District-level planning key for completing Hanoi’s 2021-2030 master plan: Experts

Experts called for Hanoi to avoid potential delays in drafting district-level planning to ensure the timely completion of the 2021-2030 Capital Master Plan, with a vision to 2050.

Hanoi from above. Photo: The Hanoi Times

Under the 2017 Planning Law, district-level planning is one of the critical components of Hanoi's 2021-2030 master plan with a 2050 vision, serving as the basis for rural planning and investment projects to build the district's technical infrastructure.

On May 14, the Hanoi People's Committee issued a document that prioritized the planning process in 14 districts of the city, including Gia Lam, Ba Vi, Ung Hoa, Thuong Tin, Thanh Oai, Phu Xuyen, ThachThat, Quoc Oai, My Duc, Me Linh, Soc Son, Phuc Tho, Chuong My, and Dan Phuong.

This process involves organizing urban and rural areas, functional areas, and infrastructure works to meet each district's socioeconomic development needs.

So far, the municipal People's Committee has approved all 14 tasks related to drafting the district-level planning, according to La Hong Son, deputy head of the Office of Planning and Management of Satellite Cities and Rural Development under the Hanoi Department of Urban Planning and Architecture.

As the law requires, the city's districts must complete their respective district plans within 12 months. However, the city's master plan, which must be submitted to the National Assembly by October 2023, has pressured the authorities to speed up the district planning.

"District-level units are expected to accelerate their respective planning processes to meet the set timeline for the city's overall masterplan," Son said.

Son said the district plan should focus on assessing the economic and social development situation in each locality, evaluating the current status of industries, and defining the economic structure by industry and sector, according to a representative from the Hanoi Institute of Socio-Economic Studies.

In addition, the planning would include forecasts on the population size, land, and technical indicators while proposing options that will contribute to sustainable socio-economic development and achieve the common goal of Hanoi by 2030 with a vision towards 2050.

Speeding up the process

Me Linh District is one of the localities actively implementing plans to achieve its development goals.

Quach Si Dung, head of Me Linh District's Urban Management Department, said that after the city approved the district's planning task, it "wasted no time in completing the bidding process to select a planning consulting unit to help advance the district's planning".

According to Dung, planning Me Linh for 2030, with a vision for 2050, is crucial for the district's long-term development.

"The plan must be consistent with Hanoi's socio-economic development strategy and planning system, as well as Me Linh District's development orientation towards green, smart, and sustainable urban spaces," Dung said.

Meanwhile, the head of the Urban Management Department of Thanh Oai District, Do Quang Huy, said that the district had prepared steps to select a planning consultant after the construction planning task of Thanh Oai District was approved on February 7, 2023.

Huy said Thanh Oai District, at Hanoi's western gateway, is a high-yield ecological agricultural area and the city's industrial products and services market.

It is also an area for sustainable ecotourism development in connection with preserving the natural spatial structure on both sides of the Day River.

He added that to ensure that the planning is feasible and close to reality, which is crucial for attracting effective and sustainable investment, the district will organize extensive consultations with experts, researchers, officials, and local people during the implementation process.