HCM CITY — Housing development should be done along the under-construction metro network while jobs should be created nearby to reduce the need for transport in congested HCM City, an expert has said.

“HCM City has been developing so fast and the transport infrastructure has not been able to catch up with it,” Prof Dr Nguyễn Trọng Hòa, a former director of the city’s architecture department, told a conference titled “Properly organising urban space” on Wednesday.

He suggested that people should be settled along main transport routes by taking advantage of the metro system.

“The city will consider development of new residential areas and high-rise buildings. The city should move residents out of geologically poor areas and settle them along the metro system and organise working areas nearby,” Hòa said.

He wondered why if Bình Dương Province could build social housing for VNĐ100 million ($4.500) HCM City does not let its workers live there.

“Moving residents to outskirts is very important to reduce the overload in downtown, but the city must have good transport links with neighbouring provinces.”

Nguyễn Văn Tám, deputy director of the transport department, said “Urbanisation has continued, the number of private vehicles has sharply increased and this leads to an overload on transport infrastructure, for which funding is very limited.”

Nguyễn Thanh Toàn, deputy director of the architecture department, said “Traffic congestion is becoming more and more serious in HCM City and partly from wrong forecasting and master planning for transportation.”

The city is trying to develop in all four directions, especially the east and south, with private sector investment in real estate being huge but public spending on infrastructure being abysmal.

“The city really needs a professional master plan for urban development with good infrastructure.”

His department has urged the city’s Party Committee and People’s Committee to review all proposed high-rise buildings.

“The architecture department will call on the municipal People’s Committee to create transport links with neighbouring provinces like Long An and Bình Dương to enable people to work in HCM City and live there.”

Transport expert Nguyễn Kim Lăng said if HCM City would like to build satellite cities, it needs to build a metro or BRT system first. — VNS