Urban lung shrinks

In large and modern cities in the world, the green area, public parks or open spaces always reach an average of 20m ² / person to 25m ² / person. In Ho Chi Minh City, the largest and most modern city in the country, the current area of ​​greenery is only about 0.7m ² / person.

Auxiliary apartments in Tan Binh Industrial Park, Q. Tan Phu - spacious but lacking in green space (Photo: TTO)

Until 2010, the area of ​​green areas (according to planning) has only reached 6-7m ² / person and is expected to be 20m ² -25 m ² / person by 2020.The standard of striving is too low, but at present the 'lungs' are always at risk of being mutilated.

At the 7 th session of the HCM City People's Council, the 7th term, the leaders of the City's Public Transportation and Planning-Architecture branch have been ' wailing ' because of the harsh questions of the delegates about making 54-storey building project at park 23-9

Many delegates said that the area of ​​the ' lungs ' of the city was too small to meet the requirements of urban development and ensure the sustainable and high quality of the people, so it is necessary to consider carefully when building a new building. in the park 23-9 because the building does not build this place, then build another place, and the loss of the rare green part of the city is permanently lost, can not 'earn'. Indeed, this park (total area of ​​more than 9.8 ha) is located in the center of the city, is a place to relax, walk, exercise and play daily of the city people.

In addition to being a place to reduce stress, restore people's health, reduce noise and purify the dusty atmosphere in the inner city, this park is also a green drawing that complements the beauty and cultural environment. urban, creating great sympathy for domestic and foreign tourists to Ho Chi Minh City. Earlier, City residents were also "terrified" when a project to turn a part of Gia Dinh Park (located in Go Vap and Phu Nhuan districts, which was newly renovated with perennial green trees, a system of walkways). and modern lighting, many children's games .) into a school or circus district.

Not only facing the risk of waiting for being garbled, other parks such as Le Thi Rieng, Le Van Tam, Hoang Van Thu, Phu Lam, Tao Dan and Hai Nam . are currently struggling to carry out a series of functions not. for city people to relax and entertain daily. Tao Dan Park has to carry dozens of fairs and exhibitions every year and every time after that, the grass and flower gardens here become like a storm. The four sides around this park are dozens of shops selling sports equipment, restaurants, pubs .

Le Thi Rieng Park is surrounded by four shops with coffee shops and bars and is the place where red music lights are regularly lit. After many times the City Department of Public Security issued a force to "resolutely" relieve the construction works, misuse the park's business, dismantle the surrounding fences, the current state of the parks is still not bright in concept. open minded, expand the space to serve a large number of people to play and relax.

Not only that, in the current situation of urban infrastructure development, the small streets of green streets do not escape the situation of being "beheaded" when there is a road, an avenue or zone. Some population grows. The East-West Highway project is an example. In order to open this boulevard, 360 years of evergreen trees on Tran Van Kieu Street have been mercilessly repressed by the project management. People protested violently, the Department of Transportation also sent officials to survey and handle and forced the project management board of East-West Highway to compensate according to regulations (?).

I don't know how much the compensation is but the number of perennial trees has permanently " died ". Those are the visible green areas, in addition, there are many other street trees that have been dying and dying because of underground works such as water supply and sewer, telephone cables . when being constructed and installed. Most of the roots have been cut, and they have to live without knowing what day they will flock to the street.

Uncle Tran Van Ba ​​- residing in Nguyen Thai Binh Ward - District 1: ' Cong Vien 23-9 is the face of the city culture '.

Back then, this place was an old Saigon station, abandoned after relocation and became the " meeting point " of many social evils, the frustration and fear of the people here.Then this place was renovated into a park like today, has become a cultural face;into the relaxation point of the people.Recently I heard people planning to build a building right in the middle of the park.The building grows up and involves how much pressure around: parking lot, waste water, garbage, traffic pressure will be great, but the roads around here are small, traffic density is high.If a few decades later, when we were rich, more focused on quality of life, would we dare to tear down this building to restore this 'lung' to the city people?

Mr. Tran Van Chien - Pham Viet Chanh - Binh Thanh apartment: ' People do not consider the situation for the breathing people '.

When our family moved to this apartment complex (Ngo Tat To, Pham Viet Chanh), all our friends and relatives were happy to look from the side of Saigon Bridge, 4 blocks of very tall houses, almost like a symbol of the change of life, molting of the people here.But 'in the blankets, we know that there are lice', this area has more than 700 households living without a green area, the longer we live, the more mysterious and suffocated.The worst is the young, the night is to stay in the house, plug in the television, play computer games.As for the grandparents, grandmother and even myself, wanting to relax, stretch and exercise, breathe fresh air daily, we have to walk to the Botanical Garden or Van Thanh tourist area.Probably, when designing, they just think people have a place to sleep and sleep, there is a good place to shelter from the rain, and the need to breathe fresh air, relax is not necessary (?).