Hanoi is striving to expand underground space, especially for building more parking lots, the government portal quoted Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung as saying.
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He added that from 2016 to 2018, the local government called for investment in a portfolio of nearly 40 underground parking projects, but so far only five investors have registered to invest in.
Hanoi currently has about 6.5 million vehicles of all kinds, not to mention special-use vehicles and those coming from other provinces. The number of vehicles increases remarkably every year while the city’s area of land reserved for static traffic and public parking lots only meets about 10% of the demand.
Hanoi’s authority has recently studied building an underground parking able to house nearly 900 cars in Cau Giay park. The underground parking lot is planned to cover on an area of about 14,500m2, with a total investment of about VND565 billion (US$24.3 million).
According to the Hanoi Department of Planning and Architecture, this underground parking project is suitable with the city’s planning. However, it has faced protest from the public due to the large surface area it will occupy.
Architect Pham Thanh Tung noted that the construction of underground parking at squares or parks is necessary, in accordance with the urban trend in the world.
Parking lot construction should be in line with the planning, without affecting residential community, environmental landscape and social security, Tung stressed.
Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Transport Nguyen Xuan Thanh said that Hanoi city is studying to issue a number of specific mechanisms to attract private investors on projects of smart parking lots and underground parking lots.
The city’s authority will consider allowing investors of underground parking lots to incorporate a number of utility service functions, as long as they ensure functionality and parking capacity of the lot, Thanh noted.
