THE GREENING OF HANOI: TOWARDS A LIVEABLE CITY

Nguyen Thi Hoang Lien Faculty of Environmental Science, Hanoi University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

ABTRACT Planning for Hanoi has often highly valued green space as an important factor. However, city planning in different historical periods have been influenced by different external cultures including Eastern (Chinese) and Western (French colonial, Soviet communist and modern Western). This paper reviews the history of the city and the history of city planning and provisions of green space. Analysis of different planning would provide an overview of how has the city and its green space been planned and finding the shortcomings that need to be dealt with. Several recommendations are made in order to achieve a greener and liveable Hanoi. Keywords: green area, green tree, greener city, liveability. TM TT Quy hoch thnh ph H Ni lun nh gi cao tm quan trng ca khng gian xanh. Tuy nhin, quy hoch thnh ph trong cc giai on lch s khc nhau chu nh hng ca cc nn vn ha bn ngoi nh t phng ng (Trung Quc) v phng Ty (thuc a Php, XHCN v vn ha hin i). Bi bo nghin cu lch s quy hoch thnh ph v khng gian xanh th. Vic phn tch cc quy hoch trong cc giai on khc nhau cung cp bc tranh tng th v cc vn ny v pht hin cc vn cn gii quyt. Bi bo cng a ra cc xut nhm hng ti xy dng mt thnh ph H Ni xanh hn v ng sng hn. INTRODUCTION Hanoi is bounded by the Red River in the East, the To Lich River in the West, the Kim Nguu River in the South and West Lake in the North and contains many other lakes and water bodies. The relationship of these main elements of the city to the geography of the location is depicted in Figure 1 below.

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During

its

long

history,

the

appearance and planning of Hanoi City had specific characteristics of each historic period. Each period reflects different external influences such as Eastern (Chinese) and Western (French colonial, Soviet socialist and modern Western styles) (Logan, 2000). These different cultures influenced different approaches to planning for the city and have become embedded in the citys cultural landscapes, especially the open and green space system. Although open and green space has often been recognised as an important feature of urban planning in Hanoi, Easterners and Westerners have had different perspectives on the provision of particular types of open space.

The Feudal Period (before 1873) Vietnamese culture has been influenced by Chinese culture for thousands years. Especially, in the Feudal Period, both architecture and planning for Hanoi followed Chinese geomancy and feng-shui principles (Research Institute on Architecture, 1999; Logan, 2000; Nguyen and Boudarel, 2002). According to those principles, green and water space are the two important features of the urban environment. It was thought that green space helped to make a place more attractive and brought people closer to nature. A review of a map of Hanoi in feudal times indicates that the majority of the citys area was agricultural land and water areas and these were the main types of green and public spaces at that time. Hanoi is located in the Red River delta and agriculture has been the main economic activity of Hanoi since the Feudal Period. Paddy fields and agricultural land were scattered throughout the city. Agricultural activities and a communal lifestyle were

Figure 1. Main elements of Hanoi City Source: Tran (2005) HISTORY OF CITY PLANNING AND PROVISION OF GREEN SPACE

formed around agricultural villages. These agricultural villages were not separate from the city but were component parts of the city. In the Feudal Period, there were many wellknown agricultural villages such as Lang, Ngoc Ha, Nghi Tam or Nhat Tan. Agricultural villages like the Thirty-Six 46

streets

and

guilds

Quarter

were

did not satisfy the principle of equity relating to contemporary sustainability, as major open and green space components were mainly designed to serve Kings and Royal families. City residents were prohibited from using these open and green areas and had no right of access to the closed planning process. Further public green space for general community activities was not well planned and the provision of green space did not satisfy community needs and aspirations This inhibited the achievement of a high quality of life and liveability for communities in the feudal past. The French Colonial Period (18731954) In the French Colonial Period, Hanoi was developed to take the role of the

important colourful examples of community life in Hanoi at that time. However, in feudal times, people only focused on the productive function of paddy fields and agricultural land, which helped to supply products for people and created jobs (see Figure 2). From the present point of view, agricultural land is a valuable type of open green space which performs a productive function.

Figure 2. Rice sowing Source: HHVN Community However, since there was no formal urban planning, green space was not considered systematically in the feudal period. Green space areas were provided individually, based on each guild, and not as an integrated system of the citys open space. This did not provide a sense of continuity and inhibited the citys residents from accessing community resources, facilities and services. In addition, the provision of green space

political capital of the French Indochinese Union. Planning for Hanoi reflected ideas current in metropolitan France or adopted in other French colonies as opposed to reflecting Hanois specific and unique characteristics. These ideas formed the attitudes of the colonial authorities and the architects, town planners, engineers and builders who worked for them (Logan, 2000). A formal urban planning approach was first introduced and applied in Hanoi for administrative and political purposes. 47

In this period, two planning projects for Hanoi were prepared by two French architects, Hbrard and Pineau. The French were influenced by the English concept of the Garden City which was reflected in the French Quarter where villas had attached private gardens. The French paid special attention to green space while planning for Hanoi and from 1886, they built promenades and planted trees around the Hoan Kiem Lake. When they opened and built new roads, they built wide sidewalks and grew shade trees along the roadsides. Newly parks were built which not only important formal open and green spaces but also important in providing identity

and a backbone for city expansion and planning based on the symmetric principle in vogue in France at that time (see Figure 3). This new French style of planned tree lines and formal parks created a major change in the citys appearance. Through those planning and construction activities, a green space system was designed based on modern Western planning principles. However, the French focused only on planning for the French Quarter, where they lived. To this day, the French Quarter with its buildings, parks and other open space has been seen as the most liveable part of Hanoi City.

Figure 3. Paul Bert Park

Source: HHVN Community

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The Post Independence Period (19551985) In the Post Independence Period, the first priority of urban construction and planning was housing construction including public housing and houses within industrial areas. In this period, open and green space received less attention than housing and industrial construction. However, in order to show the pre-eminence of the new political regime, the citys government also paid attention to the improvement of the citys appearance through providing public parks. The highlights of this period were the construction of two new parks, Thong Nhat Park and Thanh Nien Road Park (see Figure 4). These parks were the important public works with

Hanoians contributing some 600,000 unpaid public work days to build both parks. Nevertheless, parks and playgrounds were the main types of open green space in this period which served to meet the standard needs of Hanoians. They were seen as public welfare works which were open for everybody. They were also used to make political statements about a classless communist society. Some of these open and green spaces have not satisfied community needs in that some poorly designed public parks have not attracted visitors. Playgrounds in public housing blocks planned for nuclear families have not kept pace with the demands of extended families.

Figure 4. Thong Nhat Park Source: Google Image

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The Contemporary Period (1986 to present) In the Contemporary Period, the need for the provision of open and green space has been put forward in city programs. The green space system would be improved by including existing parks, flower gardens, green areas attached to parks in the new urban areas and tree lines along the citys rivers. Tree lines were planned along rivers banks and around lakes in order to improve environmental quality and create attractive scenery. The citys parks and gardens were planned to become relaxation and amusement areas within an attractive setting. Currently, open and green space in Hanoi has been impacted by rapid urbanisation. Large areas of these spaces

have been converted to other urban land uses. Within the five years from 2000 to 2005, there was about 598 hectares of paddy fields converted to urban land in the many new development areas such as Dinh Cong, Linh Dam and Trung Hoa Nhan Chinh (see Figure 5). According to the City Land Use Plan 2006-2010, a further 6,000 hectares of agricultural land will be converted to non-agricultural land in that five-year period (Hanoi Department of Natural Resources - Environment and Housing (DoNREH), 2005).This change has caused various effects such as a lack of recreational and amusement areas for residents, a decrease of agricultural land, loss of the citys valuable open and green space and a decline in the quality of life of the city.

Figure 5. Trung Hoa Nhan Chinh New Development Area

Built on former agricultural areas (photo taken on 16th June 2006)

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The above discussion demonstrated how open and green space has been planned in the past and at the current time in Hanoi City. The analysis showed that the functionality and quality of the open and green space system was poor through the different planning regimes of Hanoi City. Finding solutions for a greener Hanoi is the way to lead this city towards a more liveable future. TOWARDS A GREENER HANOI Hanoi is a multi-faceted city where Eastern and Western, traditional and modern values co-exist. It is obvious that past planning has influenced current planning and also shaped the appearance of present day Hanoi City. In order to achieve effectiveness in city planning, the city government and planners should adopt an inclusive planning approach, and recognise and acknowledge all these influences. The citys open and green space landscape should have due regard to the environmental and cultural heritage values embedded in that landscape. There is a need to identify those remnant traces of the past that have a continuing significance in the contemporary city and which should be protected. (i) The Ancient Quarter, which was developed in the Feudal Period, is an essential basis of Hanois sense of identity. However, the city government

and planners have to improve sanitation and the overall housing conditions, as well as upgrade the facilities in the existing open and green space area. (ii) The French Quarter, developed in the French Colonial Period, is regarded as the most liveable area of the city. The urban environment in this area is in a better condition than that of other parts of the city. Broad tree-line avenues, gardens attached to villas, and the classical and modern public buildings are key elements which need to be preserved. (iii) The Old Districts, which were developed in the Post Independence Period, manifest the Soviet impact on the citys architecture and planning. The area lacks open and green space for community playgrounds activities and some built for high rise

tenements are poorly managed and not attractive to residents. However, some monuments, buildings and precincts should be regarded as key elements relating to the heritage value of the urban architectural and planning style of that time. (iv) The New Development Areas were developed in the Contemporary Period after the recent Vietnamese opening to modern Western influences. These are the most rapidly growing urbanisation areas in the present day Hanoi City. The most important task is 51

to minimise the conversion of valuable open and green space, especially the remaining productive agricultural lands, into urban land uses. These different parts of the city are fragmented in terms of the cultural landscape. The study found that the open and green space system of Hanoi City lacked crucial linkages between the individual open and green space components that together could form a continuous and integrated network. This resulted in discontinuity of the citys landscape and also inhibited the accessibility of public open and green space to the public. The challenge facing the city government, the planning professions and the community at large is how to properly plan for the city as a whole system while preserving the heritage values of the cultural landscape that are embodied in isolated open and green space areas throughout the city. This requires a focus on the interaction between diverse landscape features and the linking of isolated and discrete cultural landscape elements that exist across the city. Hence, it is recommended that an integrated open and green space system be developed which would link all key open and green space areas of the city and provide an integrated sense of continuity (see Figure 6). These linkages are in addition to the communication corridors between

different open and green space areas. Within the context of Hanoi City, it is recommended that this be developed on two levels of linkages which can take various forms including: (i) Inner city linkages: Help to connect individual open and green space elements in the inner urban areas (Ancient Quarter, French Quarter, Old Districts and New Urban Districts). These linkages would be broad-tree lines avenues, tree-lines along rivers, promenades surrounding lakes and water bodies, or parkways; and (ii) Outer city linkages: Serve to connect major open and green space components in the urban areas with suburban areas. These linkages would be pathways, cycle ways, greenbelts formed by agricultural land, corridors along rivers and water ways, greenways, or green buffer zones. Open and green space linkages would provide many benefits and result in a higher quality of life, a healthier environment and a more liveable community. The linkages would allow disparate and separated open and green space to form an interconnected network. More importantly, they would help to effectively link different parts of the city to form a whole system that would be more resilient and robust that a series of separate parts. These would help people to experience a valuable sense of place. 52

Local open space District level open space City level open space Linkages

French Quarter

Ancient Quarter

New Urban Districts

Old Districts

Figure 6. Towards an Integrated Open Space System for Hanoi City

They would also provide access and allow isolated open and green space to be used and allow previously inaccessible resources to be experienced by the public.

CONCLUSIONS The study has shown that the provision of open and green space was often considered in the planning for Hanoi City albeit to limited effect. 53

Although it was differently planned and provided by different planning regimes, it was often highly valued as a method of improving the quality of the living environment and enhancing the citys appearance. However, the open and green space system has been poorly planned and managed. The study also demonstrated that the differences of the dominant influence of cultures have become embedded in the city landscape, especially its open and green space system. These external influences are integral parts of Hanois heritage, each contributing to its overall richness. Acknowledging these influences is critical to sustainability planning for the citys cultural landscape. In order to achieve the planning goal for liveability, the city government should develop appropriate policies for improving the functionality and quality of the citys open and green space system.

2. Hanoi Department of Natural Resources Environment and Housing (DoNREH) (2005). Environmental Report of Hanoi City in 2005 (Bo co hin trng mi trng thnh ph H Ni nm 2005). Hanoi: Hanoi Department of Natural Resources, Environment and Housing (DoNREH). 3. HHVN Community. Retrieved 12th November 2008. from www.handheld.com.vn/forum/showthrea d.php?t=10623. 4. Logan, W. S. (2000). Hanoi Biography of a city. Sydney: University of New South Wales (UNSW) Press Ltd. 5. Nguyen, V. K. and G. Boudarel (2002). Hanoi: City of the Rising Dragon. Lanham/ Boulder/ New York/ Oxford: Rowman Publishers, Inc. 6. Research & Littlefield on

Institute

REFERENCES 1. Google Image. November 2008. from: Retrieved 26

Architecture (1999). Preserving Hanoi's Architectural and Landscape Heritage. Hanoi: Construction Publishing House. 7. Tran, Q. V. (2005). Environment, People and Culture (Mi trng, Con ngi v Vn ha). Hanoi: Information Publishing House (NXB Vn ha Thng tin) and Institute of Cultural Research (Vin Vn ha).

http://images.google.com.vn/images?hl =vi&q=th%C3%A0nh+ph%E1%BB%9 1+h%C3%A0+n%E1%BB%99i&btnG =T%C3%ACm+ki%E1%BA%BFm+H %C3%ACnh+%E1%BA%A3nh&gbv=2 .

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