Smart city is the most optimal solution for social management, bringing the highest benefit to the people, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan has affirmed.
Smart city is the most optimal solution for social management, bringing the highest benefit to the people, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan has affirmed.
The Politburo member and VFF leader held a working session with the central Thua Thien-Hue province on December 2 on its plan to develop smart urban areas in the locality.
Deputy Chairman Phan Ngoc Tho of Thua Thien-Hue provincial People's Committee said that a general planning for smart city development has been deployed for Hue city with funding sourced from the Republic of Korea's ODA.
The project targets an effective synthesis of urban management systems; promoting cultural tourism; developing green urban areas in response to climate change and smart urban areas ensuring safety for people; and promoting urban construction for the balance of development in the region.
Tho confirmed that the project would help minimise operating costs for urban management, while strengthening urban management capacity by preventing and dealing promptly with danger through the use of surveillance camera systems, sensors and integrated management centres.
The province is determined to develop a smart city model for its capital Hue city towards an urban area with a smart economy, administration, transportation, and energy through the application of advanced information technology (IT) solutions.
Stressing the benefit of intelligent urban development, VFF President Nhan said that smart city is a way to achieve green growth and sustainability in the 21st century. In particular, people in a smart city will be actors who contribute initiatives and oversee the operation of the government, as all are made transparent via computer networks.
Currently, five major cities - Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Da Nang, and Can Tho - plus Binh Duong and Dong Nai, only account 5.5% of the country’s total area and 26.4% of population, but contribute over 46% of GDP. Therefore, urban management is also management of the nation’s economic development, he stressed.
According to him, there are four challenges that need to be addressed during urban development: increasing urbanisation and issues for the environment, transportation, health services, social safety, and housing; outdated and overload infrastructure; increased economic competition among cities and between regions; and the increasing demands of people for the quality of life such as education, healthcare and government.
There should be comprehensive solutions to address urban issues and smart city plays a key role, Nhan affirmed. IT applications should facilitate implementation of planning, regulations and procedures in a faster and more efficient manner, thus saving money and time. Effective economic activity is also visible as people, businesses, and visitors will have access to convenient public services with greater transparency through IT applications.
He urged the local authorities to develop an appropriate roadmap for its smart city development, clearly identifying challenges in the long term and focusing on specific issues to address in the immediate future.
The VFF leader also revealed that the Front will work with relevant ministries and agencies in formulating a scheme to develop smart cities by 2020. At the same time, the Front will also discuss with the Ministry of Construction on urban plan for Hue smart city to officially bring the issue to the table by next March.
(Source:Nhan Dan)
