Unified multi-layered spatial planning to optimize urban space

The Urban Development Law's draft version aims to create a single, comprehensive master plan for each city, intending to optimize urban space organization and utilization. This unified strategy will align with national and regional development plans, integrating extensive datasets into a streamlined system for improved management. To attract investments, the proposal offers incentives and favorable conditions for underground, low-altitude, and high-altitude space development.

A multi-tiered approach to functional zoning will facilitate systematic management and utilization of urban space, unlocking new development potential. Connection points between different urban layers, such as underground metro networks and high-altitude airspace, must be seamlessly integrated using smart technologies. The ultimate goal is to enhance management efficiency, unlock additional resources, and better serve people's daily lives.

Developing underground space is becoming increasingly necessary as land becomes scarcer due to growing demands for transportation, commerce, and public space. Ho Chi Minh City's downtown area already has underground assets, such as Metro Line 1 and multi-level basements under commercial buildings. However, these facilities currently operate independently. Urban planners emphasize the importance of designing connection points between high-rise basements and the broader underground network in initial project frameworks.

Regulatory frameworks and property rights must be explicitly defined for each spatial layer, setting depth boundaries and usage thresholds for underground structures and clarifying low- and high-altitude space scope, rights, obligations, and operational terms. Efficient capital-mobilization mechanisms are also crucial, leveraging public-private partnerships (PPPs) and targeted policy incentives to unlock private capital and mitigate project delays.

Administrative models must evolve to suit integrated planning, demanding seamless interagency coordination. Projects should no longer operate in departmental silos but require multi-agency participation, collaboration, and data sharing. The success of the draft law will depend on the municipal government's execution.