Thu Thiem New Urban Center Master PlanHo Chi Minh City, Vietnam
During its 300 year history, Ho Chi Minh City has evolved from a small riverbank settlement north of the Mekong Delta into a metropolis of over 6 million people. In the 21st Century, Ho Chi Minh City continues to be defined by its relationship with the water. Where the Saigon River once formed an edge of the city, the development of Thu Thiem---a 700-hectare peninsula located across from the historic city center--will transform the river into the heart of the city.
In 2003, Sasaki Associates won the top prize as part of an open, juried international design competition focusing on Thu Thiem as a dynamic, world-class destination. A detailed urban design process followed in 2004, based on a framework of transportation, land use, and landscapes such that certain Vietnamese ways of life are accommodated. Elements of the urban design such as residential areas in close proximity to water, localized commercial uses along waterways, and the design of active, pedestrian-oriented streets and boulevards are incorporated. A key ecological strategy is maintaining Thu Thiem as an "open" system, one that allows for tidal fluctuations and high water events through the design of natural and man-made canals, lakes, and mangrove areas. An urban design strategy of density, integrated water and land-based transit, and appropriate street and building orientation reinforce the overall ecological approach.
Over the next 20 years, the development of Thu Thiem will accommodate over 130,000 new residents and will symbolize the contemporary evolution of historic Ho Chi Minh City
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