Professional Desk - DIEN PAN PERI—URBAN INTERFACE

 

 

Please feel free to contact me if you have any feedback on the article and required more information about the project and its firm. Meanwhile, we will be pleased to invite you to submit any good design project or professional article that you want to publish.

Project submitted by Bee Lan Lau & Mayur Vichare   

Dien Pan Peri—urban interface

A. Originality And Innovation

Global Context And Future Trends: Why Peri-Urban Areas Should Be Seen As Much More Than Just Spaces Between Cities And Their Outskirts?   

Due to rapid urbanization, cities in all countries have to face the challenges posed by urban sprawl. Moreover, the urbanization process will continue to grow exponentially in the coming decades. "Population growth projected to add 2.5 billion people to the world's urban population by 2050, with nearly 90% of the increase concentrated in Asia and Africa". Therefore, food security and affordable housing will remain key challenges to all Asian cities in the upcoming decades.

One growing trend towards sustainable urban development has been to densify already built-up areas. But what effect is this strategy having on the peri-urban landscapes that surround these cities? How can cities continue to support this growing population without wreaking havoc on the environment surrounding them?

Further densification of cities will create an increasing demand for ecosystem services provided by the peri-urban landscapes around them. In addition, urban area space shortage will force people to rely more heavily on the surrounding peri-urban areas for ecosystem services such as food production and recreation." Thus, peri-urban zones will grow outwards (towards rural areas) in upcoming decades to accommodate urban needs for an increasing number of functions.

One of the implications of these changes is that urban planning will need to be rethink to include peri-urban areas. Peri-urban landscapes should be seen as a complement to the city rather than a fringe land. Rethinking and reframing the peri-urban areas have enormous potential to enhance urban and environmental sustainability positively and address food security and safety issues worldwide.

Integrated Innovative Approach - Sustainable Peri-Urban Area Interface/Links: 

Peri-Urban Area and Its  Relationship  

SERVICES, LINKAGES, FUNCTIONS, VALUES:

FOR INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT APPROACH IN THE URBAN, PERI-URBAN, AND RURAL REGIONS

Dien Ban's peri-urban interface vision 2050 master planning proposal showcases the innovative integrated approaches in planning peri-urban areas. It addresses the complexity and difficulty of the reality of the ever-changing character of urban development. It aims to change the present perception of the peri-urban regions from simply a space between cities and rural areas to a developing landscape with high potential and importance for urban and rural residents. In addition, Dien Ban's proposal can tackle critical challenges of food security and affordable housing dealing with multifunctionality.

De-Centralization Approach  

PERI-URBAN AND RURAL FARMED LANDSCAPE SUPPORTING ROLE TO CITY CENTER

Dien Ban's proposal demonstrates the peri-urban as distinct but interconnected spatial units and open spaces with wide-ranging functions and as a fundamental part of the infrastructure of a metropolitan region. Thus, in a way, Dien Ban's peri-urban areas are not simply the intensification of the urban in the rural but become a spatial category in their own right, deserving of particular attention and specific policy and development approaches.

Peri-Urbanism Policy Framework

CORE PRINCIPLES PROVIDE CLARITY TO CREATE COHESIVE PLANNING POLICY FRAMEWORKS THAT BUILD ON STRENGTHS, EXISTING ASSETS, RESOURCES AND OFFER A PATHWAY FORWARD TO ENHANCE FURTHER INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION ACROSS THE URBAN, PERI-URBAN AND RURAL REGIONS FOR BETTER  GROWTH AND EXPERIENCE.

Dien Ban's planning policy framework dynamics can provide solutions to urban migration, agricultural-aquacultural intensification, industrialization, and changing preferences for the location of specific functions, like distribution centers, waste and wastewater treatment infrastructures, and similar. It emphasizes that design and planning should not focus on programmatic needs only but also propose spatial compositions that can facilitate various uses and related spatial needs.

B. Planning/Urban Design Approach And Methodology  

Objectives And Opportunities Of Peri-Urban Planning   

Planning Strategies/Core Values In Dien Ban (Da Nang's City Peri-Urban And Rural Area):   

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought food resilience in cities to our attention and the need to question the desired degree of food self-sufficiency through urban agriculture. Da Nang and Tam Ky are two major cities that now host most of the central Vietnam population and are vulnerable to environmental and socio-economic disturbances, which will likely increase in number and severity soon.

The Decentralization Approach and adopting the Circular Economy Concept could help increase the strength and stability of both cities. In addition, a range of pressures and acute shocks situations can be address by improving food security, public health, building social capital, and promoting circular economies.

Planning Strategy 1 - Create a Self- Sufficient agri-aqua city:cities:

• Self-sufficient agri-aquacultural ecosystem;
• A City Region Food Systems approach aims to foster resilient and sustainable food systems within urban centers, peri-urban and rural areas surrounding cities by strengthening rural-peri-urban - urban linkages;
• Local fresh produce is grown near to consumers to reduce food miles and carbon footprint;
• Recycle raw compound materials (food waste) to farm use – reusable circular system.

Planning Strategy 2 - Create a Sub-Centers and Zonal Hub to support surrounding cities:

• To develop as zonal transport & commercial hub to support the needs of the Da Nang and Hoi An;
• Agri-aqua urbanism and showcasing of vibrant local culture to attract local/ international visitors;
• Affordable housing, retail and wholesale market, and farmers market community gardens enable local produce fresh food and promote a healthy lifestyle.

Planning Strategy 3 - Create a unique local environment : 

• Local culture strengthening by organizing cultural festivals such as Hoi An lantern festival, flower festival to establish a unique identity;
• Medium-Low density vibrant streets, foodway corridors with multi-scale and mixed crops operations create a pleasant living environment for the community;
• Preservation and connection to the existing river system to form a comprehensive recreational network accessible to all residents;
• Urban infrastructure and affordable housing attract young couples, urban farmers, young professionals, and families to Dien Ban.

Dien Ban's Master Plan Vision:

“SMART AGRI – AQUA URBANISM”

Create a vibrant, resilient, and culturally rich food security system by integrating food cycle innovation into every element of sustainable urban development.

Peri-Urban Agriculture and Aquaculture — A necessary pathway towards urban resilience and global sustainability.

Dien Ban's Master Plan Concept: Integrated  Approach

C. Core Values Demonstration

Regenerative Circular Economy Approach:

The circular economy is not a new idea; it has been widespread in academia for decades now. The notion of a decrease in the quantity of waste and resource usage has been in the public consciousness for a long time, so why is the circular economy becoming necessary only now? There are three major trends behind the phenomenon, which together are the drivers of the circular economy:

1. Changing consumer needs;

2. Resource shortage;

3. Technological breakthroughs. 

Dien Ban's proposal aims to demonstrate that the circular economy is about so much more than just recycling! What makes it more is that its tools are present throughout the value chain, from product design through the manufacturing process to the way consumers use them.

Traditionally, the manufacturing sector, service sector, and communities work in isolation, resulting in wastage, exploitation of resources, and adverse environmental impact. A linear economy traditionally follows the "take-make-dispose" step-by-step plan. It means that raw materials are collected, then transformed into products used until finally discarded as waste. Value is created in this economic system by producing and selling as many products as possible.

Moving towards a Re-Gen Circular Economy could reduce pressure on the environment, improve the security of the supply of raw materials, increase competitiveness, stimulate innovation, and boost economic growth. In a circular economy, we close the cycles of all these raw materials. Completing these cycles requires much more than just recycling. It changes how value is created and preserved, how production is made more sustainable, and which business models are used.

Industrial Clustering Approach – Industrial Symbiosis:

Closed-Loop Economy: Industrial Symbiosis

One industry's waste could turn out to be another's raw material. While a company cannot reintroduce its waste and by-products into its value chain, there might be companies in other sectors that can use it after minimal changes. Industrial symbiosis can be achieved in an industrial park, where the companies are close to each other, but it can also span whole sectors (and geographical regions).

Dien Ban's proposal suggests co-locating synergetic industries includes Agri-Tech, Food Manufacturing and Processing, Environmental Tech, Bioscience, and Lifestyle provides opportunities to pilot the circular economy concept within the Dien Ban. With the system-level approach, we aim to achieve better resource optimization and zero waste, resulting in business and environmental gains for the city's stakeholders. The above infographic takes examples of real-life collaborations between different industries to demonstrate what creative solutions are possible for feeding a given type of waste back into the value chain.

Industry 4.0 – The steam engines of the circular economy

While the main drivers of the circular economy are the shortage of resources, population growth, and changes in consumer behavior, the main prerequisite for its emergence is technological development and the latest technological advances. Thus, the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) and the development of the circular economy are mutually reinforcing: tools that support the emergence of Industry 4.0 can accelerate and ease the transition to circularity. Dien Ban's proposal advocates industry 4.0 and technology adaptation by suggesting to develop an innovation corridor where Dien Ban can nurture the seed of tomorrow's innovation.

D. Implementability

Technology Adaption – Resource optimization:   

Dien Ban's planning process has a unique approach where technology providers and researchers were involved at the initial stage of the planning process, which can have significant implications on the spatial planning and implementation stage. For example, A government agency or master developer tasked with designing industrial districts or enterprise districts cannot do so effectively unless it has accurate information about the projected uses for the site, technical specifications, available technologies and data, the number of people who will use it, the types of services those industrialist or entrepreneur will need, and other critical information such as the requirement of energy, water resources requirements.

Dien Ban's planning approach can be considered a new planning paradigm for the peri-urban area, resiliency, and technology engineering—and also a model for the collaborative planning and design approach addressing downstream implementation issues and save time & resources.

While developing Dien Ban's proposal, we analyzed and adopted Assentoft (RAS technology) technologies. It contributes to an economically efficient farm sector and the financial viability for farmers while improving production, and environmental performance, which is socially acceptable, provides "triple dividends" to sustainability.

The concept of technology adaptation and resource optimization refers to the capacity of agriculture over time to contribute to overall welfare by providing sufficient food and other goods and services in ways that are economically efficient and profitable, socially responsible while also improving product and environmental quality. It is a concept that can have different implications in terms of appropriate technologies, whether viewed at the farm level, at the agri-food sector level, or in the context of the overall domestic or global economy 

Benefits of precision/hi-tech farming

Module Base Approach:   

In collaboration with the Assentoft team, Dien Ban's planning team has developed 1 Ha and 4 Ha Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) modules (typologies). Both modules (typologies) are helpful as design tools that provide design principles and rules that combine architectural planning and process flow. The modular approach allows flexibility and efficiency in district planning. It creates the possibility of incorporating standardized modular components in the project during the implementation stage. In addition, RAS Modules (typologies) can be replicated into a cluster to form Districts. 

The main objectives of these modules (typologies) are to include a clear and detailed component on investment planning, including expected contributions by the public and private sectors to cover capital, operation, and maintenance costs to mobilize appropriate resources (local taxes, endogenous income, reliable transfer mechanisms, etc.). In addition, to create clear legislation and regulations that are practical and easily enforceable to ensure implementation.

1HA RAS Module (Typology)

4HA RAS Module (Typology)