SHORT COURSE

ON

The Urban Transition and Public Space [August 30 - September 10, 2004]

Globalization Research Center
University of Hawai'i &
East-West Center
Honolulu, Hawai'i

 

Vietnam is at the beginning of an accelerated urban transition. From levels of 20 percent or less urban areas a few decades ago, most Pacific Asia countries now have or will have the majority of their populations living in cities within the next few decades, making this the region's first urban century. In Vietnam this transition began in the 1990s with the adoption of doi moi renovation toward an open market-based economy. With the urban population expected to reach as much as 46 million by 2025, the share of the national population living in cities will jump from the current level of about one fifth to more than half in just 25 years. This represents one of the most intensive and compressed urban transitions in the world.

Most of the urban transition is focused on a few great city regions, most notably Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. While many benefits have been achieved through the process of spatially concentrated, globally-linked economic growth, there are nonetheless a number of issues attending the urban transition that require attention. These range from questions of environmental sustainability to economic resilience and urban services and amenities.

The Globalization Research Center and the East-West Center, both based at the University of Hawaii, Manoa hosted an intensive short course for Vietnamese planning professionals and government officials that focused on the provision of public and civic spaces in cities. The overall question taken up was how to ensure a desired balance in the providing for community, public and civic spaces and amenities along with the transition to a market economy. The question was addressed from a number of perspectives, including: urban planning, demography and population studies, methods of urban data analysis, and participatory urban design.

The short course on Urban and Regional Planning consisted of two weeks of special lectures, seminars, and tutorials at the University of Hawaii and the East-West Center and field visits to selected sites in Honolulu. For more information please contact Hano Nguyen.

 

LINKS

Course agenda incl. course readings

Participant's BIOs

Instructor's BIOs

Instructors' Presentations

Participants' Presentations

Reading lists

Main articles

Fieldtrip