U.S. Urban Planning Expert Visits Ho Chi Minh City to Discuss the City's Development

Urban planning expert Thomas Wright examines the model of HCMC

From July 14 to July 18, Mr. Thomas K. Wright, executive director of the Regional Plan Association and visiting lecturer at Princeton University, met with Vietnamese counterparts to discuss urban planning issues. Mr. Wright’s organization, an independent non-profit regional planning organization, focuses on improving quality of life and economic competitiveness of the New York metropolitan area through research, planning, and advocacy. Mr. Wright first met with representatives from Phu My Hung Corporation and the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program to gain background on the urban planning situation in Ho Chi Minh City. Mr. Wright then held workshops and discussions with scholars and researchesr at the HCMC Institute of Economics Research; professors of urban planning at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities; and officials from the Department of Planning & Architecture, Department of Transport and Urban Public Works, the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, and the Urban Planning Institute. Mr. Wright introduced the people and ideas that shaped New York City urban planning and highlighted four issues: parks and open space, community development, mass transit, and sustainability.  He tailored his emphasis on the issue most relevant for each audience. Audiences quizzed Mr. Wright for further explanation of how RPA and the NYC government met urban planning goals for New York, and how HCMC might apply lessons learned. During a round table discussion with local reporters, Mr. Wright highlighted three crucial urban planning guidelines: recognize that growth and change is inevitable; satellite cities, while difficult to plan effectively, are a good investment to absorb new growth; and traffic congestion must be dealt with quickly by implementing mass transit and other innovative methods, such as designating lanes just for buses or bicycles.  Numerous articles emphasizing these points appeared in HCMC’s leading dailies.