At a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on October 23, Nguyen Quang, UN-Habitat Director in Vietnam, presented new approach that focuses on the initiatives of localities and their co-operation, thus promoting valuable resources for regional growth.
It requires creative governance as well as all-round regional cooperation to ensure the linkage between economic development planning and infrastructure investment is efficient, he said.
Madhu Raghunath, a WB senior urban specialist said better land use will enable the southern region’s stronger regional integration and optimise investment efficiency, while minimising impacts in terms of space, she said.
The southern key economic region, which includes eight cities and provinces, is a dynamically developing region with high economic growth. It plays an important role in connecting the Mekong Delta to the Central Highlands and other regional countries economically.
Participants agreed that the use of land and natural resources is under growing pressure as the urbanisation and modernisation processes in cities and provinces in the region are occurring faster and faster.
They agreed that regional connectivity is the key to ensuring equitable development while helping ease infrastructure pressure, bettering urban services and enhancing competitiveness for the entire region.
