“Smart City” is a new term that is being mentioned the most in forums about Architecture and Urbanism recently. Many of us still think that: Smart City is simply a city where management work will have the participation of machines and supporting technology. In fact, we should understand it in a broader sense: "Smart City" is the operation of it intelligently, is a city that is increasingly developing completely and becoming more and more livable. Thus, "Smart City" is "Sustainable City".
There are 4 factors in urban development: Managers (governments at all levels); Investors (people with economic minds); Professionals (scientists, researchers); and people and communities. “Smart Cities” must be built from smart people, smart investors, smart governments, and dedicated professionals.
4 factors involved in urban development
People fear: Conservation and Development are contradictory, antagonistic, that is an incomplete understanding lacking in essence. In fact, from the cases of successful cities, “Conservation” and “Development” are never antagonistic. Or in other words, antagonistic only occurs when those who do both of these jobs do not understand, do not know how to do it properly. The antagonistic sides do not know how to combine and rely on each other, but only insist on being conservative to either keep it from changing, restrain development, or understand in the sense of “development” that it must be “destroyed and rebuilt”. Meanwhile, the rest (mainly the urban community) are indifferent to Heritage due to subjectivity, not wanting to learn. And with such an attitude, they will certainly stand aside and wait to see the Heritage’s persecution continue to recur, then regret and forget…
Heritage and Economy
We must understand that “heritage” is a gift from the past to today’s urban economy. There are countless cities that have exploited tourism from heritage. That is a huge economic benefit. Looking back at the past, more than 70 years ago when the country was still at war, President Ho Chi Minh stated: “Preserving ancient tales (traditional tales are understood as the concept of Heritage) is a very important and necessary task for the construction of Vietnam” (According to Decree on the preservation of national cultural heritage No. 65/SL dated November 23, 1945, which later became Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day)
A city with a new identity is a city that attracts investors.
Saigon in 1968, a city with river features and the influence of French architecture
(Source: © Bettmann/CORBIS)
In fact, ancient cities around the world do conservation not because they have a lot of money so they dare to think about art, or are willing to “spend”, but they do it because they are people with very good financial thinking. They know how to take care of the “golden goose” so that it continues to lay bigger eggs.
Associate Professor, Dr. Architect Tran Van Khai once shared: "Destroy heritage is to destroy people's rice bowls right on the spot". This sentence is completely correct. At least we can see it immediately, from street vendors to service businesses, travel agencies, and airlines will be sluggish because tourists will flock to other places. The reason why tours to Da Lat are now thinning out while tours to Hoi An are still guaranteed to be crowded, or tours to Phu Yen are about to open more... is also because of different ways of dealing with heritage. Sapa and Da Lat are clear lessons for investors and managers when planning inappropriate strategies: Building similar works everywhere, building indiscriminately and destroying heritage indiscriminately. Investors forget that the original reason when choosing a location to invest is because that place has heritage, cultural values that are still being preserved and passed down intact. Immediate benefits make them forget their duty to continue to preserve this core value because that is the sustainable factor.
Image of Thuy Ba Son factory before it was destroyed (Photo via Alex Andregarel)
It is painful for Ba Son when the investor does not understand the value of the diamond land they have, which is the Ba Son Shipyard, a symbolic project for the economy and shipbuilding industry that was born very early in this city. The investor's willpower and ambition for the progress and scale of the project have unintentionally destroyed a heritage. They have destroyed a valuable historical project, not only of Vietnam but also of the region, to build towers with a common architectural language, compressing thousands of apartments within those "walls" and the consequences that the whole city is now suffering: loss of wind, loss of view, imbalance in planning and most importantly, we have lost a heritage that countries like Thailand, Singapore, Korea... cannot have even if they wanted to.
Zeche Zollverein Coal Mining Industrial Park, Essen, Germany. This was originally the most important coal and steel mining center in Germany in the second half of the 20th century. After its life cycle, today, the building has been renovated into a unique complex of museums, art performances, concerts, restaurants, and cafes, bringing in huge tourism revenue. Without destroying, just adding new functions and breathing new life into, this building has promoted its value beyond its original value, making the surrounding area bustling.
The Albert Dock in Liverpool, England. It is an important testament to the pre-19th century industrial period in England, and also serves as a historical record of wars. Today, the Albert Dock is one of Liverpool's most popular tourist attractions and an important part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also the largest mixed-use complex in the United Kingdom outside of London.
Reconstruction of the Clark Quay Heritage Site in Singapore. Formerly a Warehouse and Relief Corps barracks during colonial times, Clark Quay is home to many historic buildings, warehouses and sites. Many solutions have been applied such as:
– Preserve valuable architectural details. Repair and restore degraded details. Repaint old houses and architectural details to create a fresh atmosphere for old houses.
– Clear out low-quality restaurants and shops along the river, turning the space between restaurants and shops into a walking street.
– Design a special roofing system on the walking routes and on the floors of restaurants and cafes along the river. The roofs join the monument as a contrast to highlight the old building.
In lieu of a conclusion
In the trend of smart urban development, it is time for experts to participate more strongly in urban life, analyze and criticize, participate more deeply in consulting for the government, and even ask the government to let them participate in consulting when they carry out projects with conservation elements.
It is time for managers to re-evaluate their role. If they do not recognize that Heritage is a common value of a city, of the Nation, of contemporary and future urban people, with a “term” mindset, they can easily make mistakes and commit crimes against Heritage. When our descendants lose their memories and heritage, they will not blame the investors but will curse the decision makers: Who signed the sale of Hoa Lo Prison to the Singaporeans so that we would lose a unique relic in Indochina? Who signed the decision to demolish the dock and factory in Ba Son… And, therefore, it is not too late to rethink right now about the Minister’s Palace in Ho Chi Minh City.
References:
- Urban People Newspaper, Petition and signatures to preserve Dinh Thuong Tho, May 11, 2018
- Tuan Thinh, “300-year heritage of Saigon: 120-year-old 'Thuong Tho Palace'”. Phap Luat Newspaper, November 8, 2015
- Nguyen Vuong Hong, “Reuse of old industrial buildings in Ho Chi Minh City”, Master's thesis in Architecture 2017
Dr. Architect Nguyen Hanh Nguyen
(According to Architecture Magazine No. 10-2018)
