Urban design with community participatory in revitalizing and improving the beautification of streetscapes in historical towns for sustainable development

Ref.: 344
Key theme: 01 Physical integrity of historic urban landscapes
Date of reception: 05/12/2008

AUTHORS (*Main author)

QUYNH HOA, TA * (Viet Nam) - Faculty of Architecture and Urban planning, University of Civil Engineering

ABSTRACT

Urban design is research field and practice which considers the main object as "public space" and people as centre for all theories. Urban design is interdisciplinary field with the interaction and combination among all fields to attain the goal about quality improvement of urban spaces. Among disciplines, community is an important factor which is under influence of spatial change caused by activities of urban design. Community contribution to activities of urban design in local projects - specially relates to the historical urban space - is necessary and fundamental.
Recently, urban specific and attractive characteristics of the Hanoi old streets are under threat of new changes of economy, living ways, and population growth. That makes a demand for urban design in restoration and improvement the old quarters with their specific characteristics of traditional culture.
With the pilot activities of "Improvement and restoration of Hang Buom streetscape" in the project of "Sustainable development of the Hanoi old quarters", the paper focus on the methods, process, and results which be achieved mainly by participating of local community. The Hang Buom street, the first-level preservation area of the Hanoi old quarter, is the settlement and trading area of ex-Chinese community with many valuable historical monuments but the whole streetscape is being declined seriously. It is chosen for the pilot operation to assess the actual state of streetscape, suggest far-sighted streets together with development strategies and objectives as well as long-term action suggestion in order to implement planned objectives. Researchers find some detailed activities and optimistically results in restoring and improving urban space together with positive involvement of community. These results support to check the effectiveness of urban design and community involvement in Vietnam. Accordingly, we have theoretical and practical experiences to apply these methods in the same projects in the future in historical urban nationwide.

REFERENCES

- Improvement and restoration of landscape of the Hang Buom street, Architectural magazine, Nr.139 (11/2006).
- Improvement of landscape and environmental quality of the Hanoi old quarter with the participation of community. The pilot project: Improvement and restoration of landscape of the Hang Buom street, Science research magazine, University of Civil Engineering, 2006.
- Urban design with the participation of community in Improvement and restoration of landscape of the Hang Buom street, Planning magazine, Nr.23-24/2006.
- Public art with the participation of community in Melbourne, Architectural magazine of Vietnam, Nr.94 (06/07).
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