Advancing TOD model for Bien Hoa urban area

In order to tap the potential of the public transport system, in the Draft Master Plan Adjustment for the General Planning of Bien Hoa urban area, Dong Nai Province toward 2045, the consulting unit has proposed planning urban development areas following the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) model.

Metro lines, including the extension of the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line to the Provincial Administrative Center and Long Thanh Airport, open up opportunities for TOD development in Bien Hoa urban area. File Photo

TOD - Transit Oriented Development - is an urban model oriented around the development of mass public transportation as the foundation for urban development and planning.

Addressing pressing urban issues

According to the Draft Master Plan Adjustment for the General Planning of Bien Hoa urban area, Dong Nai Province toward 2045, regarding technical infrastructure, the consulting unit has proposed planning five elevated urban railway (metro) lines, including: the line connecting the new Administrative Center of Dong Nai Province with Bien Hoa Airport; the Bien Hoa - Nhon Trach - Long Thanh line; the Bien Hoa - Trang Bom – Long Khanh line; and the extension of the Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien metro line to the Provincial Administrative Center and Long Thanh Airport.

Among the proposed metro lines, the project to extend the Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien metro line to the Provincial Administrative Center and Long Thanh Airport is currently being coordinated and implemented in terms of investment procedures by Dong Nai Province and Ho Chi Minh City.

With the proposal to plan elevated metro lines, the public transport infrastructure system of Bien Hoa urban area will be supplemented with a new type of transport. This also creates conditions for developing the TOD urban model in Bien Hoa urban area.

According to the planning consulting unit, urban development under the TOD model is a shift from horizontal spatial development (around industrial parks) to vertical urban spatial development (compact urban form). Under this approach, metro stations or other major public transport hubs are designated as focal points for concentrating population, commercial and service activities and office development within walking distance to public transport. This aims to improve land-use efficiency, public facilities, community health, reduce private motor vehicles, cut emissions causing environmental pollution, and combine with the preservation and promotion of cultural values.

Dr. Le Thanh Hoa, Head of the Faculty of Urban Geography, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities – Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, stated that TOD-based urban development will help address pressing issues in current urban areas such as high travel demand, traffic congestion, and social welfare and service issues.

Meanwhile, Bien Hoa is currently one of the urban areas with a large population scale and rapid population growth, and it is facing almost all challenges in the urban development process.

Speaking at a working session with the consulting unit on the progress of preparing the Master Plan Adjustment for the General Planning of Bien Hoa Urban Area toward 2045, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Ut suggested that, for Bien Hoa urban area, in addition to elevated metro lines, planning orientation should also include the development of an underground railway system, suitable to the context of limited land area and high population density.

Proposed planning of 10 TOD development areas

For Bien Hoa urban area, in the Draft Master Plan Adjustment toward 2045, the consulting unit proposes planning 10 TOD development areas, each with a scale of about 25-60 hectares. These areas have an average capacity of about 25,000 people each. In terms of spatial development orientation, the TOD areas are proposed to prioritize mixed-use high-rise buildings and compact urban development.

As TOD is an urban development model based on mass public transport, the consulting unit also proposes planning TOD areas in Bien Hoa associated with transport hubs such as Bien Hoa Airport, railway stations; central urban areas including the Dong Nai Provincial Administrative Center; and areas with high population density and limited land for public service development, as well as new urban development areas such as Hiep Hoa Islet, and Phuoc Tan and Tam Phuoc wards.

Assoc Prof Dr. Nguyen Hong Tien, former Director General of the Technical Infrastructure Department, Ministry of Construction, said that planning TOD development for Bien Hoa urban area with a population of over one million people, is necessary.

Meanwhile, Doctor of Science,  architect Ngo Viet Nam Son stated that in the future, residents living near TOD development corridors, that is, close to public transport systems, will no longer need to use private vehicles to travel to the city center or neighboring provinces and cities. This is a very advanced development direction, and Bien Hoa has suitable land reserves and the advantage of higher ground for development.

By Pham Tung - Translated by Diec Quyen, Thu Ha