Vinh City spends 17 billion VND on green tree system

(Baonghean) - The negative impacts of climate change, with increasing heat, combined with rapid urbanization, have been pushing urban residents into harsher living spaces. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to and create living spaces that are friendly to nature through the establishment of green tree and water systems...

Ensuring a balanced living environment

In recent days, we have witnessed severe heat in a large area; in some places, at times, the temperature has reached 40 - 420C. In particular, residents in Vinh city feel the heat more severely, because of rapid urban development, with residential areas, urban areas, high-rise apartment buildings, roads, and welfare facilities occupying a large area compared to other areas.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha in Block 7, Ha Huy Tap Ward, shared: "On hot days like this, I can see the value of trees, making the air in my house more pleasant and less stuffy." Indeed, in the house where Ms. Ha's family lives, they know how to take advantage of all the space to plant trees, from the gate to the lobby, balcony, and terrace to plant trees, creating a space full of green and coolness.

Not only Ms. Ha's family, but in recent years, facing the negative impacts of climate change, with increasing heat, combined with rapid urbanization, many families in Vinh city have been conscious of planting trees, building vegetable gardens, ornamental plants, to create ecological balance, build friendly landscapes, in harmony with nature.

And in many agencies, units, schools, and hospitals, they have also taken care of the environment, built green - clean - beautiful landscapes by actively planting trees, grass and flowers, in the premises of the units, such as the headquarters of the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, Provincial People's Committee, Nghe An Newspaper, Nghe An Electricity, Ban Ve Hydropower Company, Vinh City Party Committee and People's Committee...

Particularly for streets and public spaces, in recent years, Vinh city has also focused on implementing the project to build and renovate the green tree system, ecological landscape, and urban environment of Vinh; on average, each year the city allocates 12 billion VND from the budget (17 billion VND in 2017 alone) to plant, renovate and protect the green tree system, grass, and flowers on streets and public areas.

Along with the urbanization process, it is necessary to pay attention to planning green and sustainable urban spaces. (Photo taken on Quang Trung Street, Vinh City). Photo: Mai Hoa

Accordingly, the basic green tree system is planted on the roads, connected with the vova system on many streets, creating green areas and landscapes for a green - clean - beautiful city. Along with that, green trees are developed in Nguyen Tat Thanh Park, Ho Chi Minh Square, Nui Quyet Forest Park; restoring Cua Nam Park, Cua Bac Park... What everyone feels is that the green tree system in Vinh city today has been greatly improved.

Many roads such as Ho Tung Mau, Le Nin Avenue, Duong Van Nga, Phan Dinh Phung, Nguyen Van Cu, Nguyen Du, Dinh Cong Trang, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai..., not only develop and have green coverage for the city but also create beautiful environmental landscapes. According to a report from the City People's Committee, the current urban green coverage reaches 11.5m2/person.

In particular, the city has attracted and focused on implementing the Vinh urban development project funded by the World Bank (WB) with a total investment of nearly 153 million USD, striving to complete by December 2017. In the 4 components of the project, there is an environmental improvement component, including the following projects: upgrading and renovating the North Canal and building a regulating lake in Hung Loc commune; upgrading and renovating the moat around Vinh Citadel; upgrading and renovating Cua Nam Lake; upgrading and renovating some drainage ditches; increasing the capacity of the main wastewater pumping station from 12,600m3/day to 25,000m3/day; improving environmental sanitation in schools. According to Mr. Luong Ba Quang - Chairman of Nghe An Architects Association: When the Vinh urban development project is completed, in addition to solving environmental and ecological problems of the city, it is important to ensure and improve urban criteria such as greenery.

In addition to the green space system throughout the city, trees and grass on the North Canal, Canal No. 3, moats around Vinh Citadel, Cua Nam Lake, Hung Loc Lake, etc., will also create a large "lung" for Vinh City. Particularly, the water surface area at Hung Hoa Lake and Cua Nam Lake will establish a modern, beautiful, cool, and fresh urban architectural space, creating conditions for people to be close to and attached to nature.

And the problems that arise

The theme of World Environment Day 2017 is “Living in harmony with nature”, once again affirming the role of nature in human life, while calling for and encouraging the community to organically connect with nature.

The orientation of developing Vinh city to become the economic and cultural center of the North Central region by 2020 according to Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW of the Politburo and Decision No. 2468/2015/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister; Vinh city has also been approved by the Prime Minister to adjust the general planning of Vinh city to 2030 in Decision No. 52/QD - TTg dated January 14, 2015, which has been posing requirements for planning, developing space, infrastructure..., including environmental landscape, green and sustainable urban space.

Mr. Vo Van Hong - Environmental expert said that building a green and sustainable city must meet many criteria. First of all, it is necessary to plan the use of urban land reasonably and ensure green space, including creating many urban green areas and water surfaces, harmonizing artificial ecosystems (urban ecosystems) and natural ecosystems.

That is to ensure green urban transport through urban planning and building environmentally sustainable transport systems; developing public transport systems, cycling and walking; and having measures to control waste from vehicles participating in traffic.

That is to develop green industry with the use of clean energy, renewable energy or use of energy, raw materials and generate less waste. Another requirement of green urban areas is the criteria of green architecture.

That means architectural works must be designed and built according to the following criteria: greening works; saving and using energy reasonably; saving water resources, discharging less waste into the surrounding environment; green indoor environment...

Building and expanding flower and ornamental plant growing villages is also a solution to create green space for urban areas. Photo: Mai Hoa

However, the urban reality of Vinh is posing many issues of concern. Although the urban green area has been increased, attention has not been paid to the species, technical requirements of plants as well as urban landscape elements. The city has also not paid attention to investing in many urban public green tree systems, green tree points concentrated in residential areas.

On the other hand, the construction planning standards have clearly stipulated that the area for planting trees in construction sites, such as for villas, garden houses, and apartment buildings, the minimum land area for planting trees is 20%; kindergartens, schools, hospitals, and cultural houses must reserve at least 30% of the land for planting trees; factories built in a scattered manner or in industrial parks and concentrated industrial clusters must reserve at least 20% of the land area for trees.

However, in reality, apartment and urban projects have not ensured minimum green areas, and some projects do not even have this area. Not only apartment projects but also some schools, especially small-scale kindergartens and cultural houses, also have almost no guaranteed green areas.

This is one of the reasons why Vinh city has not yet achieved the required coverage for urban green space of type I, which is 12-15 m2/person. In addition, Mr. Phan Xuan Bao - Director of Vinh City Green Park Joint Stock Company, said: Looking at the regulations for urban areas, the requirement to reserve land for developing nurseries must reach 1 m2/person, but currently, the nursery area not only does not meet the regulations but is also gradually shrinking to make room for other projects.

Obviously, with the orientation of Vinh urban development and increasingly complex natural conditions, the impact of climate change on urban areas is increasingly evident, the concern for green and sustainable urban development has become more urgent than ever. This is also the task to concretize the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress, which is to gradually form an urban system with synchronous, modern, green and environmentally friendly infrastructure.

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