the missing pieces

Pigeons at Nghia Do Park.

Not given due attention

Master, Architect Nguyen Hoang Linh - Department of Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Architecture & Planning, Hanoi University of Civil Engineering said that the urbanization process is always accompanied by the fragmentation of green space structures into small, discrete and poor ecological quality pieces; the loss of green spaces due to the conversion of land use purposes, construction of technical infrastructure systems leading to the phenomenon of hardening of the ground surface...

Today, people are better aware of the simultaneous socio-cultural benefits gained from living in harmony with nature, spending time in nature and interacting with animals has positive effects on human health and relieves the negative psychological problems of urban life, happiness and educational opportunities for children…

These co-benefits support the concept of developing “more-than-human cities” with the desire to organize urban landscapes not only as living spaces for humans alone but as places where humans and wildlife can live in harmony.

According to Mr. Nguyen Hoang Linh, implementing and promoting interactions between humans and wildlife systematically in urban planning and design is still not a common practice because humans are facing a number of major challenges.

Land scarcity is a major concern for many modern cities, which prioritize human-centered development and view wildlife as belonging and necessarily conserved in dedicated nature reserves. Wildlife in urban environments can elicit mixed responses, with some urban residents viewing animals as a public nuisance.

"This is still a new issue and has not received due attention in the process of organizing urban space in our country; it is an inevitable trend of the 21st century in the current context where the world is facing serious problems of global decline in environmental quality, ecosystems, biodiversity, quality of human living space..." - Mr. Nguyen Hoang Linh shared.

Many benefits

To develop planning strategies that integrate urban wildlife into urban planning to create habitats for animals.

The pressure of urban growth encourages designers to explore how to make optimal use of urban nature by maximizing and enhancing ecological functions, enhancing multifunctionality and resource efficiency to create ecological balance despite high urban density in a finite land area.

Some other efforts are to restore lost natural landscape spaces of the city and enhance connectivity with other natural spaces of the suburban and periphery areas of the city to form an open ecosystem network that has been applied in some cities in the world and proven its positive effects such as the Cheonggyecheon Stream Restoration Project in Seoul - Korea, Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park Project (Singapore) ...

Wildlife can help mitigate the effects of climate change in cities, experts say. Greater biodiversity will bring direct benefits to humans and can also help protect human health by controlling disease-carrying insects.

For example, the West Lake area in Hanoi urban development plays a very important role as a scenic lake for tourism and climate regulation for the area, in addition to the function of preserving the typical ecosystem. Despite its high terrain, the main lake and ponds in the system still have the ability to regulate rainwater for some areas around the lake. The frequent exchange makes this place self-regulate to maintain a stable balance.

Master Le Thuy Ha - National Institute of Urban and Rural Planning said that the structure of green urban space requires conservation and respect for the structure of natural landscape. Building orientation for architectural and landscape development based on planning zoning associated with natural conditions and functional use. Once land, water and natural ecosystems have been transformed, there is almost no possibility of recovery.

In existing areas, preserving and exploiting historical and cultural elements will enhance urban competitiveness. Preservation, along with renovation and embellishment of public spaces and existing spaces, will create a unique identity for each urban area.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/phat-trien-do-thi-xanh-va-ben-vung-nhung-manh-ghep-con-thieu.html