View from Hoi An
Sustainable development encompasses the preservation and overall growth of various types of capital, such as productive capital, natural capital, and social capital. The three pillars of sustainability— economic , environmental, and social—are recognized and promoted in the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Hoi An's entry into the UNESCO Global Creative Cities Network at the end of 2023 has made the need for sustainable development even more urgent.
According to Dr. Pham Viet Anh (an expert on sustainable development and a doctoral candidate in sustainable development at an intergovernmental institution - the UN Treaty University), for sustainable development, Hoi An must first strive to preserve its natural state.
This includes continuing to expand policies controlling fishing quotas (maintaining natural capital gains), strictly prohibiting the destruction of natural forests, special-use forests, and protection forests for short-term economic purposes, etc.
“Without responsible citizens, there can be no sustainable cities. To build a shared city – one of the key factors in creating a sustainable city – strong social capital is essential. Because when social trust is low, people cannot share common benefits with each other.” ( Dr. Pham Viet Anh)
"Sustainable development is also linked to the sharing economy, because through social sharing, waste is minimized, idle resources are optimized, and assets are not neglected."
For example, we could establish a "time bank," where people can share their free working hours with each other, and build websites for sharing used items to create a circular product lifecycle.
"In addition, Hoi An also needs to promote investment in green technology, transition to renewable energy, leverage green finance from partners, attract sustainable crowdfunding, prioritize improving human capital, with the ultimate goal of achieving net-zero emissions to promote inclusive and sustainable development," shared Dr. Pham Viet Anh.
According to architect Ngo Viet Nam Son - Chairman of NgoViet Architects & Planners, everything in nature and society has relative value. When capacity and density have reached their limits, development must stop to avoid diminishing the value of the heritage city.
"In the future, Hoi An will face 'greed' and should know when to stop, accepting the disadvantages and inconveniences of the stakeholders but maintaining the sustainable development of the heritage city so as not to fall into a situation where the more it develops, the more it regresses," said architect Ngo Viet Nam Son.
Addressing multifaceted challenges
Most urban areas are planned to be the driving force for regional development. In Quang Nam , the major cities are located in the two development zones in the north and south of the province.
The positive aspect currently is that the planning vision and the actions of managers are no longer focused on increasing the scale of the urban economy at all costs.
During several provincial meetings, the issue of Hoi An's revenue collection targets was discussed, albeit not as intensely as other provinces. The upgrading of Tam Ky (to Type I) and Hoi An (to Type II) urban status has also been considered several times, with the timeline postponed to focus on the actual scale of urbanization rather than rushing towards these goals.
Developing cities face numerous major challenges, such as protecting biodiversity, minimizing environmental pollution, and promoting social equity.
According to the World Resources Institute's climate analysis tool, energy is responsible for 66% of total emissions, while agriculture accounts for 23% of total annual emissions in Vietnam.
Quang Nam is embracing the trend of green energy and sustainable agriculture, starting potentially in urban areas such as Tam Ky, which is currently a pilot city for implementing a sustainable urban cooling project, and Hoi An, which shows many positive signs in the transition to green agriculture and the development of agricultural tourism.
According to the Quang Nam Tourism Association, recently many businesses in Hoi An have implemented green technologies and solutions such as using renewable energy, applying digital transformation, green transportation, community cooperation and green education, promoting new tourism models…
This contributes to improving the business performance of tourism enterprises while minimizing negative impacts on the environment and local communities, thereby creating an attractive and sustainable tourism environment.
Dr. Pham Viet Anh noted that Hoi An, being a small city and a World Heritage site, should be prioritized in terms of service and tourism-related economic activities, thereby helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions more effectively than the manufacturing sector. Prioritizing carbon emission reduction is crucial.
In Hoi An, the issue for businesses is not about increasing output volume, but about increasing output value. Digitalization can improve management costs to some extent, but the key is to build value.
A circular, zero-waste economy combined with a zero-emission green economy is ideal for achieving sustainability goals, poverty reduction, and equitable urban development.
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/do-thi-thinh-vuong-khong-tang-truong-3137018.html
Comment (0)