Ashui.com

Ho Chi Minh City is expected to become a 10-million-population metropolis with satellite urban areas by 2020, according to a draft report on the city’s urban development recently sent to local authorities.

The draft, made by HCMC Department of Construction, said the satellite areas will be developed in four different directions towards the adjacent provinces of Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Tay Ninh.

However, the draft to be submitted to the central government after being approved by HCMC People’s Committee pointed out challenges to development like slow projects, infrastructure shortage, and zoning inadequacies.

Nguyen Minh Hoa, head of the Urban Study Department under HCMC University of Social Sciences and Humanities, said it’s necessary for the city to generally expand, but a decision is needed on which direction should be given priority.

The construction department also estimated that the city is in need of some 100,000 hectares of construction land for projects like public works and transportation by 2020.

The city aims to provide an average 80-100 square meters of land per capita, including 55-65 square meters of public space, according to the draft.

It is expected that the southern city will have around 1.7 million houses by 2010 with an average 14 square meters housing area per capita.

As of April, residents had an average housing area of 13.4 square meters, according to statistics.

The new satelite urban areas should be designed so that people don’t have far to travel to their jobs to lessen traffic jams, Deputy of the Institute of Urban Research and Infrastructure Development, Nguyen Dang Son, said.

Hoa said city traffic congestion could be blamed on the high number of projects being approved in the city.

The latest statistics showed that 63 out of 130 housing projects recently approved by the construction department are in the central urban area.