Solution for development of five satellite cities in Hanoi

347 SOLUTION FOR DEVELOPMENT OF FIVE SATELLITE CITIES IN HANOI Dr. Nguyen Kim Hoang nkhoang@fpt.vn Dr. Nguyen Huu Doan doannh@neu.edu.vn Faculty of Urban & Environmental Economics and Management, National Economics University, Hanoi, Vietnam Abstract The population residing in urban areas has been rapidly increasing, especially in the developing world, giving rise to the need for cities and urban establishments to adapt and grow with the change. Satellite cities were developed to shift the population from congested urban areas to new developments established nearby. The paper assesses five satellite cities in Hanoi to explore the potential of this form of development as a sustainable tool for planners in the 21st century. Keywords: Hanoi, satellite cities, sustainability, urbanization. 1. Introduction According to estimates by the United Nations, 66% of the world‘s population will be living in urban areas by 2050, upward from 54% today (United Nations, 2014). The rural to urban migration is not only adding a large number of new residents to cities but also putting pressure on the resources and infrastructure of these metropolitan areas. Additionally, the influx of people into Hanoi has environmental consequences that can adversely impact economic activity and public health (Luan Duy, L. 2014). Increase in population density, socio-economic disparities and infrastructure problems arise that stress the need for sustainable city planning to result in the efficient running of Hanoi (Divya, L., and Helga-Jane, S. 2018). Hence, developing sustainable greenfield sites is one way of absorbing some of the pressure. Satellite cities are one form of greenfield developments. 2. Method The paper will seek to explore the five cases of Soc Son, Son Tay, Xuan Mai, Phu Xuyen and Hoa Lac. If designed and built efficiently by conforming to sustainable land use and environmental principles, the development of satellite cities can potentially alleviate the issue of overcrowding in Hanoi without resulting in urban sprawl, as well as help reconnect nature with urban life. However, the research was limited by the availability of information. Data on certain indicators was not available for the towns, which is why they had to be excluded from the analysis. Furthermore, the most current information on the satellite cities in Hanoi was also not available for certain indicators. 348 3. Results 3.1. Literature review The Oxford dictionary of Architecture define satellite towns as: ―Towns that are self-contained and limited in size, built in the vicinity of a large town or city to house and employ those who would otherwise create a demand for expansion of the existing settlement, but dependent on the parent-city for population and major services.‖ The definition continues to state that satellite towns were influenced by Garden Cities and makes the distinctions between consumer-satellites that are essentially dormitory suburbs, and production-satellites that include the capacity for commercial, industrial and production facilities. As Hall (2014) explains, Garden Cities were designed to move people away from the slums and the smoke of industrial towns and into new, self-contained towns that were built in open countryside. The idea as explained in Howard‘s famous ‗Three Magnets‘ diagram shown in Figure 1, was to combine the best of town and country in a new settlement. This meant merging the economic and social opportunities of the town with the fresh air and nature of the countryside. The towns were to be locally managed and self-governed with services provided by the municipality or by the private sector, whichever was more efficient. Figure 1: Ebenezer Howard's 'The Three Magnets' (Howard, 1902) In the context of town planning, the question arises about indicators of sustainability. Astleithner et al (2004) write about sustainability indicators stating that they should be measurable over space and time. In a report published by Sustainable Cities 349 International in 2012, the authors note that while there is no ‗one size fits all‘ method for developing a sustainability plan for municipalities, there are common aspects that can be considered while designing a plan. A 2015 report titled ‗Indicators for sustainable cities‘ published by the European Commission discusses the available range of sustainability indicators and frameworks and how to choose between them. The report states that while selecting an appropriate framework, the purpose for its use needs to first be defined. The framework can be used as an explanatory tool, pilot tool or performance assessment tool. The report also states that it is important to identify categories that are most relevant to measuring progress towards sustainable development. The categories, as delineated above, include social, economic and environmental sustainability. Social sustainability relates to subjects like community development, health equity, social justice and livability. Economic sustainability covers indicators that measure a nation‘s ability to support a certain level of economic production. Environmental sustainability covers topics that relate to a city‘s harmony with nature. Furthermore, the framework should be applicable across different urban areas to allow for comparisons. Thus, the availability of data and its standardization should be taken into account when considering elements of the framework. Finally, the report notes that indicator sets should be locally relevant and be able to reflect the geographical and social context of the urban area in question. Many states and municipalities have used sustainability frameworks to guide and monitor the sustainability objectives applied to their towns. While sustainability has become a bigger agenda in town planning and management post the 1980s, some of the objectives of 20 th century satellite cities include self-containment of towns, providing a wide range of housing and creating towns that are in harmony with nature and protected from environmental pollution. These objectives are echoed in some of the social, economic and environmental sustainability indicators included in the frameworks applied today. In the 20th century, Satellite Towns were introduced to reduce congestion in large urban centers by relocating people and jobs to the new developments (Philips and Yeh, 1987). In Britain, these new developments represented the ideas inherent in the original Garden Cities of Letchworth and Welwyn. They were intended to be limited in size and surrounded by open space. The towns were also intended to be self-contained through the provision of housing, employment and recreation to form a complete urban environment. Land uses in these towns, however, were separated and in some cases, social grouping in neighborhoods, based on income classes, was encouraged. Philips and Yeh (1987) also note that self-containment has been a major objective of New Town developments, but they add that it has rarely been truly achieved. They posit that this is because self-containment has a multitude of dimensions, including balancing housing with employment, employment with skills of residents, housing with respect to different social groups as well as provision of services for all. If a balance is not achieved in any of these areas, the decision has to be made to connect the town with the central city through adequate transportation systems. This provision, further reduces the self- 350 containment of the satellite towns as residents commute to the central city for better employment opportunities and social activities. Cervero (1995), however, notes that this may not necessarily be a bad thing. He writes about the New Towns of Stockholm that were developed in the mid 20th century in an orbit around the center of the city and connected via a regional rail system. He explains how planners intended to make these towns self-contained by distributing industry and offices proportionately with respect to the residential population of the towns. The importance of public transit in achieving a sustainable city is highlighted by various authors. Newman and Kenworthy (1996) assess the land use-transport connection and the problems associated with unconnected automobile cities. According to them, the automobile dream turned into a nightmare when the easy access to individualized locations led to an exponential increase in traffic. They went on to outline the problems associated with such levels of automobile dependence stating severe environmental issues, economic inefficiency and lack of a community as some of the larger issues. They recommend transit-oriented development as one of the solutions to these issues. 3.2. Characteristics of satellite cities in Hanoi and shortcomings in management According to the master plan for Hanoi‘s socio-economic development by 2030, with a vision to 2050, the capital will develop based on a model of urban clusters, with one central urban area and five satellite cities connected to it by a belt-transport system. The central urban area will be expanded from the city center in four directions, including the enlarged areas to Belt Road No 4 in the west and south, to Me Linh and Dong Anh districts in the north, and to Gia Lam and Long Bien districts in the east. The central urban area and five satellite cities will be separated by green corridors, which will account for 70 percent of the city‘s natural areas. The five satellite cities - Hoa Lac, Son Tay, Xuan Mai, Phu Xuyen and Soc Son – will each have specific functions, with the purpose of sharing the demand with the urban centre in terms of housing, training, industry and services. Figure 2: Five satellite cities in Hanoi 351 Accordingly, Hoa Lac satellite city will have the main function of serving science- technology, and training. Son Tay satellite city has been selected as the urban area of historic culture, resort tourism focusing on the Son Tay Citadel preservation zone, Duong Lam ancient village and developing the center for tourism associated with Xuan Khanh lake, training services, health and the new urban. Xuan Mai satellite city will be the urban area of services - industries supporting the development of small industries and craft village systems. Phu Xuyen satellite city is dedicated to industry, transportation hubs, and transshipment of goods. Soc Son satellite city will focus on the development of industry and air services, eco-resort tourism, forming the Mai Dinh industrial zone and clean industrial zones, medical centers, universities zone. Table 1: Population of satellite cities in Hanoi Satellite cities Planning area (ha) Population in 2030 ( thousands) Hoa Lac 18000 600 Son Tay 4000 186 Xuan Mai 4500 220 Phu Xuyen 2500 127 Soc Son 5500 250 Characteristics of satellite cities in Hanoi The administrative boundary of some satellite cities is in two and three districts, such as Hoa Lac, Phu Xuyen and Son Tay satellite city. There are two satellite cities covering only one part of the district - Xuan Mai and Soc Son satellite city. The administrative boundaries and decentralization have caused difficulties for the coordination and operation among the levels of city government and central agencies in the plan implementation and administrative management in satellite cities. The satellite cities of Hanoi are planned on the basis of towns and communes with different nature, size and development levels. Currently, Son Tay satellite city is class 3 city with a history of hundred years of development (World Bank, 2011). The other satellite cities are parts or subdivisions of some suburban districts, including most of the country side communes. This difference in levels of urban development requires appropriate policies for each satellite city in development investment and management. Authorities of satellite cities are different. Hoa Lac satellite city located on the boundary of Quoc Oai, Thach That districts and Son Tay Town, but competent to approve the planning and management of development investment under the Central Government. The other satellite cities have boundaries in districts and towns under the management of districts and towns, such as Xuan Mai satellite city in Chuong My district, Soc Son satellite city in Soc Son district, Son Tay satellite city in Son Tay town, Phu Xuyen satellite city includes Phu Xuyen district and a part of Thuong Tin district, thus be managed by both districts. Hanoi's satellite cities are subjected to intense competition from cities, provinces and cities in the Capital and the Northern Key Economic Zone. Hence, the satellite cities of 352 Hanoi can be considered as a system of urban center in the region such as Nam Dinh, Bac Ninh, Thai Nguyen and Vinh Phuc province. Issues in satellite city management Owners who manage the satellite cities are not clearly defined. In the legal documents of Hanoi as well as the Government use the word "satellite city" without defining it is city or town. In Vietnam, the organization system of administrative units does not have a satellite city model, so finding a suitable management model for satellite cities in Hanoi needs to be studied when most of them are located on the administrative border of the town and suburban districts. This is a problem that managers do not pay attention to which causing other problems. The interlacing of administrative boundaries and decentralization make it difficult for administrative management in satellite cities. Satellite cities and central city are dependent on the nature and function, but satellite cities still need to be an independent administrative unit with administrative authority to manage. Urban management following to "Town" model as in the case of the Son Tay satellite city also needs to have decisions to merge Cam Thuong commune of Ba Vi district into Son Tay town and transfer the communes of Son Tay to Hoa Lac. Overlap planning. The master plan for satellite cities has been approved by the People's Committee of Hanoi in 2014-2015 but during that time the People's Committee approved the master plan for the districts construction. District Committee must implement both types of planning which highly overlapping, and otherwise when implementing the plan, the district will not care about the territory has been planned into satellite cities, because satellite cities are directly under the city. Expectation in investment capital from the city is very probable. Lack of co-operation mechanism. At present, satellite cities in Hanoi and central city do not have any cooperation mechanism. The question is that Hanoi needs to develop a suitable cooperation form between each satellite city and the central city in the direction of building a satellite city to reduce the pressure on the central city in terms of population, employment, transportation and environment. However, before making a cooperation mechanism, it is necessary to identify the management owners. 3.3. Solutions for satellite city development in Hanoi The development of satellite cities is a trend that many major cities in the world as well as in Vietnam. The construction and development of satellite cities in Hanoi are seen as a matter of urgency. They require a comprehensive plan and appropriate and attractive mechanism and policies. To achieve this goal, there should be a legal framework for effective management and cooperation between satellite cities and central city to ensure no contradict about rights and responsibilities. Building a satellite city management model Building the management model appropriate to the nature and level of development of each satellite city and meeting the immediate and long-term requirements is very 353 necessary. The identification of urban authorities will determine the management and solve administrative management issues in satellite cities. Law on Organization of Local Government (No. 77/2015/QH13 passed by the National Assembly on June 19, 2015) has defined city government under the Cities under the Central Government (like the cities under the province). This would allow urban administration in large cities such as Hanoi to organize and manage satellite cities following the model of the city directly under the province. Strengthening the planning management of satellite city To review the general planning of satellite cities and general planning of districts and towns. Assessing the use of land in industrial parks and new urban areas in satellite city. Satellite city planning should clarify and specify the function and criteria of satellite cities. Build specific characteristics for satellite cities to increase the value of land and real estate in the future. Specially, consider adding indicators for green urban planning, ecological and smart city to contribute to specific values for satellite cities, improve utilities and quality of life for people. Develop regulations on planning and management for each satellite city, including the regulations on development, urban development indicators, planning indicators, land use regulations, etc. Developing cooperation mechanism between central city and satellite cities Developing a cooperative mechanism is very important for connecting the satellite city economy to the central urban economy in order to improve the competitiveness in order to increase the "attractiveness" of satellite city. Firstly, Hanoi authority develops an investment mechanism to attract foreign investment and private investment in the construction of projects in satellite cities. Furthermore, develop mechanisms for coordination between administrative units (districts) related ministries and agencies (Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education and Training) in the process of planning and investment in construction, management and operation of satellite cities. Strengthening the investment of infrastructure construction In order to increase the "attractiveness" of satellite cities, the infrastructure should be nicely built, synchronous and modern in the direction of Smart city meeting the traffic demand from the central urban area to the satellite cities. In addition to the planned transportation system, organizing additional bus routes, especially BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) should be considered, which is connected the central urban bus stations to the satellite cities and satellite cities to each other. Upgrading bus services to encourage people to use buses between downtown and satellite cities. Construction of a parking system for the use of public transport. Building a transport network linking the modes of transport in satellite cities. In order to connect the central urban area to the satellite cities, it is necessary to carry out the general planning of Hanoi capital to renovate the National highways and other highways; Building some of new roads (Tay Thang Long road connected with Son Tay satellite city, Ho Tay - Ba Vi road connected to Hoa Lac satellite city and Ba Vi area, Ha 354 Dong - Xuan Mai road connected to Xuan Mai satellite city. Ngoc Hoi-Phu Xuyen road link with Phu Xuyen satellite city); Construction of urban rail lines extends to satellite cities. However, the completion of the above transportation system requires a lot of resources. Improve satellite city development policy To attract FDI in order to implement developing satellite cities, Hanoi‘s authorities must accelerate administrative