pacific countries.

According to MA Nguyen Thi Thu Hien under HCMC Department of Culture and Sport, Binh Duong’s orientation towards industrial parks, which is an economic spreading process from southern area (Di An, Thuan An town) to the north of the province development, is in line with HCMC region’s planning orientation. This development will stimulate socio-economic development towards industrialization of provincial northern area; construct, modernize urban areas of northern districts in accordance with the overall planning of socio-economic development of Binh Duong approved by Prime Minister.

Architecture planning and technical infrastructure play an important role in the urbanization process in Binh Duong. Photo: Thu Dau Mot City

Binh Duong has many advantages in industrial and urban development, has a strong link with HCMC. Namely, the transport links within the region includes the main road from HCMC through Binh Duong, Southern Highlands, to Cambodia and the Southern Central region; and waterway connecting with Mekong Delta.

Planning – the foundation of urban development

Architect Gael Desveaux, CEO of Vietnam AREP – planning consultant company, confirmed that the development of urban clusters in Binh Duong based on the principle of "1 plan, 3 developing strategies associated with green corridors” had been considered as a reasonable and feasible alternative.  Accordingly, Binh Duong urban area will be divided into 3 areas: Zone 1 is the south area with compressed urban model, high density to increase the contact with HCMC, including Thuan An, Di An urban areas performing the functions of service, industrial, traffic hub; Zone 2 is the central area with multi-functional model, medium density, including Binh Duong New urban area as the central area; Zone 3 is the north area with the satellite urban model, low density.

To accomplish the goal of sustainable and synchronous urban development, Binh Duong drew up the planning as follows: the general planning of urban construction in Binh Duong until 2020 with vision towards 2030; adjusting the construction planning of HCMC region until 2030 with vision towards 2050…

Pursuant to Decision No. 81/2007/QD-TTg dated Jun 5^th 2007 of the Prime Minister on approving the general planning of Binh Duong socio - economic development; adjusting the general planning of Binh Duong socio - economic development until 2020, supplementing the planning towards 2050; the planned routes of Belt 3, Belt 4..., Binh Duong promptly updated and supplemented the planning of transportation infrastructure to synchronously connect Binh Duong New City with provincial urban centers, and national traffic hubs to meet local requirements for a rapid development in terms of socio-economic, industrialization and urbanization.

Urban space is expanded

Obviously, the formation and development of industrial parks has paved the way for urban innovations. Since the middle of the first decade of the 21st century, Binh Duong has determined to redistribute industrial growth to ease the overpopulation pressures and remedy the uneven economic growths between localities. Industrial parks have been located in Ben Cat, Tan Uyen, Dau Tieng, Phu Giao to expand the urban space. Newly established industrial parks have become the main stimulus for economic development and attracted a large labor force from other provinces. This fact has initially balanced the regional economic structure of the province. Besides, along with industrialization process, the complete economic restructure has stimulated provincial GDP growth, creating the essential material facilities for the urbanization and modernization process.

The pervasion of urbanization in Binh Duong has also affected rural areas, accelerated the change of land use purpose from agriculture to non-agriculture, such as: building residential, service, recreation areas, encouraging farmers to witch from agricultural to non-agricultural production.

In addition, throughout the province, industrial – urban space has been gradually formed along the north – south corridor between 3 traffic axes, including Binh Duong Boulevard, DT 747 and My Phuoc - Tan Van route. Meanwhile, the urban space has also increased through the construction of new residential areas. In particular, provincial industrial – urban – service complex is a breakthrough in urban planning, contributing significantly to the expansion of urban space, and the completion of the goal “Building Binh Duong to become a civilized, modern city; one of leading urban area in socio - economic development of the southern key economic zone”.

Reported by P.Le – Translated by Ngoc Huynh