City Resilience in the Mekong Delta BEN TRE Resilience Assessment Technical Study June 30, 2018 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study was prepared as a background report under the “Enhancing Resilience of Mekong Delta Secondary Citiesâ€? activity. It is one of seven city level assessments carried out as part of this activity which had the objective of integrating resilience and informing the design of the Scaling Up Urban Upgradation project in Vietnam. We sincerely thank all the officials and stakeholders in the seven selected cities for their kind cooperation in the preparation of these studies. The activity was prepared by a team including Poonam Pillai (Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist, Task Team Leader), Gayatri Singh (Senior Urban Development Specialist, co-Task Team Leader), Dzung Huy Nguyen (Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist), Hoa Thi Hoang (Senior Urban Development Specialist), Gauri Gadgil (Urban Specialist, consultant), Hai Yen Tran (Team Assistant), Inneke Herawati Ross (Senior Program Assistant) all in the Urban/DRM Unit, East Asia and Pacific Region of the World Bank; Serge Salat (Consultant, Urban Specialist and consultant team leader), Linh Vu (Deputy consultant team leader), Geoffrey Payne and Hieu Nguyen (Land use and planning specialists), Aileen Carrigan and Vu Anh Tuan (Transportation specialists), Ian Wilderspin and Tran Hoang Yen (Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change specialists), John Block (Water specialist), Champaka Rajagopal and Nguyen Thanh Long (Geospatial data driven urban planning specialists). We are sincerely grateful to Abhas Jha (Practice Manager, Urban and DRM Unit, East Asia and Pacific Region 1, GSURR) and Francis Ghesquiere (Practice Manager, Urban and DRM Unit, East Asia and Pacific Region 2, GSURR) for their overall guidance in the preparation of this task. Funding for the Mekong Delta Secondary Cities background studies was provided by GFDRR. We are sincerely grateful for this financial support without which the preparation of these studies would not be possible. 2 Executive Summary The cities in the Mekong delta region (MDR) were firstly formed as service hubs for intensive agriculture and more recently became the foundation for becoming urbanized economic drivers. Their initial morphology and relation to water were based on rice intensive culture. This has created a form with urban rural interlinked characteristics, with differentiated and specified features embedded in unique geological and ecological water landscapes. Ben Tre is one of the most characteristic water - orchard culture city (Sông NÆ°á»›c Miệt VÆ°á»?n) along Hau and Tien rivers in the Mekong delta. Ben Tre land embraces diverse geo-hydro-ecology layers which have been formed and continually transformed in the thousand-year process of the whole river delta formation and transformation. Differing from other areas of the Mekong delta, in Ben Tre province, the dense original water body provides the land with abundant aquatic and irrigational resources. The urbanization process that started in the 1990s has replaced parts of the productive landscape with fragmented development surrounding the core city and along its connecting regional and provincial roads. The road-based urbanization process with its generic urban - industry economic development has undermined the water connectivity and Ben Tre people water related economic activities, and therefore their livelihood. Under the combined drivers of urbanization, modernization and industrialization, the development plan clearly envisions transforming large areas of the waterscape by filling or restraining the city’s water bodies, which present now plentiful small creeks, natural wetlands and orchards. This process would give away the resilience capacity of the land against tidal floods and saltwater intrusion. Meanwhile in the context of climate change and SLR now and in the future, the risks can be severe for Ben Tre, when the weather become more fluctuating and critical, with either higher flooding levels in the rainy season or prolonged droughts causing the increase of salinity in the dry season. Ben Tre is currently planned as a political, administrative, cultural, economic, scientific, technical centre of Ben Tre Province. The City is also envisaged as a trade and commerce centre for the Eastern area of the MDR combined with ecological tourism, high-tech agricultural activities, and facilities for land and water transportation hubs catering to Ben Tre Province. The city was elevated to class 3 city status in 2007. The city population is 120.214, urban population is 64.670, which means urbanization ratio is 54% (2014), as such, the urban population growth rate for the 5 years (2010-2014) is only 0,3% annually. The city master plan was prepared in 2002 by the MOC Planning Institute based in HCMC and revised in 2013 to cover the period to 2030. A key goal of the master plan is to create a green city, promote investment, infrastructure, flexibility and to achieve class 21 status by 2020, which would require the population to reach at least 200,000, an increase of 66% in 6 years. The 2030 Master plan envisions a considerable growth of constructed land: roughly a multiplication by 3 of the built footprint for a multiplication by 2 of the population between current figures and 2030 planned figures. Current urban construction land is 916.72 ha while planned construction land in 2030 is 2,741.34 ha for an urban population of 210,000, leading to an inner-city density of 7,664 people/km2, and an urbanization ratio of 80%. The planned urban and landscape transformation faces many uncertainties in population and economic growth and no evidence exists that the amount of investment needed to sustain economic growth will be sufficient during the incoming years. Climate change risks are also increasing. A more integrated, flexible, demand driven, risk informed and geospatial data enabled approach of master-planning would increase the resilience of the city. For its modernization, Ben Tre should avoid 1 Pre-requisites include a population of 200,000 people; Health station ≥ 1station/1,000 people, general hospital ≥ 4 beds/1,000 people, maternity hospital ≥ 0.5 beds/1,000 people; Public-use greenery land occupancy outside residential units in urban areas ≥ 6 m2/person; Primary school ≥ 65 places/1,000 people; Residential land (household residential land lots) ≥ 25 m2/person; Land for transport and technical infrastructure ≥ 5 m2/person; Public greeneries ≥ 2 m2/person; Land for construction of service works ≥ 5 m2/person; etc. 3 the risks of setting unrealistic targets but rather build on its unique assets, on its rich and varied productive landscape, and its complex network of waterways to move forward while protecting its ecological water landscape that ensures its best protection against climate change risks. Urban Planning Ben Tre City and Province’s officials focus is to attract private investments for job creation and development of new urban extensions. Planned transportation networks play a dominant role in shaping the future spatial development in Ben Tre’s Master Plan with connectivity being strengthened in the north-eastern and North – South directions. The Master Plan has also considered a parallel natural framework for urban expansion, following the two rivers - Ben Tre River and Ham Luong River. With an objective to generate new jobs and revenues for the city, new industrial areas have been planned in the eastern peripheries of the Planning Area. The Plan emphasizes the strategy of developing industrial sites away from the urban core. A major arterial links the urban core to this peripheral proposed industrial site, which is presently characterized by agrarian land use. There is no real evidence for the residential and economic demand for such an expansion at such a scale. The planned vision may further fragment Ben Tre urban shape as there is little demand for supporting the new far-away residential and industrial developments. In parallel, the urban core needs urgent service delivery improvements, especially in the sanitation sector. Urban expansion may foster out-migration of populations to the peripheries and lead to a decline of the urban core. The process of fragmented urban expansion threatens the complex hydrology of the city as it envisions hardening the landscape and filling most or all tertiary water bodies. There are thus combined economic and climate change risks in the master plan that should be assessed carefully in view of a revision. Main findings • There is a need to increase flexibility and responsiveness to local conditions, hydro-geology, water landscape, and agrarian tradition. In particular, implementation of the master plan would encroach into environmentally sensitive and vulnerable agricultural land to a great extent. Economic demand and climate change risks should inform the planning process, while ensuring accountability, transparency, and a more participatory process. • Ben Tre urban environment in transformation is dynamic and present planning systems and procedures need to reflect this. While consultation among sectors and levels exists, the planning system is complex, bureaucratic and time-consuming. A more flexible approach allowing greater dialogue between levels and sectors would help towards more dynamic, risk- informed and integrated planning. • In particular, there is no integration between land use and transportation sectorial plans, nor technical capacity about the relationships between land uses and travel demand. Furthermore, the generally held belief that new road investment will automatically catalyse surrounding proposed development is a barrier to more demand driven planning. Little priority has been given to compact urban development, which would provide densities needed to support efficient public transit. In fact, the aim seems to be the opposite – to increase the urbanized area, even at very low densities. • The existing Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) needs to be reviewed in the light of these findings. Key recommendations • Impacts of the master plan should be assessed with regard to the local context of agro-aqua based economy, water landscape sensitivity, resource scarcity and preservation of fragile ecosystems. A better balance between the agricultural water based landscape and urbanisation should be researched with identification of key landscape assets to be preserved and enhanced. • Risks of socio-spatial segregation should also be assessed as they may arise from urban land expansion. 4 • Technical assistance could take several forms including workshops to assess the costs and benefits of specific planning and land use standards and regulations. This could be part of a national and city level regulatory audit. This is consistent with the city’s declared priority on flexibility in urban planning and development. • It is recommended that the master plan be revised in 2018 so that it reflects socially, economically and environmentally sound criteria for achieving class 2 city status, while preserving the specific hydrological features of the city and including more adaptive capacity to changing needs and both internal and external pressures. This should be done by city and province leaders with public consultation. The real needs should be well identified for the residents’ living quality and city economic development. This also need capacity buildings for the city. • The TOR for the revised masterplan should integrate protection of wetlands and hydrological systems, risk management, climate change adaptation, demand driven and resource-efficient based development. The city should re-evaluate its ambitious goals by taking into account actual growth and by building capacity to adapt to the new contexts of economic and climate change. The process of Planning Task development needs public consultation and the participation of different economic sectors. • Improving resilience would benefit from reviewing and, where appropriate, revising the regulatory framework of planning standards and regulations to ensure consistency with policy objectives for improving urban resilience to climate change. Land use Land expansion in Ben Tre is not driven by evidence of actual demand either for demographic and economic growth. Present actual growth rates for employment and population pose a challenge to achieve the prescribed densities and may lead to a fragmented form of development. No precise reference to investment increase was given when stated about growth level. Assumptions on high economic growth of 15 %/year may be based upon unreliable GDP statistics at city level. It is dubious whether the city could maintain that level of growth for 20 30 years, i.e. an investment growth of 45% to 60% per year (ICOR =3 – 4 – across the country), given that ICOR will keep rising and growth relies on investment, and Ben Tre current income level is low compared with other provinces. There is almost no driving force towards the South-East where there is no more change in job creation or external forces. Thus, the new main corridor to the South-East is unlikely to become the city axis. The Southern part has no major public service centre, low density, and low local demand, and lacks accessibility to external resources. It explains the fact that the Northern part of the city absorbs most new development. The phasing development did not clarify the differentiation among driving forces leading to the urban growth. Integration of spatial studies with socio-economic indicators would be key in arriving at proposals that address the actual demand. Main findings • Demand for new housing is extremely modest, even if one includes an allowance for replacing existing substandard or unauthorised stock. • No evidence was presented in support of demand in targeted development areas for new commercial development while existing developments were reported as achieving only a 50- 80 percent occupancy rate. • Sites proposed for new industrial development were 7-10 kilometres from the city centre and will impose heavy transport costs for a level of investment not based on evidence of demand. Key recommendations • Increased participation of diverse stakeholders and economic studies will be important in providing valuable information on effective demand for housing (by type, cost and location), 5 commercial, industrial and recreational needs of the city. This increased participation is needed since plans will command a high level of social support and legitimacy. Transport planning Ben Tre’s inland waterways, the Ham Luong River, Ben Tre River and smaller canals, can help move goods from local industries and people through the city and connect them to points elsewhere in the province and region. In response to MOT’s emphasis on waterway transport, to their credit, Ben Tre is prioritizing shifting some of their freight transport from roads to the Ham Luong and Ben Tre Rivers. Water transportation and protection of waterways is important for the city’s resilience to future climate effects as well as for enhancing the local urban-rural linkage economy, and aqua-agro based industries and tourism. Water transportation role should be enhanced in the master plan. Ben Tre’s canals play a vital role in its urban ecosystem, collecting rainwater, mitigating flooding, and supplying drinking water. The canal system provides good connectivity for people and goods. They are a vital transport network, yet are also threatened by road transport expansion. The master plan includes proposals for arterial road alignments, linking the urban core with proposed industrial development at the periphery. Road transportation is developed as a support for a huge peripheral development while the potential and opportunities of water transportation are insufficiently taken into account. Main findings • Ben Tre’s master planning process lacks essential transportation data, integration with land use planning, and defensible travel demand forecasts. Transportation data essential for transportation planning, such as mode share, road safety, vehicle ownership, household spending on transport, are missing or not disaggregated in relevant ways. • Land use and infrastructure plans, including key investments like the Dong Tay Avenue expansion, appear to be aspirational, not demand-driven. Oversized roads not only increase costs and emissions, but reduce accessibility and may exacerbate flooding. Key recommendations • Land use and transportation plans should be developed more in parallel and integrated. • Ben Tre’s resilience to climate change impacts would be improved by more mobility options such as bicycling, local bus service and water transportation. • The transport master plan should reflect robust travel demand and growth forecasts, and align land uses with areas of increased accessibility. Travel demand analysis should be completed for transport master plan priorities and should inform the design and phasing of new roadways, especially Dong Tay Avenue. This includes understanding and managing core transport data collection such as mode share, vehicle ownership, traffic counts. DOT staff’s capacity to direct consultants’ forecasting and interpret the results should be enhanced. • Ben Tre should adopt street designs that create space for people while incorporating green infrastructure that can reduce cost, emissions and flooding risk. • A more a participatory planning process should engage marginalized voices, to build equity and buy-in in transport plans. Disaster Risk Management, Climate Change and institutional capacity Climate change is impacting Ben Tre province. The City master plan was prepared in line with the CCAP 2016-2020, although it should be updated with the latest January 2017 MoNRE CC and SLR scenarios. In 2016, because of a severe El Niño, Ben Tre province experienced serious impacts of salinity on city people’s lives and production. Besides, the city also faces other issues including solid waste management, sanitation, drainage, canal pollution, and local inundation especially in the low-income areas (LIAs). Main findings 6 • Preventing discharge of raw sewage combined with reduced littering from households in the LIAs is key to addressing surface water contamination and improving water quality. All combined stormwater and wastewater need proper treatment. Regular canal maintenance and dredging to reduce pollution and sedimentation are essential. • Citywide mapping of natural hazards is needed to support urban planning and management. • Standardised hydraulic and hydraulic modelling is necessary and covered under SUUP. • Updating the downscaled maps using the 2017 MoNRE climate change and SLR scenarios are necessary as a starting point for CCAP and later planning. Given the severity of SWI in 2016, the A1 F1 scenario should be used as the base for planning. • A comprehensive mapping and action plan to realise the policy of preserving lakes and canals in the city are needed. Further, to develop key surface water retention areas for multiple purposes, including storm water storage, freshwater supply and city beautification. • Updating the CCAP using the January 2017 MoNRE CC and SLR scenarios, aligning with the provincial NDPC Plan, and based on these, risk-informing the city master plan, and sector plans. These provide the most updated downscaled information available. • Addressing SWI needs regional cooperation. Automated monitoring stations and sluice gates will potentially relieve the situation. Providing warning of SWI, through the SMS to augment TV, radio, and loudspeaker broadcasts should be continued and expanded. SWI impacts on building quality and integrity and needs to be understood and local building standards adjusted. All monitoring and protective infrastructure work need to work in an integrated manner – for measuring SWI and diurnal tides, and guide sluice gate operation to restrict SWI. • Public awareness raising to bring about long-term behavioural change is needed to augment these efforts, for example, to realise the GGAP, ‘3R’ and to reduce the volume of solid waste. Key recommendations Technical assistance for capacity building DoNRE, DPI, DARD, DoC, and other key departments, and the CPC is needed to: • Address the challenge of SWI and flood risk, impacting surface water and sanitation. • Update the CCAP (based on the January 2017 MoNRE CC and SLR scenarios), referencing the Provincial NDPC Plan. Use this to update the City Master Plan and sector plans. • Improve risk-informed and integrated decision-making to adapt to a more dynamic and coordinated interdepartmental approach to planning to keep pace with rapid urban development. • Update the provincial and city GGAP. • Scale up and hasten the CBDRM programme by DARD, including community-led risk- assessment of urban wards, to improve public consultation and stakeholder engagement. Provide training to PMU, CPC, DoC, DPI and other key departments in simplifying stakeholder engagement. Ensure linkages between community-based disaster risk assessment, and integrating key DRR and CCA issues into the SEDP, and sector planning. Water Management The impacts of a Master Plan that transforms complex hydrological systems with multiple water courses and retention ponds into housing development areas need further assessment. Small streams and water courses are likely to be filled in to provide large areas for land development. The construction of wide roads and paving around houses which increase rainfall run off dramatically needs to be carefully managed. The practice of land developers of infilling water bodies for the purposes of housing development may significantly reduce the city’s resilience. The present infill approach should be contrasted and compared with a sustainable urban drainage systems approach whose aim is to replicate natural hydrological systems by using basins, rain-gardens, swales, filter drains, and bio 7 retention basins. It is strongly recommended to undertake a hydrological study in collaboration with local land use planners. There is a need to formulate development plans that incorporate an integrated approach to the management of the urban water cycle. In relation to storm water management, sustainable drainage initiatives involve a proactive process recognizing the opportunities for urban design, landscape architecture, and storm water management infrastructure to be intrinsically linked. Watershed and micro-watershed areas, storm issues, modelling techniques, and water quality objectives require consideration. Further, runoff volume, peak runoff, frequency of rainfall and water quality control must be defined. Catchment wide hydraulic modelling of areas to be developed is required, followed by installation of green infrastructure and sustainable urban drainage initiatives. The construction of bio retention basins, swales, permeable pavements and planters in road verges are engineering approaches which are now common internationally and could be used for Ben Tre. In the UK, for example, these approaches have found to reduce peak storm flows in urban areas by up to 90%2. Ben Tre's situation is most serious due to salination of all water intakes and very serious pollution caused by open drains carrying faeces and septic tank effluent. Concerning Ben Tre city water supply, SWI affected all water intakes in 2016 and construction of a new 15 km pipeline from the Cai Co Pump Station to Song Don Water Treatment Plant (WTP) to move the raw water abstraction point upstream may be required. Ben Tre also does not have a wastewater collection or treatment system. It has 17.5 km of open drains in wards 1 to 6 that convey grey/black water discharge from septic tanks to nearby rivers. The Ham Luong River from which Ben Tre sources surface water is heavily polluted with wastewater, with BOD5 readings of 137 mg/l recorded in 2013, well in excess of Viet Nam wastewater discharge standards. WTP upgrades, a new pipeline to a water intake higher upstream and wastewater treatment require urgent attention and funding to improve 2C Ellis, R Cripps, M Russ, S Broom, Transforming Water Management in Llanelli, UK, Institution of Civil Engineers, London, Proceedings, Volume 169, Issue CE1, February 2016 8 city resilience. Urgent funding for pipeline to new raw water intake upstream and for wastewater collection and treatment is required. Main findings • Salination is a serious threat to water supply quality and taste affecting all water intakes in 2016 and lasting 5 months. Localized flooding of short duration occurs in wards 3 and 4 but flooding is not a major problem. • Encroaching salinity is a major problem for all WTPs, but with intakes higher upstream from Ben Tre showing less salinity intrusion. Salination affects all water intakes, previously lasting 1 to 1.5 months, but in 2005 lasting 3 months and in 2016 lasting 5 months. • Sampling of river water indicates high levels of pollutants. • Urgent measures need to be taken to counter the effect of salination on water supply quality and an upgrade of the older Son Dong WTP is required. • Construction of a new 15 km pipeline from the Cai Co Pump Station to Song Don WTP to access improved raw water quality higher upstream and reduce salination is proposed by the water company. • Construction of wastewater collection and treatment system urgently required Key recommendations • Further assessment of the impacts of a Master Plan that transforms complex hydrological systems into housing development areas. • Undertake hydrological study of land development areas and assess the practice of infilling water bodies for the purposes of housing development. • Capacity building at water company for operational and automation improvements at the WTPs to manage saline events and introduction of GIS systems and asset management planning. • Review of need for construction of 15 km pipeline to and upgrade of Song Don WTP. GIS and Information Management By treating planning as a framework within which multiple adaptations can be accommodated, cities plan in advance for adverse environmental, social, economic impacts, helping them maintain resilience. Intra and inter departmental coordination is essential for addressing cross sectoral concerns. The cooperation of various departments with DoC, DoNRE and with one another is essential. This includes, Health Department, Education Department, Water Company, URENCO, and all agencies involved in city development. This coordination requires strengthening the city’s geospatial data infrastructure. Capacity building in geospatial data management is essential for integrated planning and also for emergency planning, for asset management, etc. Robust and disaggregated geo-spatial data infrastructure platforms are needed for developing integrated strategies and managing climate change adaptation. Superimposing spatial and non-spatial data sets help cities to simulate and anticipate worst case scenarios. Ben Tre City People’s Committee strongly expressed the need for capacity building in the domain of GIS enabled Urban Planning. Ben Tre City has prepared a proposal for the central government approval, for establishment of a GIS Lab at the office of the CPC. A Management Information System for monitoring and evaluation of the plan and its implementation is key to the success of the urban transformation. Having observed a fairly well capacitated DoNRE and DoC staff at Ben Tre, and DoNRE’s efforts in linking land transactions registered at the land registry department with (non-spatial) cadastral data, the team assessment is that Ben Tre City is fairly positioned to undertake the construction of a software application tool for monitoring plan implementation and evaluating outcomes. A complete geo-spatial data base would help documenting 9 the level of planning targets achieved, both towards climate change adaptation and grade-II of the city. Availability of citizens’ data will in turn usher flexibility in plan formulation and implementation. The DoC, DoNRE staff at Ben Tre is very capable of gaining further technical understanding of how various urban systems integrate with one another. The Chairperson of the CPC, in particular requested a capacity building programme to be supported by The World Bank. Training and capacity building programs would need to address a dual requirement: cultivating people with skill sets for urban systems thinking on the one hand and the knowledge of various types of geo spatial data platforms on the other (ArcMap, LiDAR, etc.). Main findings • Readiness for improving capacity in GIS enabled urban planning. • Good level of data integration across District, Province and City levels, at the Land Registry department. • High appreciation of the benefits from the use of geo-spatial data as a platform for achieving integrated urban development. • The spatial data base prepared for the preparation of the Master Plan is available only at the macro level (in Auto Cad format). • Maps generated for studying urban growth dynamics include overlays of non-spatial data such as population and employment on the spatial data base. • Socio-economic data has not been linked with the spatial data base. • Further, data concerning natural hazard risk, such as contour data, mapping of watersheds, areas prone to flooding and saltwater intrusion and other natural hazards, generally required for urban planning and revisions are based on secondary data and no vector data is available. Unavailability of consistent macro and disaggregated data sets (1: 25,000, 1:10,000, 1:2,000, 1: 1000 and 1: 500) makes planning for the worst case scenario through integrated development difficult. Key recommendations • Data for integrated planning: Prepare a framework for integration of province level CCAP into Statutory Master Plans of Ben Tre city and accordingly, corresponding data integration into primary data base; Also, prepare a framework for integration of province level CCAP into Sectorial Master Plans for Ben Tre city and integration of corresponding data with primary database. • Primary data collection and creation of a robust geo-spatial data infrastructure for scaling up of economic development imperatives through Master Plans and Sectorial Plans; discuss details with DRM experts and formulate an outline for disaster risk proofing of Ben Tre. • Data integration: Integration of multiple spatial and non-spatial data sources from multiple governmental, non-governmental organizations, World Bank funded projects is essential and feasible in avoiding duplication of efforts. • Data Monitoring and Evaluation: Develop a list of tangible indicators relevant to Ben Tre. Formulate a set of indicators for evaluation of policy outcomes – for example, inclusionary affordable housing, soft infrastructure design, compact urban development, climate change action etc. and monitor plan implementation through measurable data. • Training and Capacity Building Programme: Prepare a capacity building programme for augmenting capacities in GIS enabled urban planning, with Learning by Doing Approach: Capacity Building Programme in GIS would be best accompanied by projects. Conclusion Ben Tre has strong assets to undertake an important socio-economic and spatial transformation but the city will have to reconcile economic growth, social inclusion, and protection of its fragile hydrological balance in the face of growing climate change concerns. It is recommended that the city rethinks its ambitions in terms of urban development with risk informed integrated planning and 10 decision making. More knowledge of green infrastructure and bioengineering solutions would help the city to expand to an ‘integrated green city’. The threat posed by SWI to the structural integrity of the city affects all infrastructure, including transport. Ben Tre would greatly benefit from strategies for supporting integrated development. This means that within an incremental process of planning for urban development, priorities, investments and development initiatives of various departments should be continually aligned with one another, while maintaining climate change mitigation and adaptation as a central focus area. This in-turn requires coordination and deliberation between departments, in order to reconcile their respective priorities and arrive at decisions that support larger goals and objectives. For the Mekong Delta cities, reconciliation of policy orientations for growth and development emerging from multiple sectors require to occur at multiple scales – national, provincial, city and local levels. An integrated planning process, evidence based and resting on robust data infrastructure will facilitate sustainable strategies and allow concerned authorities to collaboratively revisit plans and projects, address changing demands, and environmental and socio-economic risks. INTRODUCTION: URBAN AND LANDSCAPE TRANSFORMATION General context Ben Tre is the capital city of Ben Tre province located in the North East of Mekong Delta Region, about 85-kilometer south-east of Ho Chi Minh city. The city administrative boundary covers an area of 65.75 km2 with a population of about 143,640, the density is 8,000 people/km2 (2015). The city urbanization ratio is about 80% in 2015 while the average urbanization growth rate is only about 0,3%/year in the recent 5 years. The GDP growth rate is about 16% in 2015 with an average of about 14/year in the last 11 5 years. The income per capita is about 53,8 million and there are about 576 poor households, meaning 1.863 people (0,8% city population. (source: Ben Tre city statistic book 2015 and others) Son Dong Rural ward Phu Tan ward My Thanh Phu Khuong An rural ward ward Phu Hung Ward 6 Wards Ward 8 Rural ward Binh Phu 1,2,3,4 rural ward Ward 5 Ward 7 My Thach An Rural ward Nhon Thach 46% Rural ward 54% Phu Nhuan Rural ward Rural population 3% 70 60 50 40 34% 30 20 63% 10 0 2000 2005 2010 2014 Agriculture Industry Service Urban population GDP share in economic sectors (2015) City’s population (thousands) in 15 years Cities in the river delta The cities in the Mekong delta region (MDR) were firstly formed as service hubs for intensive agriculture and more recently became the foundation for becoming urbanized economic drivers. Their initial morphology and relation to water were based on rice intensive culture. This has created a unique form with urban rural interlinked characteristics, with exceptionally differentiated and specific features embedded in unique geological and ecological water landscapes. The western part of Ben Tre province with its capital, Ben Tre city, belongs to the Alluvial Eco-agro sub- region of the MDR, characterized by alluvial soil with freshwater where the environment has scarcely changed much in recent years. In this zone, agricultural practice has been diversified with double or 12 triple rice crops, fruit trees, flower growing, vegetables, integrated rice-fish systems, in which coconut forests is predominant covering Ben Tre’s territory. Tan An Long Xuyen Long Xuyen Vinh Long Ben Tre Tan An Vinh Long Ben Tre Vi Thanh Vi Thanh Soc Trang Soc Trang Bac Lieu Bac Lieu Ben Tre & other 06 cities in MDR Ben Tre & other 06 cities in MDR flooding & intensive agriculture map 2015. Adaptive salinity map 2050. Adaptive map: map: http://icem.com.au/DELTA/ http://spaceref.com/asia/developing- agriculture-from-the-sky.htm The geology of the river mouth system to the East sea of the MDR is particularly diverse with the system of the channel bars, back swamps, coastal plains, sand spits, sand dunes and mangrove marsh, in which Ben Tre finds its location within extremely dense water flows merging with its geological and alluvial soil conditions. The climate scenario map shows severe impacts on the MDR, with sea level rise estimated at 17 cm and 30 cm in respectively 2030 and 2050 (the medium emission scenario) and the saline with inundation impacts in coastal areas will be more substantial. Sea level rise pushes saline intrusion deeper inland along the different branches of the Mekong, also strongly through Tien river months at the East sea to Ben Tre which is just about 40km from the coastal line. Specific context City’s geology, ecology and agriculture Ben Tre is one of the most characteristic water - orchard culture city (Sông NÆ°á»›c Miệt VÆ°á»?n) along Hau and Tien rivers in the Mekong delta. It is quite interesting by the history of its geo-ecology, agriculture and urban transformation. It shows the unique context of a gradual change between the alluvial soil sub-region with orchards and the coastal brackish eco-agro sub-region of the MDR. In Bao islet, the city is located at the middle stream of Tien river where its 5 branches opening to the sea, deposited layers of alluvium soil for centuries dissecting the land into 5 islets including Bao, and where the water landscape changes gradually from fresh to brackish water ecology. Underneath the display of beautiful coconut landscape covering almost all the territory, this land embraces diverse geo-hydro-ecology layers which have been formed and continually transformed as in the thousand-year process of the whole river delta formation and transformation, indistinguishable by the Mekong river water regimes and sediment conditions. And in this process, soil, water and ecology organisms in river mouth water, at the river bars and banks, all joined in the creation of the land shape in its relation to water where the original form of agriculture settlement found its safe high land and water-connective location to form by Ben Tre river - a perpendicular branch linking Tien river 13 and Ham Luong river, before being taken by the Nguyen dynasty in early 18th century. Then the French colonist started, in early 19th century, to transform Ben Tre into one of the governing centers for colonization and for intensive rice cultivation. Differing from other areas of the Mekong delta, in Ben Tre province, the dense original water body provides the land with abundant aquatic and irrigational resources, together with a low level of Acid- sulfate contamination in the soil and water, making precious conditions for coconut forests to grow. The city embedded in this landscape and formed its distinctive coconut related agro-processing economy and craft villages. In spite of enormous changes in the delta landscape due to the Green revolution since 1965 and the opened market transition since 1986, nowadays, the coconut forest surrounding Ben Tre city still covers a vast territory. Anyway, the urbanization process started in 1990s, has replaced parts of the productive landscape with fragmented development surrounding the core city and along its connecting regional and provincial roads. Map 1978 Ben Tre (Texas university’ map library) Google map 2016 Islet regional waterways vs. roads Locating in an islet, historically the city used to be named Truc Giang (Bamboo and Water). The settlement started to urbanize quite early due to its convenient water connections to the whole region. Ben Tre is close to My Tho city, which was connected to Saigon - Cho Lon (old center of Ho Chi Minh city) by the single railroad built in the MDR in French colonial time for rice transportation and trading. Rach Mieu bridge was completed in 2008 and connects Ben Tre and My Tho, together with the strengthening of regional road based connectivity along the MDR East coast. This has accelerated the urbanization progress in Ben Tre, bringing both social economic achievements and development problems at the same time. Other main city connecting roads also link the city to the job based area. Along the road along the main river and with the outside road to further down the North-East, several general labor intensive industries have been allocated, ranging from coconut production to garment and textile. Although roads have replaced waterways generally in the MDR, in Ben Tre, these days, the regional waterways are still quite strongly used for traditional commercial activities, agriculture production transport, for tourism and for transportation for industrial goods and construction materials. Historical marks in the urban form Although nearly destroyed by Allied bombing during the Vietnam War in 1968, Ben Tree city still shows its colonial history in the existing urban form: urban grids of streets with typical water front setting, some perpendicular boulevards toward the river, few colonial public buildings such as Ben Tre war museum, the market and the churches. The city presents two very different urban forms: urban concentration toward the river around the old quarter; and fragmented urban extension to the surrounding fruit gardens and along the main roads. The national road 60 through Rich Mie bridge cutting through the city center toward Ben Tre river and linking to the other side of the river, has created conditions for urbanization along and further 14 extension to the other side of the river. Newly fill-in and extended development, and modern infrastructure have recently marked the city with both generic and low quality development and urbanization. However, the strong connective urban-rural landscape saves the city’s beauty and its specific identity, especially the riverscapes, water creeks, fresh-brackish wetlands and coconut gardens. History of urban transformation shows in the existing urban core (Google map 2016) and the vast productive landscape just 1 km outside the urban core The urban core is vibrant with activity with the busy wholesale market, the water front development with reasonably scaled roads and sidewalks along the main waterway with melaleuca growing naturally on the linear swamps. The north river bank presents typical human-scale streets with shop houses, canopy sidewalks and spreads on walkable distance, on a radius of about 500m from the market area with diverse urban economic activities both formal and informal that are both harmonized and competing to take place. Nevertheless, large modern roads and sidewalks with poor generic decorative plants in the middle, ending with big traffic roundabouts, undermine the remaining human- scale urban spaces and colonial typology. Water-based and orchards into street/road-based transformation Originally, Ben Tre people and their livelihoods have had a strong relationship with water, which determined the growth of traditional settlements close to the water and extending endlessly along Ben Tre river to the mouth and along Ham Luong river, until the road based urbanization process with its generic urban - industry economic development had destroyed the water connectivity and their water related economic activities, and therefore their livelihood. Starting in the early 2000s, the process of urban water front revitalization aiming at raising the quality of life for the urban poor, has contributed to the transformation of many cities in Vietnam into today urban modern landscapes. In this process Ben Tre also has been resettling the informal, risky areas on and along the main rivers to the inner higher river bars where they are safe from flooding and has started to create street-related livelihoods in the way of traditional and typical street based lifestyle in Vietnam. Within the administrative boundary, from the urban core, the rural-urban orchards and agriculture lands extend to Ham Luong and Ba Lai rivers, and to the other side of Ben Tre river within the large grids formed by the regional and provincial connection roads. These orchards can still be found and are quite large and productive, with an abundance of water creeks and natural wetland along, although they can be hidden from the roads due to the ribbon development. Although an urban form based on agriculture presents a huge potential of revitalization for a resilient permaculture to be formed, this has not yet been recognized. There is a high risk of productive landscape loss, of fragmented development and land speculation due to expected land use changes. An abundance of roads is planned for an ambitious future urbanization and economic growth based on real estate development and on labor intensive industries, which play a big role in the city economic strategy and spatial planning. The urbanization process and the development plan clearly show the intention of filling or restraining the city’s water bodies, which present now plentiful small creeks, natural wetlands and orchards. This process would give away the resilience capacity of the land against tidal floods and saltwater intrusion. 15 Meanwhile in the context of climate change and SLR now and in the future, the risks can be severe for Ben Tre, when the weather become more fluctuating and critical, with either higher flooding levels in the rainy season or prolonged droughts causing the increasing of salinity in the dry season. 16 PART 1. URBAN PLANNING Ben Tre is undergoing an important urban and landscape transformation. As described in the introduction, the urbanization process that started in the 1990s has replaced parts of the productive landscape and complex hydrological system with fragmented development surrounding the core city and along its connecting regional and provincial roads. The road-based urbanization process with its generic urban - industry economic development has undermined the water connectivity and Ben Tre people water related economic activities, and therefore their livelihood. The present master plan implementation would have significant negative impacts on the local context of agro-aqua based economy and on the water landscape. Particular attention should be given to risks of socio-spatial segregation, and to resource scarcity and preservation of ecosystems and city’s assets. Specific spatial components of the city and its landscape must be identified, to be enhanced and re- qualified in the future. In particular, for preserving the resilience capacity of the land against tidal floods and saltwater intrusion, careful protection of the water bodies against infill by developers should be enforced. In effect, in the context of climate change and SLR now and in the future, the risks can be severe for Ben Tre, when the weather become more fluctuating and critical, with either higher flooding levels in the rainy season or prolonged droughts causing the increase of salinity in the dry season. Some key aspects driving the existing master plan need to be re-considered and re-thought for possible alternatives. The city unique assets and strengths, its morphology and relation to water embedded in unique geological and ecological water landscapes, must be considered when improving the spatial planning process and the master plan. Strategies for supporting integrated development mean that within an incremental process of planning for urban development, priorities, investments and development initiatives of various departments are continually aligned with one another, while maintaining climate change mitigation and adaptation as a central focus area. This, in turn, requires coordination and deliberation between departments, in order to reconcile their respective priorities and arrive at decisions that support larger goals and objectives. For the Mekong Delta, reconciliation of policy orientations for growth and development emerging from multiple sectors requires to occur at multiple scales – national, provincial, city and local levels. Integrated planning for Ben Tre would allow concerned authorities to collaboratively revisit plans and projects and address changing demands, as well as environmental and socio-economic risks. Urban extension existing and expectation at the same scale: Google map 2016 & Master plan to 2030 vision 2050 (SIUP) As shown on the city master plan above, key elements include a proposed tourist development (orange colour) to the west of the city at the junction of the two rivers, together with a large site for industrial 17 development to the north east of the city (purple colour). It is also proposed to relocate some administrative functions from the central commercial area (red) to a new site to the south. A rapid assessment of Ben Tre’s Master Plan and discussions with the officials and staff suggests that the City’s focus is predominantly on generating commercial value and revenue for the City as a means to achieve ambitious plans. Planning simultaneously for both mandates, achieving Grade II City status and evolving sustainable development solutions for optimal use of land, resources and design of infrastructure demands a strategic dual approach: cross sectorial planning that cuts across multiple scales. It also requires integration of spatial and non-spatial databases. Main Findings The dispersed nature of the development encroaches into productive agricultural land and into the complex hydrological system of canals and waterways, reducing the resilience to floods. The spatial distribution of the proposed developments, together with other dispersed residential proposals, encroaches significantly into productive agricultural land which contains a complex and environmentally sensitive waterways and canals, many of which will be filled in to make way for new urban development. The existing SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment) needs to be reviewed and, if necessary, revised to ensure it addresses the suitability, or otherwise, of this urban development. The need for adapting the Master Plan to climate change risks. Ben Tre faces specific challenges of sea level rise, heightened rainfall, flooding, salinity intrusion, soil and land erosion and extreme climatic condition as hazards that need immediate attention. While the local people and officials of the DoC, DoNRE seemed more concerned by salinity intrusion as an environmental risk, the Scenarios on Climate Change and Sea Level Rise for Vietnam, 2016, prepared by MoNRE, highlight both increase in rainfall as well, as sea level rise for Ben Tre, in the medium term and long term periods, in turn increasing the threat of inundation. Needless to say, this will bear a direct impact on the various urban systems of Ben Tre, including economic development, health, education, transportation systems and consumption of water resources. The aspiration to elevate the city to class 2 status by 2020. The city was elevated to class 3 city status in 2007. The city population is 120.214, urban population is 64.670, which means urbanization ratio is 54% (2014), as such, the urban population growth rate for the 5 years (2010-2014) is only 0,3% annually. The city master plan was prepared in 2002 by the MOC Planning Institute based in HCMC and revised in 2013 to cover the period to 2030. A key goal of the master plan is to create a green city, promote investment, infrastructure, flexibility and to achieve class 23 status by 2020, which would require the population to reach at least 200,000, an increase of 66% in 6 years. The 2030 Master plan envisions a considerable growth of constructed land: roughly a multiplication by 3 of the built footprint for a multiplication by 2 of the population between current figures and 2030 planned figures. Current urban construction land is 916.72 ha while planned construction land in 2030 is 2,741.34 ha for an urban population of 210,000, leading to an inner-city density of 7,664 people/km2, and an urbanization ratio of 80%. However, according to the SUUP report, outmigration of population of Ben Tre province is an issue. However, plans to construct three new bridges will considerably improve regional connectivity and the 3 Pre-requisites include a population of 200,000 people; Health station ≥ 1station/1,000 people, general hospital ≥ 4 beds/1,000 people, maternity hospital ≥ 0.5 beds/1,000 people; Public-use greenery land occupancy outside residential units in urban areas ≥ 6 m2/person; Primary school ≥ 65 places/1,000 people; Residential land (household residential land lots) ≥ 25 m2/person; Land for transport and technical infrastructure ≥ 5 m2/person; Public greeneries ≥ 2 m2/person; Land for construction of service works ≥ 5 m2/person; etc. 18 attractiveness of the city for investors and tourists. It is projected that this will increase land and property values and the volume of traffic on local roads. As in the case of some other cities of the MDR, the Master Plan strategizes to attract investors in the manufacturing sector. This again seems a tall order considering the rate of trained labourers in the city is about 40% of the total workforce in secondary sector occupation. Moreover, the City’s economic structure has shifted towards to services sector when compared to Ben Tre Province’s work force distribution structure. In 2010, the service sector dominated the economy of the city and contributed approximately 60% of the total value produced in Ben Tre. At the same time, the sectors of industrial - construction and aqua - agricultural production has increased with the rate of trained industrial labour in 2010, recorded as 40% of the total work-force. The projected economic growth rate of the city from 2016 to 2020 is expected to increase to 17%, from a present 14%4. Urban land is planned to increase at an even much faster pace than population. The planned increase in urbanized land with the associated provision of infrastructure is even more important than the planned increase in population. The 2030 Master plan envisions a considerable growth of constructed land: roughly a multiplication by 3 of the built footprint for a multiplication by 2 of the population between current figures and 2030 planned figures. Current urban construction land is 916.72 ha while planned construction land in 2030 is 2,741.34 ha for a population of 210,000 in the inner city, leading to an inner-city density of 7,664 people/km2. The spatially dispersed plan may impede both the prospects of the city meeting its aspirations for realizing class 2 city status and also realizing its ambitions to become a green city. For example, one criterion for class 2 status is a population density of at least 8,000 people per square kilometre, or an average gross density of 125 people per hectare5. Net density will therefore need to be considerably higher than this, a level consistent with the need to promote urban development that is socially inclusive and protects sensitive environmental habitats. The master plan is aspirational and not evidence-based. However, as in a number of other MDR cities visited, the land expansion planned in the master plan does not appear to be based on an assessment of social, economic or environmental considerations. For example, the population is increasing by approximately 1,000 people a year, or about 300 households, suggesting that the demand for new housing is extremely modest, even if one includes an allowance for replacing existing substandard or unauthorized stock. Secondly, two key commercial elements of the master plan are a proposed tourist development on the riverbank and a new green industrial development 7-10 kilometres from the city centre on the north east of the city centre. However, no evidence was presented in support of such demand and existing commercial areas were reported as achieving only a 50-80 percent occupancy rate. The distance of the proposed industrial development from the city suggests that even if the new industries themselves are green, access to and from them will be less so. Finally, the proposal to offer incoming investors tax free land for a period suggests that the only benefit will be increased employment opportunities, rather than land revenues. Given that other MDR cities are also proposing commercial, industrial and tourist developments, they will be in competition for an unknown level of private investment. No precise reference to investment increase was given when stated about growth level. Assumptions on high economic growth of 15 %/year may be based upon unreliable GDP statistics at city level. It is 4 This is about twice the present average economic growth rate of Ben Tre Province. 5 This is agross density figure so has to include all roads, public and public open space, social, commercial and industrial land. The main criteria for class 2 city status are: The population of the whole city is greater than 200,000 and the population of the inner city reaches 100,000 or more; more than 80% of non-agricultural labor for the urban centers; the urban population density is from 1,800 people/km2 and up; population density of 8,000 per km2 at the urban construction land areas in the inner city; urban centers with infrastructure partially built for full integration; new factories equipped with clean technology and old factories retrofitted with mitigation devices. 19 dubious whether the city could maintain that level of growth for 20 30 years, i.e. an investment growth of 45% to 60% per year (ICOR =3 – 4 – across the country), given that ICOR will keep rising and growth relies on investment, and Ben Tre current income level is low compared with other provinces. There is almost no driving force towards the South-East where there is no more change in job creation or external forces. Thus, the new main corridor to the South-East is unlikely to become the city axis. The Southern part has no major public service centre, low density, and low local demand, and lacks accessibility to external resources. It explains the fact that the Northern part of the city absorbs most new development. The phasing development did not clarify the differentiation among driving forces leading to the urban growth. Weak service sector growth due to no competitive edge compared with other cities in Mekong delta (Tra Vinh with cultural and eco system, Can Tho with high quality service, Tien Giang with commerce and service, etc.). Demand for large service space attract tourist sector should be reviewed. The impact of ample provision of too largely-sized roads. Transport planning is a major potential driver of economic development in any city, and is a major feature in the Ben Tre master plan where it is envisaged as reducing traffic congestion in the city centre and facilitating easy access from the centre to the new industrial area and tourist development site. However, evidence on the need for new industry to be so far from the city, requiring a major new highway access was not forthcoming and the size of the road, with a total right of way of 41 meters is difficult to justify, especially as it includes three lanes each way, a 4-meter central reservation and a massive 8-meter sidewalk on each side. The need for such space for a sidewalk can only be explained by a possible need to widen the road to four lanes each way at some future date. However, roads of such width are only provided in countries with extremely high levels of car ownership for transport between cities, not within them. This will significantly reduce the water retention capability of land being developed for roads. Water management impacts will be significant. The area of land required for roads of the specification proposed will entail a substantial cost in water management so water can flow freely under the road at frequent intervals. Over-sized roads increase infrastructure costs and emissions, induce travel, and reduce walkability and accessibility. They also increase the cost of acquiring and developing land (See Master Planning and Land Use Section). Wide, paved roads and sidewalks are impervious to rain and negatively impact hydrological systems by increasing rainfall run-off, and worsening flooding (See Water Management Section). Robust travel demand forecasts can help guide more appropriate road widths, and shifting motorized trips to bicycling, and buses can eliminate the need to widen roads. Drains, permeable materials and landscaping incorporated into roadway design can allow more rainfall to be absorbed and minimize flooding6. Transportation priorities and investments impact the resilience of other sectors. Road transportation plays a key role in the organisation of Ben Tre planned intensity of land use as shown in the map below. However, the transport master planning process needs to understand and assess better multiple interdependencies. Better coordination and alignment between land use, drainage, sanitation, disaster risk management and transport planning will result in more urban development decisions that are responsive to risks, and based on actual, not aspirational, travel forecasts. 6 Roads can include a planted median, although care should be taken to keep overall road widths narrow to shorten pedestrians’ crossing times. Bioswales, trees and planted strips along bikeways and sidewalks provide more surface area that can absorb water. New materials, unlike concrete and asphalt, are permeable to water. In 2014, New Orleans implemented several green infrastructure projects including transforming vacant lots into rain gardens, and incorporating green roofs, bioswales and pervious pavement throughout the city. (NACTO 2016; City of New Orleans 2015) 20 Ben Tre’s master planning process lacks three critical components: (1) essential transportation data, (2) integration with land use planning, and (3) defensible travel demand forecasts. Transportation data essential for transportation planning, such as mode share, vehicle ownership, fleet size, and household spending on transport, are missing or not disaggregated in a useful way. The data are either not collected, or collected by consultants but not shared with city and provincial staff. There are several maps of the transport master plan and bus routes available in AutoCad, but most geospatial data are missing. These data gaps limit Ben Tre’s ability to complete integrated, demand-driven planning. The link between land use and transportation is not well understood7. DOT staff expressed little interest in engaging with the land use plan other than to verify the expected amount of space had been allocated for roads. There appears to be no discussion about which and uses generate trips, nor how compact urban development can reduce motorized trips. No priority has been given to densifying areas of Ben Tre that already have higher accessibility, like the urban core. In fact, the aim seems to be the opposite – increasing the developed area, even at very low densities. The transportation master planning process requires a travel demand forecast8, which a consultant completed. The mission did not assess the reasonableness of the model assumptions, data nor results. Within the transport and construction departments, we found an over-reliance on outsourcing the technical transport infrastructure and operations planning and demand forecasting which are fundamental to making risk-informed, integrated urban planning decisions. It is unclear how much the consultants’ final deliverables are scrutinized or utilized by the staff. The transformation of housing types and its impact on climate change mitigation. In new developments, developers plan and finance the secondary street network, the utilities and divide the land. For maximizing their profit, developers don’t seem to provide a sufficient linear density of secondary and tertiary streets, and to compensate by offering access to streets through narrow frontages and deep land lots. Further analysis and recommendations are needed on a more sustainable combination of street patterns and land lot forms offering a higher diversification and choice in housing types and making possible to introduce also housing types adapted to the climate of which many examples exist in vernacular architecture. Development in other countries present a better balance between green spaces, public spaces, streets, and a diversity of housing types than what has been observed by the team during the site visit to a development in Ben Tre, which calls also additional comments expressed in the land use section of this report. 7 Very simply, developing housing or industrial zones, for instance, generates trips as people travel to and from the new sites. Likewise, new roads and bus service increase access and mobility, and make new development viable. Every land use decision affects travel; and every transportation network decision changes the accessibility of the land, influencing how much and what kind of development the area can support. 8 Travel demand forecasts use a mathematical model, population and employment estimates, and land use data, to predict the number of trips that will occur on each mode, route and time of day. The model results include traffic volumes on roads and transit ridership. Travel demand models can also be used to estimate transport emissions. (FTA 2012). 21 (km2) 71,11 9,167 (2012) 22,60 (2030) Urban extension upon the master plan 2030 New infrastructure provided in master plan 2030 (adaptive maps: masterplan 2030 and google map 2016) City plan and the loss of productive landscape (adaptive maps: masterplan 2030 and google map 2016) Recommendations Training should be developed on planning task preparation, community planning, risk informed integrated planning, needs assessment, and integrated and contextual spatial planning with technical assistance to assess the costs and benefits of specific planning and land use standards and regulations. As in other MDR cities, Ben Tre master plan was prepared by consultants based in HCMC based on norms for public open space, road reservations and other physical and spatial planning standards. However, these do not appear to take into account their social, economic or environmental implications. It is therefore recommended that discussions be held with the consultants and the relevant staff in MONRE, DONRE, MOC, DOC and other agencies to discuss these aspects. Technical assistance could take several forms including workshops to assess the costs and benefits of specific 22 planning and land use standards and regulations. This could be part of a national and city level regulatory audit. This is consistent with the city’s declared priority on flexibility in urban planning and development. Workshops at national, provincial and local level to review the criteria and process of preparing, implementing and reviewing master plans. The possibility of workshops at national, provincial and local level to review the criteria and process of preparing, implementing and reviewing master plans was not discussed, but is recommended for consideration. Such workshops could include regulatory audits of planning standards regulations and administrative procedures for preparing, reviewing and updating master plans to The over-riding importance of national government in determining planning standards, norms, regulations and administrative procedures for land use planning and management suggests that discussions be sought with MOC, MONRE, and MOT with a view to reviewing and, where appropriate, revising the regulatory framework to ensure consistency with policy objectives for improving urban resilience to climate change. Increased participation of diverse stakeholders. Increased participation of diverse stakeholders will be important in providing valuable information on effective demand for housing (by type, cost and 23 location), commercial, industrial and recreational needs of the city and enhance the prospects of evidence based planning since plans will command a high level of social support and legitimacy. Pilot projects. Where appropriate, such TA could include the preparation and implementation of pilot projects designed to provide exemplars of good practice for wider replication. PART 2. LAND-USE Main findings The master plan was prepared in accordance with physical and spatial norms and standards determined by MOC. However, as in a number of other MDR cities visited, these do not appear to be based on any assessment of social, economic or environmental considerations. For example, the population is increasing by approximately 1,000 people a year, or about 300 households, suggesting that the demand for new housing is extremely modest, even if one includes an allowance for replacing existing substandard or unauthorised stock. Secondly, two key commercial elements of the master plan are a proposed tourist development on the riverbank and a new green industrial development 7- 10 kilometres from the city centre on the north east of the city centre. However, no evidence was presented in support of such demand and existing commercial areas were reported as achieving only a 50-80 % occupancy rate. Given that other MDR cities are also proposing commercial, industrial and tourist developments, they will be in competition for an unknown level of private investment. Thirdly, the spatial distribution of these proposed developments, together with other dispersed residential 24 proposals, encroaches significantly into productive agricultural land which contains a complex and environmentally sensitive waterways and canals, many of which will be filled in to make way for new urban development. The existing SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment) needs to be reviewed and, if necessary, revised to ensure it addresses the suitability, or otherwise, of this urban development. A further key finding is that the spatially dispersed plan may impede both the prospects of the city meeting its aspirations for realising class 2 city status and also realising its ambitions to become a green city. For example, one criterion for class 2 status is a population density of at least 8,000 people per square kilometre, or an average gross density of 125 people per hectare9. Net density will therefore need to be considerably higher than this, a level consistent with the need to promote urban development that is socially inclusive and protects sensitive environmental habitats. In 2016, land sales represented approximately 10% of the city’s revenues. To achieve this revenue stream the city has approved the sale of large areas of land, leading to a surplus of supply relative to effective demand. One privately developed residential area visited was only partly developed and a large number of plots were empty and over-gown, lending the area an impression of neglect that could discourage later development. Proposals to relocate administrative activities to a new site and releasing existing sites for commercial development appear logical, though it is understood that they depend upon grant funding from central government. Resilience qualities Priorities in the plan include maximizing green areas and protecting the canals and other vulnerable areas. However, the team visited a site zoned for residential development to the North East of the city centre planned for 620 residential plots on an area of 5.2 hectares. The area is almost totally under water to at least one meter depth10 and is not only a large and effective water retention feature, but an extremely attractive amenity providing home to a large flock of ducks. Given the limited demand for new housing within the city, the need to replace this environmentally efficient amenity with new housing was difficult to demonstrate on environmental grounds. The project is even more difficult to justify on grounds of social inclusiveness. Of the total 620 plots, 129 are to be allocated for households relocated from other areas of the city. These included individual plots of 100m2 (5m x 20m). However, households will be required to pay the costs of such plots based on actual development costs11 from the compensation provided for the loss of their land (and livelihoods). Whilst such compensation was stated as including income support and an allowance of six-months rent, this would not normally cover the time and cost required for designing and building 9 This is a gross density figure so has to include all roads, public and public open space, social, commercial and industrial land. The main criteria for class 2 city status are: The population of the whole city is greater than 200,000 and the population of the inner city reaches 100,000 or more; more than 80% of non-agricultural labor for the urban centers; the urban population density is from 1,800 people/km2 and up; population density of 8,000 per km2 at the urban construction land areas in the inner city; urban centers with infrastructure partially built for full integration; new factories equipped with clean technology and old factories retrofitted with mitigation devices. 10 A farmer or fisherman could be seen moving waist deep in the lake. 11 Stated as actual development costs incurred by the developer, excluding profit. However, it is unclear on what basis this can be demonstrated. Furthermore, relocated households will receive compensation for land at agricultural rates but be required to pay the Land Price Framework at urban rates for their new plots. The agricultural rate is stated as VND 600,00 per m2 and the cost of a residential plot VND 1,900,000 per m2, so it is only because they are exchanging on average a land area of 500m2 for a plot of 100m2 that the exchange is at all feasible and this leaves little left over for relocation expenses and house construction. 25 a new house with planning permission. Following experience in other similar cases, it is likely that many relocated households will sell their plots on the open market or hold them for speculative purposes. The master plan includes a proportion of mixed land uses and this is highly commendable. However, a key test of the city’s resilience will be how it copes in the event that planned inward investment does not materialize at the level or speed needed to cover the costs of proposed infrastructure. Skills in balancing demand and supply will be important in achieving this. The large area of undeveloped land suggests that development has been motivated by speculation and has already exceeded demand. This will also reduce the water retention capability of the area covered by the master plan. Cross-cutting issues Transport planning is a major potential driver of economic development in any city, and is a major feature in the Ben Tre master plan where it is envisaged as reducing traffic congestion in the city centre and facilitating easy access from the centre to the new industrial area and tourist development site. However, evidence on the need for new industry to be so far from the city, requiring a major new highway access was not forthcoming and the size of the road, with a total right of way of 41 metres is difficult to justify, especially as it includes three lanes each way, a 4-metre central reservation and a massive 8-metre sidewalk on each side. The need for such space for a sidewalk can only be explained by a possible need to widen the road to four lanes each way at some future date. However, roads of such width are only provided in countries with extremely high levels of car ownership for transport between cities, not within them. This will significantly reduce the water retention capability of land being developed for roads. Water management impacts will be significant. The area of land required for roads of the specification proposed will entail a substantial cost in water management so water can flow freely under the road at frequent intervals. The team made a visit to the provincial land registry to discuss how land records are kept and updated. The records are now largely digitized and data are exchanged between province and district levels, improving management and transferability. However, older paper records are kept and in the event of any anomalies between the digital and paper records, the latter are considered definitive. We were assured that the records accurately reflect transfers, though this task is challenging. Data is not, however, spatially recorded, presenting a considerable potential link to GIS applications. Registration fees of 0.5 percent of the land or property value are charged though it was accepted that differences between the registered and actual prices can be significant. GIS data management can provide a key function in enabling the province and district level authorities to monitor progress in realizing population density levels relative to the class 2 city criteria. It can also provide important information on household incomes and possibly their spatial distribution, existing land uses, and areas of environmental vulnerability. At present, sector maps are at different scales, making coordinated planning difficult. GIS support could also facilitate improvements in this respect. Gaps, challenges, constraints Information on market demand for residential, commercial and industrial development is lacking and would be needed to provide a sound basis for the areas of land proposed in the plan. Equally, information on the environmental impacts of urban land development in the urban periphery is lacking. There is currently a surplus of urban land for development relative to demand and this is projected to increase by 2030 so land will increase approximately several times more than required by the projected population. Given the present surplus of land relative to demand, revenues from land sales can be expected to reduce, exerting further pressure on the capacity to implement policy objectives of upgrading the existing urban development. We were advised that alternative sources of revenue are projected as coming from tourism and aqua-industry, though the former may be difficult to predict. One option is to increase land use tax, which are based on the Land Price Framework and is currently so low that it may not even cover the costs of collection. Such tax revenues can be retained in full by the local government, making them both a feasible, attractive and reliable form of income to meet 26 policy objectives on environmental resilience. However, it is understood that this is not under consideration. The financial constraints facing the city will therefore constrain the prospects of being able to implement the master plan or realize climate related policy objectives. Recommendations Given the limited population growth to date, Ben Tre is ideally placed to plan for the long term and revise the current master plan so that it reflects the socially, economically and environmentally sound criteria for achieving class 2 city status. This could be undertaken in 2018 or possibly sooner and should focus on reducing the land area required to achieve risk informed urban development planning. A key recommendation is that DONRE, DOC and other staff will need to be flexible in adapting the master plan to changing needs and both internal and external pressures. A phasing and contingency plan would enable the city to adapt the plan based on effective monitoring and evaluation supported by enhanced GIS support. Technical Assistance in physical and spatial planning to apply such data may also be relevant. It is recommended that a survey be made of a selected number of households relocated from rural land holdings to ensure that they are not unduly disadvantaged when their land has been acquired for urban development. The proposal to relocate administrative functions into a large site is a proposal common to other regional master plans. However, this can only be justified financially if the sites released for commercial development generate sufficient revenues to cover the costs of relocation, land acquisition and site development as well as providing convenient access to the city’s population. A new Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) should be undertaken before any new urban land development is implemented in sensitive ecological areas on the boundary of the existing built up areas. It is vital that this be undertaken by independent consultants. The possibility of workshops at national, provincial and local level to review the criteria and process of preparing, implementing and reviewing master plans was not discussed, but is recommended for consideration. Such workshops could include regulatory audits of planning standards regulations and administrative procedures for preparing, reviewing and updating master plans to ensure they meet social, economic and environmental criteria for risk informed development. Increased participation of diverse stakeholders will be important in providing valuable information on effective demand for housing (by type, cost and location), commercial, industrial and recreational needs of the city and enhance the prospects of evidence based planning since plans will command a high level of social support and legitimacy. Where appropriate, such TA could include the preparation and implementation of pilot projects designed to provide exemplars of good practice for wider replication. The over-riding importance of national government in determining planning standards, norms, regulations and administrative procedures for land use planning and management suggests that discussions be sought with MOC, MONRE, and MOT with a view to reviewing and, where appropriate, revising the regulatory framework to ensure consistency with policy objectives for improving urban resilience to climate change. 27 PART 3. URBAN TRANSPORTATION Main findings Inland waterways. Ben Tre’s inland waterways, the Ham Luong River, Ben Tre River and smaller canals, can help move goods from local industries and people through the city and connect them to points elsewhere in the province and region. In response to MOT’s emphasis on waterway transport, to their credit, Ben Tre is prioritizing shifting some of their freight transport from roads to the Ham Luong and Ben Tre Rivers. Ben Tre officials seem to diminish the value of expanding inland waterway passenger transport infrastructure and services, but are interested in exploiting water-based tourism activities. The desire to increase tourism is driving the waterway terminal planning. The city staff expressed plans to add three waterway transport terminals to the Ham Luong and Ben Tre Rivers, displacing the terminal in front of the night market. With a market analysis of the tourism potential in Ben Tre, a rationale could be made for additional inland waterway terminals. In the absence of that, the relocation and expansion of waterway terminals seems difficult to justify. Transport modes. Motorcycles are ubiquitous in Ben Tre, and the use of cheap scooters – which pose safety and emissions concerns – is on the rise. With the convenience of two-wheelers, city and provincial staff perceive there is no demand for local bus service12. People will consider shifting trips from motorcycles to a more energy efficient mode like bus, if it provides a significant benefit – in terms of travel time, cost, convenience, safety or comfort. And, right now, Ben Tre’s bus service offers little advantage over two-wheelers. Ben Tre’s bus service offers good connections within the province, but is not a viable option for getting around Ben Tre. There are plans to add two additional regional bus routes, but not to offer more local service. Compared to other cities in Vietnam, Ben Tre City has a relatively high level of bicycle ownership and use. Students and workers are the main users of bicycle. Unfortunately, bicycle use has been declining due to the rise of motorcycle usage. The lack of dedicated or prioritized road infrastructure for cyclists increases their exposure to traffic crashes. Infrastructure design and finance. Ben Tre City plans to construct several new urban roads, such as Dong Tay Avenue, 12 They may be confusing ridership of the existing limited local bus service, with latent demand for expanded local bus service, but it is hard to assess without being able to review the mode share data and travel demand forecast. 28 with the aim of reducing congestion and improving East-West and North-South connections through the city and to planned developments. With unclear or incomplete travel demand forecasts or traffic counts, it is difficult to assess whether the proposed roads’ very wide carriageways and sidewalks are appropriately sized or overbuilt13. These new roads, especially excessively wide ones, will surely strain already limited infrastructure maintenance budgets. There appears to be limited understanding or acknowledgement of the impacts of wide roads. In addition to higher construction and maintenance costs, the extra width requires more construction materials, especially concrete, which increase GHG emissions14. Furthermore, the wide roadways reduce accessibility and safety since they are more difficult for pedestrians – especially elderly, children and people with disabilities – to cross. The proposed road designs also lack permeability and green infrastructure that could help mitigate floodwater drainage and reduce emissions. The social, environmental and economic impacts of the proposed new roads have not been completed, but there are clear opportunities to improve their climate resiliency. Road Safety and People’s Inclusive Mobility. There is heavy congestion and road safety concerns in certain neighbourhoods, especially in the central city. In one particular neighbourhood, with a mixture of factories, schools, residences and shops, we observed narrow 2-lanes roads without sidewalks where heavy trucks and buses mix with motorcycles and school children on bicycles. These are dangerous conditions that need urgent attention. Ben Tre receives aggregated (totals) road crash figures from the Provincial Police Department. Spatial data of crashes, as well as disaggregated information about mode, cause and demographics would help Ben Tre prioritize plans and policies to improve roads safety. The statutory planning process requires public communication and consultation, but the current implementation is ineffective. It is unclear what opportunities minority and marginalized groups most affected by transportation planning and investments, such as women, elderly, people with disabilities, the poor, have in the process. If, as in many Vietnamese communities, women in Ben Tre bear the majority of the responsibility for providing children’s school transport, then hazards that disrupt routes to school or school hours will impact women’s transport and work schedules disproportionately. In a neighbourhood like the congested areas in the central city, where there’s conflict between families and children going to school and heavy duty vehicles, women may be at a disproportional risk of road accidents. Any traffic management and road safety interventions in these neighbourhoods should explicitly seek women’s input. Statistics indicate at least 7.5% of the Vietnamese population – roughly 11,500 residents in Ben Tre – are living with disabilities15. During site visits, several people with disabilities were seen using hand tricycles along the side of roads. The public bus service includes discounts for children, seniors and people with disabilities, but little progress has been made on improving the accessibility of the physical infrastructure. Reducing the width of roads to shorten crossing times would be an important step. As would the introduction of low-floor buses, obstruction-free sidewalks and curb ramps at intersections. 13 The proposed Dong Tay Avenue construction, a SUUP investment, includes a cross section of 41 meters, including three 3.5m lanes in each direction, plus a four-meter-wide median and two eight-meter-wide sidewalks. A road of this size can accommodate between 3300-5200 vehicles per hour, per direction. But because no travel demand analysis has been completed, DOT does not know with any certainty what capacity is needed (The Highways Agency et al. 1999). 14 Climate change mitigation actions tend to focus on reducing tailpipe emission, without considering the total life-cycle energy consumption and emissions. The production of vehicles, infrastructure and fuel also produces significant environmental impacts. For on-road transportation, life-cycle energy inputs and GHG emissions add an additional 63% to road transportation operations. A key way to reduce road transportation total lifecycle emissions and energy is to reduce the volume of concrete used (Chester and Horvath 2009). This could be achieved be building narrower roads. 15 Palmer et. al. 2015. 29 Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation. Transportation emissions, which comprised 13% of Viet Nam’s total GHG emissions in 2010, are forecast to nearly triple in volume by 203016. The national government has set a target to reduce GHG emissions by 8% of the 2010 baseline by 202017. Reducing emissions from the transport sector will be critical to achieving that national goal and minimizing climate change impacts. Yet, Ben Tre does not monitor nor explicitly aims to reduce transportation emissions. There has been heavy flooding in Ben Tre in the past, but it is typically infrequently and for short durations. Roadway height standards have been adjusted to raise roadways and try to minimize flooding. According to the latest climate change scenarios18, Ben Tre is also at risk for inundation due to seal level rise; subsistence19; saltwater intrusion20; high heat stress; and very rarely, typhoons. Ben Tre’s infrastructure planning and maintenance staff needs to be informed of the full range of climate risks facing the city, and incorporate appropriate responses into their operations and planning. Cross-cutting Issues Ben Tre’s canals play a vital role in its urban ecosystem, collecting rainwater, mitigating flooding, and supplying drinking water. The canal system provides good connectivity for people and goods. They are a vital transport network, yet are also threatened by road transport expansion. At times canals are filled in to pave roads - an expedient approach to land acquisition without having to pay compensation. The city has regulations in place to prevent main canals, especially south of the Ben Tre River, from being paved over, but it is not clear if the regulations are enforceable. Promoting ecotourism and waterway goods transport could enhance the relevance of the canals, providing an economic incentive to protect them. Resilience qualities There are seven characteristics of resilience that cities should aim to achieve in their transportation infrastructure, operations and maintenance. The transport systems should be reflective, robust, redundant, flexible, resourceful, integrated and inclusive21. A description of how Ben Tre’s transportation sector demonstrates these qualities follows along with some examples of transportation resilience from other cities. Resilience Quality Ben Tre International Examples A reflective system The transport sector is reasonably In response to devastating flooding from accepts uncertainty. It aware and accepting of increased risk Hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleans learns from past of natural hazards, but the adapted its urban plan to embrace its experiences, which development plan seems to identity as a water city. Its plans include informs future underplay the enhancement of widened canals surrounded by absorptive decisions. Standards waterways. green spaces, and pervious pavements. and norms reflect emerging evidence. 16 In 2010, emissions from the transport sector (31.8 million tons of CO2eq) comprised 13% of Viet Nam’s total GHG emissions with LULUCF (Land Use, Land Use-Change, and Forestry). Transport sector emissions are projected to increase by 176% to 87.9 million tons CO2eq by 2030. (MONRE 2014). 17 Socialist Republic of Vietnam. 2012. 18 MONRE. 2017. 19 It is estimated that the annual average subsidence rate across the Mekong Delta between 2006-2010 was 1-4 centimetres (Erban, L. et. al. 2014) 20 The salinity of groundwater and floodwaters is increasing. Transportation infrastructure can be corroded from the outside, when it is submerged in saline floodwaters. When saline water is used to mix concrete, salt can corrode infrastructure from the inside out. See Water Management Sector for more discussion about risks of increased salination. 21 Arup & Rockefeller Foundation. 2015. 30 A robust system does The transport system connections and In 2011, floods in Brisbane, Australia caused not rely on a single mobility is improved with the over $4 billion damage to roads but no asset. It is well- significant improvement in roadways public transport vehicles were lost in the designed, constructed and building new river-crossing floods. Ferries were moved to safety in the and maintained so it bridges. The robustness could be bay, buses driven to higher elevation, and can withstand further improved if sufficient the trains secured. The buses and trains hazards without investments and behaviour changes were operational again, albeit in limited catastrophic damage are made to improve the existing capacity, very quickly afterwards. Part of this or loss of function. waterway system. Road and bridge robustness is attributable to the fact that all infrastructure design guidelines and of Brisbane’s public transport operates standards should incorporate new under one transit authority who could more materials or methods to withstand easily coordinate the post-flooding response. effects of salt corrosion and high heat. A redundant system Spare capacity is missing within Cities with overlapping networks of streets, has spare capacity so transport systems to cope with surges public transit routes, bicycling lanes and it can accommodate in transport demand or traffic sidewalks, and multiple modes of disruption, stresses or disruption because transport choices transportation have built in diversity and surges in demand. It are increasingly less diverse, and spare capacity. There are multiple ways to includes diversity, or over-reliant on a single mode -- move around town. Bangkok’s Chao Phraya multiple ways to motorcycles. Improved passenger River’s frequent express bus service is an achieve a particular water transport; city bus service; additional transport option for its 40,000 function. expanded regional transit; and a daily passengers. Hanoi’s and HCMC’s urban network of sidewalks and bicycle bus system, including the new BRT route, lanes would enhance the redundancy. offer people alternative ways to get around the city besides motorcycle. When Hurricane Sandy flooded several New York City subway tunnels and shut down the system, residents were able to rely on buses, ferries, bridges, commuter rail, bicycles and taxis to get around. A flexible system can Flexibility of Ben Tre’s transport One advantage bus transit has over rail is evolve and adapt its system is now quite good. However, it that the routes are not fixed. Buses can be response to changing can be further improved if public rerouted or deployed in the event of an circumstances. This transport system is drastically emergency. Shared transport modes, such as may favor modular improved and inland waterways are taxis, shared bicycles can be responsive to approaches to improved and integrated with road demand in a way that privately-owned infrastructure, and transport. transport cannot. Dynamic road or parking new technologies. pricing are also flexible. A resourceful system Transport investment plan seems too Rotterdam has found an unexpected storm can quickly find ambitious given their limited financial water retention resource in their parking alternative ways to capacity and it minimizes importance garages. Underground parking garages achieve their goals of the waterway transport system double as water storage when needed. during a shock. It even though it is a natural enables the city to endowment of the city. The Provincial restore critical Committee for Natural Disaster functionality under Prevention & Control and Search & severe constraints. Rescue’s evacuation plan contributes to resourcefulness. It should be sure to include rehearsing logistics during a disaster and evacuation. An inclusive system Motorcycle is still the main transport During the planning and construction of its emphasizes broad mode in the city. The number of bus rapid transit (BRT) system, consultation and transport mode alternatives are Johannesburg’s Department of engagement of limited as bus system is expanding Transportation hired a full-time 31 communities, very slowly and waterway system is communications and marketing manager. especially the most decreasing. Public outreach and engagement focused on vulnerable groups. informing people of the project and how the Inclusive approaches new service would work. A children’s play build sense of shared about the BRT was performed in schools ownership for a joint near the project. An information booth was vision of resilience. set up in a shopping centtr along the new route. An integrated system In principle, transport development Transit-oriented development (TOD) is an supports consistent plan is integrated in land use example of coordination between land use decision-making and development plan, but in fact the and transport. High densities of specific uses ensures all integration seems weak because lack (i.e. residential, commercial, office) are investments support of data and insufficient capacity of clustered around transit stations where a common outcome. the DOT. there is increased accessibility. Seoul’s Information shared Green Growth Master Plan, reduced between systems transport sector emissions, reduced car enables them to mode share and increased transit and function collectively walking through a combination of measures and respond rapidly. including TOD and aligning spatial planning and transportation. Gaps, challenges, constraints and barriers Ben Tre’s aspiration to become a Class 2 city is a barrier to compact, energy efficient urban development. Increasing the city’s population and urbanized area is a political ambition reflected in the master and sectorial plans’ prioritization of expansive urban development and provision of new road infrastructure. This in turn increases motorized travel and its negative externalities, and is a barrier to development of a more efficient and resilient public transportation system. There is a critical shortage of technical capacity in the city, district and provincial departments for leading basic transport planning analyses – such as travel demand forecasting, mode share surveying – and to managing and utilizing consultants’ outputs. This is exacerbated by the practice of repeatedly outsourcing the core technical analysis to consultants, which prevents the public staff from cultivating and practicing their technical skills. Furthermore, there is a gap in awareness of more complete street design, which prioritizes non-motorized transport and public transit, and green streets that can increase storm water runoff. There are several key gaps in Ben Tre’s transport master plan: • It is focused on private road transport, primarily motorcycles, essentially at the exclusion of other modes like public transit and bicycles. Motorcycles are very affordable and convenient; they are more energy efficient and occupy less road space than cars. However, not only are there air pollution, road safety22, noise and congestion concerns23, about motorcycles, their dominance is held up as a reason investment in other transport modes is unnecessary. Their prevalence does not eliminate the need for alternative ways of getting around the city, especially during flooding and for people who may want or need an alternative to a two- wheeler. • Lack of emphasis on water transport for both people and goods. Demand analysis of both 22 World Health Organization estimates 22,419 road fatality deaths in Vietnam in 2013. Road fatalities are the third leading cause of death of 5-14 year olds in Vietnam, and the 2nd most common cause for 15-29 year olds. While data isn’t available for road fatalities and injuries by mode in Vietnam, across Southeast Asia motorized 2- and 3-wheelers comprise 34% of all road fatalities. WHO 2015; Passmore 2012. 23 Dalkmann, D. and Ko Sakamoto. 2012. 32 passenger (including tourists) and goods transport and a rationale prioritization of inland waterway investments are needed. • There is no integration between land use and transportation sectorial plans, nor technical capacity about the relationships between land uses and travel. Furthermore, the generally held belief that new road investment will automatically catalyse surrounding proposed development is a barrier to more demand driven planning. Funding for new infrastructure investment and maintenance are constrained. At the same time, there is a risk that private sector investment in transportation infrastructure may not be viable. The government may be subsidizing with land swaps, projects which are not economical viable on their own. Private investment should be encouraged in a competitive and transparent environment, and the government should seek alternatives to relying on land as a subsidy24. There are several systemic barriers to expanded inland waterway transport in the Mekong River Delta Region25. First, there is a general lack of adequate infrastructure including low-clearance bridges, piers, docking facilities and signal system. There is not a relevant funding stream for local authorities to acquire motorized boats for passenger service. Passenger fares would need to be regulated by MOT as public transport fares currently are. Boats cannot operate at night on the rivers which limits their service hours26. And finally, rivers are currently administered by the central, district or city authorities, creating overlapping and inefficient management. Furthermore, research has indicated there are several barriers to attracting more user to waterway transport, including perceptions of safety risks; boat discomfort; limited service hours, poor connections with other modes like bicycle, motorcycle 24 Thanh and Dapice 2009. 25 Vu Anh 2011. 26 Boats cannot operate on the rivers at night because of poor lighting and navigational aids. 33 and bus; and poor quality or inaccessible piers27. Recommendations Ben Tre Road Transportation Investments and Recommendations The highest priority recommendations for improving transport resilience in Ben Tre include: Transport planning and process • Modify master planning process so land use and transportation plans are developed more in parallel and integrated. Look for opportunities for new development to take advantage of the increased accessibility of existing transportation networks, and support reducing GHG emissions. • Ensure travel demand analysis is completed for transport master plan priorities and informs the design and phasing of new roadways, especially Dong Tay Avenue. This includes understanding and managing core transport data collection such as mode share, vehicle ownership, traffic counts. Increase DOT staff’s capacity to direct consultants’ forecasting and interpret the results. • Employ more a participatory planning process that engages marginalized voices, to build equity and buy-in in transport plans. • Infrastructure design and finance. Build city and province capacity to develop infrastructure financing and investment plans, coupled with economic development and land use forecasting. Land value capture is an option for financing transportation infrastructure, but its economics, mechanics and limitations need to be well understood. Dong Tay Avenue could serve as case study for land value capture lessons. Fuel consumption tax revenue is another source of financing infrastructure that should be discussed. There are transportation financing tools available from local, national and international sources which can provide critical funding for local authorities to reduce transport sector GHG emissions28. 27 Vu Anh 2011. 28 International climate funds or mechanisms have been a source of financing for sustainable transportation, including Global Environment Fund (GEF), Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), and Climate Investment Funds (CIF). The GEF-funded 34 • Improve accessibility of streets and public transportation. Reducing the width of roads to shorten crossing times would be an important step. As would the introduction of low-floor buses, obstruction-free sidewalks and curb ramps at intersections. • Incorporate road safety principles into traffic operations planning and street design. This may include global safe streets design principles, separated bicycle lanes and signalized pedestrian crossings. Provincial Police Departments sharing disaggregated crash data will be an important input into improved planning and design. Ben Tre Inland Waterway Transportation Investment and Recommendations Climate change mitigation • Incorporate into Ben Tre’s transport master plan strategies to reduce transportation GHG emissions. These should include three types of actions: (1) reducing the number of trips by developing compact urban areas and collocating land uses with transport services; (2) shifting trips to more energy efficient modes by providing safe walking and bicycling infrastructure, and frequent and reliable public transport service; and (3) improving energy efficiency of vehicles and fuel technologies29. Reducing transportation GHGs will diminish (or not worsen) climate change impacts on the MRD Region and help avoid locking Ben Tre into a car/motorcycle oriented development pattern. These measures also have important co- $10.15m Hanoi Urban Transport Development project included a BRT feasibility study and preliminary design; as well as studies about pedestrian and cyclist access to bus rapid transit, and integration of land use and transport planning. The $100b per year Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a new source of funding for nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs) countries implement to reduce GHG emissions. (Dalkmann and Sakamoto 2012) 29 Avoid unnecessary generation of vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) by integrating land use and transportation planning, and locating new urban development around areas of highest accessibility. Promote compact urban areas with a variety of uses, road pricing and parking management. Shift to or prevent a shift away from more efficient modes like public transit, bicycling and walking. Public transit needs to be reliable, frequent and accessible to be competitive. Safe and protected bicycle infrastructure helps retain or increase bicycle mode share. Improve vehicle and fuel technology to improve their energy and fuel efficiency. Improved fuel economy, alternative fuel and vehicle technologies, and increased vehicle occupancy rates as well. Dalkmann, D. and Ko Sakamoto. 2012. 35 benefits including reduced local air pollution, accidents, road construction & maintenance costs, and congestion30. • Create a Ben Tre public transport development plan that prioritizes local bus service and improves mobility and access, especially for vulnerable groups like children, elderly, people with disabilities, women. With proper demand analysis, planning, and investment31, Ben Tre can develop a convenient and reliable local bus service that moves people efficiently, safely and with fewer GHG emissions. This will also provide redundant mobility during flooding when motorcycles may not be useable. Bus service will be more attractive option for residents if it receives priority on the roads to minimize delays; is cheaper than driving a motorcycle32; feels safe and comfortable; and frequently takes them where they need to go. • Expanding waterway passenger and goods transport has received little attention by DOT, but is an important strategy for mitigating climate change and improving resilience. but a successful water transit service will also address people’s concerns about waterway transport, namely boat safety and comfort, and while ensuring travel times and costs are competitive with other modes33. An enhanced tourism market and waterway passenger transport may have the co-benefit of providing an incentive for protecting Ben Tre’s canals, and their hydrological benefits. Climate change adaptation • Revise transport master plan to reflect latest climate change risks and scenarios34. This will require spatial information about drainage systems, flooding scenarios, and risk to infrastructure must be incorporated into travel demand forecasting, transport network definition and transport service planning. • Climate change risks need to be reflected in infrastructure construction and maintenance standards/processes. Road height standards should be high enough to avoid flooding in the most likely scenarios, but not be built to withstand water levels that Ben Tre is very unlikely to ever see again35. Raising the roads too high will add unnecessary cost, impermeable pavement (which exacerbates flooding), and emissions. While it is important for the construction height to reflect flooding risks, historically high water levels are not the only consideration. Roadway construction and maintenance needs to take into account a full range of risks including flooding, salt intrusion, high heat and ground subsidence. Priority Actions The following nine priority actions will significantly advance the key recommendations: 1. Technical training for city, district and provincial staff on travel demand forecasting, and the dynamics between land use and transportation. This should include discussions of transport 30 Dalkmann, D. and Ko Sakamoto. 2012. 31 The government does not subsidize nor invest in the regional bus network. Instead, privately owned bus operating cooperatives capitalize the bus fleets and operate the service. 32 The current bus fares are low, but data on household expenditure on transportation is needed to gauge affordability. 33 Research indicates water transport users favor the mode’s travel time savings and comfort, but have concerns about boats’ safety, discomfort during rainy and hot weather, short service hours if boats cannot operate at night, poor connections with other modes, and poor quality or inaccessible piers. Vu Anh 2011. 34 MONRE 2016. 35 Mission DRM specialists advise that historic flood levels are unlikely to occur again because of upstream damming & hydropower of Mekong. Latest RCP4.5 scenario is more appropriate for setting road heights. Building roads to historic flood levels is costly and overly conservative (MONRE 2017). See DRM Sector Report for more details on these risks. 36 data and data collection methodologies, as well as an introduction to GIS as a tool for facilitating integrated planning. Develop a bundle of consultant TORs. 2. Technical assistance on sizing roads to travel demand – using Dong Tay Avenue as a case study – including demonstrating examples of road designs that cost less, include permeable landscaping and use resources efficiently. 3. Workshop and case studies about different infrastructure finance options, such as land value capture, and leveraging private sector investment in public infrastructure. Details of fuel consumption tax and revenue generation should be covered as well. 4. Technical assistance in passenger and ecotourism waterway transport planning, infrastructure and financing. For instance, helping Ben Tre assess the costs and benefits of relocating the waterway terminal from Ben Tre River to Ham River. 5. Technical bus transit planning training for DoT staff focused on demand forecasting, route planning, operational models, contracting and financing. This will enhance Ben Tre’s capacity to better oversee the private bus operating company, expand inter and intra-city bus service and provide additional mobility options. 6. Workshop guidance on participatory planning process best practices, and benefits. 7. Utilizing the core urban congested neighbourhoods as case study, training on ways to manage congestion and safety; assess the travel demand of the varied land uses; traffic operations management, road safety and urban design in this neighbourhood. 8. Road height standards should be calculated based on forecast flooding levels, inundation due to seal level rise, as well as ground subsidence36, using latest MONRE climate change and sea level rise scenarios. 9. Construction methods in high salinity and heat areas should be explored (See DRM Sector recommendations). Flooding and high heat stresses can be partly addressed by using more permeable materials (See Water Management Sector recommendations). PART 4. DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE AND INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY Background Ben Tre City is located in the North-East of Ben Tre province, which lies in the northern tropics, and has two distinct seasons - the wet season from June to December, and a dry season from December to May. During the wet season, under the influence of the South-west monsoon, districts in Ben Tre usually receive high rainfall, thunderstorms and whirlwinds. In addition, from September to November the Mekong River brings partial inundation. This is accentuated by the monthly flood tide cycle. Climate change is impacting the province. In 2016, because of a severe El Niño, Ben Tre province experienced the serious impacts of salinity on city people’s lives and production. Besides, the city also 36 The latest climate change scenarios forecast an average ground sinking of 6mm/year in the MRD Region. This will affect road infrastructure and may exacerbate flooding. The road height calculation would look something like: forecast high flood levels from rainfall & upstream flooding. 37 faces other issues including solid waste management, sanitation, drainage, canal pollution, and local inundation, especially in the low-income areas (LIAs). Ben Tre province has the Integrated Disaster Risk Management Plan to 2020 (2010), a Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) 2016-2020 and Green Growth Action Plan (GGAP) 2016-2020. The City also developed its own CCAP and GGAP based on the respective provincial plans. Main findings Health and well-being. Minimal human vulnerability Inclusive access to safe drinking water. Surface water, rather than groundwater is used for domestic use. In 2016, because of the severe El Niño effect, SWI of an average of 1g/l in the whole province, to 4g/l, 70 km inland from the river mouth. This impacted surface water in Ben Tre City increasing the salinity of water supply to households, notably in LIA, forcing families to buy bottled water for drinking and cooking. This is likely to worsen with climate change. Effective sanitation. The city has a combined storm water and sewage system of the city comprises four main canals to the Ben Tre River. As an example, the 2.5km Chin Te, serving three communes and one ward, is heavily polluted, taking sewage and waste water directly from households, and a significant amount of garbage dumped by local people. The canal impacts on agricultural land downstream then runs to the water supply source for the 50-year-old Song Don WTP (which is poorly maintained and in need of replacement). After two to three hours of rainfall, because of poor drainage and inadequate management, parts of some LIA are inundated with mixed water causing discomfort to residents. Effective safeguards to human health and life. The province has an Integrated Natural Disaster Prevention and Control Plan to 2020. Local people receive warning on SWI from the provincial hydro- meteorological services and from TV, radio and loudspeaker broadcasts, and the PPC and DoNRE websites. Short-term forecasts and warnings are available but not longer-term forecasts. Infrastructure and ecosystems. Reduced exposure and fragility Comprehensive hazard and exposure mapping. Flooding in the city is not a significant issue - except for some local inundation. SWI is the key challenge to the city and province. Significant mapping of province and city has been undertaken, although citywide natural hazard risk maps have yet to be developed. While in 2011 the province developed downscaled maps based on the MoNRE 2009 CC and SLR scenarios for B2 and A1 F1, these need updating to the 2017 scenarios. The province has a good set of maps of different scales exist for different plans. These are in different formats that may not be interchangeable (LiDAR, AutoCAD). Appropriate codes, standards and enforcement. The new CCAP 2016-2020 is based on the 2012 MoNRE CC and SLR scenarios, the city also has its CCAP. Based on the downscaled scenarios, the DoC changed the building code from 1.7m (2002) elevation for the city to 2.25m (2013) higher than the highest measured seawater level, although the city normally plans for 2.3m. Effectively managed protective ecosystems. The provincial authorities are directing districts to use lakes for water retention. The city has three small lakes Truc Giang, Tinh Doi and Phu Hung, for water retention, other lakes also exist although all are small. The city decided to keep all existing rivers and the canal network and built river embankments for the section in the city. The province and city both have Green Growth Action Plan for 2016-2020. In 2012, the city carried out a comprehensive assessment on the status of trees. Planting more trees along the roads is one of the four main activities. The City Master Plan includes expanding the city to an ‘integrated green city’. Robust protective infrastructure. The province and city have protective embankments. Provincially, a JICA funded Water Resources Management Project aims to construct five sluice gates (2017-2020). Four of the five gates are locks, as they located on the national waterway. The GoV will carry out 5km 38 of Binh Dai embanking, and build three other slice gates, and other regulated sluice gates along the Ham Luong River, especially those connect with the Ba Lai River, a key water supply source for Ben Tre. The Province is carrying out a project to install an automated measuring system for SWI, to provide information for early warning of increased salinity currently limited because of few facilities. SWI is measured daily. The city has one measuring station for SWI and tidal monitoring, the My Ha Station in Ward 7, the city also gets information from other hydro-meteorological stations. The City Committee for NDPC has carried out several rehearsals and identified five buildings for emergency shelters. Effective provision of critical services. The solid waste dump site 5.7ha in Phu Hung commune, about 6km from the city, now receives 120 tonne/day, of which 90 tonne is from the city and the rest from other districts, however, it is more than 25 years old and heavily polluted. The site is managed by URENCO. A plan for an SW treatment plant for 200 tonne/day is under development, including producing organic fertiliser. The plant is scheduled to start operation by the end of 2017. Reliable mobility and communications. The Standing Office of the city Committee for NDPC has used SMS effectively to provide local people living in the city communes and wards with early warning information on SWI and other hazards. Effective leadership and management The city Master Plan was developed by a team of external consultants. A consultation workshop took place involving all sectors before the final plan was announced and shared. For example, the DoNRE five-year plan was outsourced to consultants to draft and then checked by other departments. The province has a climate change Steering Committee led by the chair of the PPC and leaders of sectors, mass organisations, city and districts, which meets once a year at the end of the year. Under the CCAP from 2016 to 2020 technical groups provide regular coordination between departments on key issues that need improving to support the Steering Committee and can be called for as needed. Empowered stakeholders Public consultation, a key cross-cutting issue, needs improving. Carrying out CBDRM Decision 1002 has limited roll out in the province, taking place only in the rural areas by INGOs (Oxfam) and the Red Cross and DARD. Integrated development planning The province has eight HMS, one of which is located in the city. Under an IFAD project, 20 new automated HMS to cover the whole province will be installed in 2017. These will monitor SWI and take tidal measurements. Resilience qualities Integrated: The City Master Plan is based on 2012 MoNRE CC and SLR scenarios and key sector plans, for example, for DoNRE, were developed by external consultants. While consultation workshops took place involving all sectors before the final plan was announced and shared, consultants are relied on for significant planning. Inclusive: Procedures for public consultation need strengthening. The CBDRM programme has had limited roll out only in the rural areas. Local people need to engage. This is important to gather their varied suggestions and comments during planning infrastructure, which will affect their lives and livelihoods. Planning priorities need to include social impacts and equity. Reflective: Some sectors, for example, transport, are reflective of accepting risk posed by natural hazards, which are being worsened by climate change. Resourceful: The city decided to keep all existing rivers and the canal network. The provincial authorities directed districts to use lakes for water retention. Further, the city carried out an assessment on the status of trees. Both the province and city have GGAP for 2016-2020. The City Master Plan includes expanding the city to an ‘integrated green city’. Robust: The 2012 MoNRE CC and SLR scenarios informed revising the city’s CCAP 2016 -2020. Further, these downscaled scenarios, the DoC changed building codes 2.25m (2013) higher than the highest seawater level, although the city normally plans for 2.3m. The city built river embankments and further sluice gates are planned 39 to protect surface water. Once the comprehensive sluice gates and embankment project is complete (expected by 2021) the city will be better positioned to keep freshwater restrict SWI. Redundant: An old, expanded dumpsite needs properly closing down. A new SWTP with sufficient capacity for the city and province will come online by the end of 2017 Flexible: The province and city are adapting to the major challenge posed by SWI (and flood risk) through an automated network of SWI monitoring stations and sluice gates. A more flexible approach to planning to allow greater dialogue between levels and sectors to enable dynamic, risk informed and integrated urban planning, is needed. Cross-cutting issues Natural hazard and climate risk-informed decision-making are needed to help fulfil the ambitions of Ben Tre City authorities to achieve Class 2 city status by 2020. The city is progressive in its GGAP and protection of ecosystems. More knowledge of green infrastructure and bioengineering solutions would help the city to expand to an ‘integrated green city’. The threat posed by SWI to the structural integrity of the city affects all infrastructure, including transport. The City master plan is prepared in line with the CCAP 2016-2020, although should be updated with the latest January 2017 MoNRE CC and SLR scenarios. This forms the basis for integrated planning, cutting across all sectors, which would benefit from greater ownership by the departments involved in a more coordinated and collaborative planning. Statistics show between 7.5 to 15 per cent of the Vietnamese people are living with disabilities, which could mean as many as 22,500 residents in Ben Tre City37. Further, the number of older people is growing in Viet Nam - one of the fastest ageing countries in Asia. By 2050, the number of people 60 years and over will triple from 8.9 per cent to over 30 per cent or 32 million people. The number of people over 80 will also triple to over 6 per cent of the population.38 Provincial and city authorities need to ensure the needs of these vulnerable groups are considered. Natural hazards and climate change have a gender dimension impacting differently men, and women, boys and girls. Because women spend more time than men in the home and neighbourhood, they are also more directly exposed to environmental hazards of poor sanitation - diseases caused by poor drainage, contact with human faeces and decomposing rubbish, for example, living close to the Chin Te canal and in the poor LIAs. Attention to gender issues in the design and implementation of urban water and sanitation programmes can bring wide health, social and economic benefits to women and their communities. Greater appreciation of these differential impacts, through improved stakeholder dialogue and community-based approaches to DRM, would help accessibility and strengthen protection. Gaps, challenges, constraints and barriers to improvement Water - Preventing discharge of raw sewage combined with reduced littering from households is key to addressing surface water contamination and improving water quality for the city. Before urbanisation, DARD maintained the canals for which it had a budget. This is now the responsibility of the CPC. Sanitation - A programme of supporting LIA with suitable, low-cost septic tanks and toilets is necessary coupled with regular cleaning to reduce raw sewage discharge into the canals is vital. All combined stormwater and wastewater need proper WWT to minimise contamination of the drinking water 37 Palmer M, Groce N, Mont D, Nguyen OH, Mitra S (2015) The Economic Lives of People with Disabilities in Vietnam. PLoS ONE 10(7): e0133623. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0133623 38 See http://ageingasia.org/ageing-population-vietnam1/#keyfacts 40 supply and replace the outdated Song Don WTP. A package of public awareness raising and behavioural change should go with these efforts. Natural hazards and exposure - Citywide mapping of natural hazards are needed to support urban planning and management. Standardised hydraulic and hydraulic modelling in line with other cities and provinces in the MRD is necessary.39 Updating the downscaled maps using the 2017 MoNRE climate change and SLR scenarios is needed as a key starting point for CCAP and later planning. It is advisable to use the A1 F1 scenario as the base for planning to prepare for the worst-case scenario for SWI, given the severity of SWI in 2016. The consistency of the use of formats would enable an overlay of different spatial datasets. A comprehensive mapping and action plan to realise the policy of preserving lakes and canals in the city are needed. Further, to develop key surface water retention areas for multiple purposes, including storm water storage, freshwater supply and city beautification. Proper canal maintenance (dredging, regular cleaning) to reduce pollution and sedimentation is essential. A package of public awareness raising to bring about long-term behavioural change is needed to augment this policy. Robust infrastructure – Addressing SWI needs regional cooperation. While automated monitoring stations and sluice gates will potentially relieve the situation, these need to be coordinated. Providing warning of SWI, through the SMS system to augment TV, radio, and loudspeaker broadcasts should be continued and expanded. SWI impacts on building quality and integrity and needs technical assistance to better understand and adjust local building standards. Critical services - Public awareness raising leading towards long-term behavioural change is needed to realise the GGAP, ‘3R’ and to reduce the volume of solid waste. The cleaning up and proper closing down and cleaning up of the existing dumpsite site is essential to minimise the risk of contamination of ground and surface water and of GHG emissions. Risk-informed and integrated decision-making - While consultation among sectors and levels exists, the system is highly structured, bureaucratic and time-consuming. A more regular and flexible approach allowing greater dialogue between levels and sectors would help towards more dynamic, risk informed and integrated urban planning. There is an over-reliance on external consultants for important planning processes, restricting staff capacity development and undermining their own capacity development (through learning through doing) as they are only involved with peer review. There is the questionable capacity of some of the consultant hired to carry out works. ToR development by DoC and other sector departments for external consultants and other contracting needs standardising and quality assurance. These should include capacity building for the department and division staff to enable them to fulfil their responsibilities more effectively. Further, to increase ownership and determination of their cities development. Empowered stakeholders -The public consultation around key infrastructure project in the LIAs was limited.40 Local people need to be consulted effectively and regularly throughout planning involving infrastructure which will impact on their lives (not just given access to the final product). They are a crucial part of finding solutions, having local knowledge and innovative and practical suggestions. The CBDRM programme should be speeded up to include rural and urban risk assessment to provide a more bottom-up and risk-informed planning. Integrated development planning - there is a need to ensure all monitoring and protective infrastructure work in an integrated manner – for measuring SWI and diurnal tides, and guide sluice 39 The mapping of natural hazards, and standardised hydraulic and hydrological modelling will be carried out for the seven MRD cities under SUUP. 40 Through talking with local people at site visit in LIA1 41 gate operation to restrict SWI. Capacity building, training and basic guidance and standard forms are needed. Updating the CCAP using the January 2017 MoNRE CC and SLR scenarios, aligning with the provincial NDPC plan, and based on these, risk-informing the city master plan, and sector plans. Further, ensuring key DRR and CCA issues are integrated into the annual and five-year city and provincial SEDP. The 2017 scenarios provide the most updated downscaled information available. The MRD provinces, towns, and cities should update their plans. The NDPC Plan (ideally developed from a community-based, bottom-up risk assessment) should align with the CCAP. This includes drafting a practical CCAP, GIS mapping – using the A1 F1 scenarios for SWI – and capacity building for DARD and DoNRE with support from an external international and national consultant team. There is a need to speed up planning while ensuring accountability and transparency. The urban environment is dynamic and planning systems and procedures need to reflect this. The city GGAP to 2016 needs reviewing and a new GGAP developed for the next phase. This should incorporate greater tree planting preservation of surface water retention areas, and alternatives to hard structural solutions, including green infrastructure and bioengineering solutions, public awareness raising and behavioural change communication. Recommendations The highest priority recommendations for improving urban resilience in Ben Tre include: Water – It is important to prevent pollution from entering the canals. Desalinising and treating the surface water before distribution to households is essential. Public awareness raising and behavioural change communication would support this, with suitable local garbage disposal facilities, and regular collection. Sanitation 41 – Provide support to households in LIA for suitable, low-cost septic tanks and toilets coupled with regular cleaning to reduce raw sewage discharge into the canals. Proper WWT to minimise contamination of the drinking water supply. Augment with public awareness raising and 41See ‘Overview of Sanitation and Wastewater Management in Vietnamese Urban Sector’ (PowerPoint presentation), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Viet Anh, Vice Director, Institute of Environmental Science and Engineering (IESE), Hanoi University of Civil Engineering, Add. 55 Giai Phong Rd. Hanoi, Vietnam. Tel. 04-3628 45 09, Fax 04-3869 3714, MP. 091320.9689, Email. vietanhctn@gmail.com; www.vietdesa.net. Available at http://www.switchtraining.eu/fileadmin/template/projects/switch_training/db/event_upload_folder/104/A.Prof._Nguyen_ Viet_Anh_-_Sanitation_in_Urban_Vietnam.pdf 42 behavioural change, for example, through the Viet Nam Red Cross and Viet Nam Women’s Union should go with these efforts. Natural hazards and exposure – Update the downscaled maps using the 2017 MoNRE climate change and SLR scenarios42 as a key starting point for CCAP and later planning, and the A1 F1 scenario as the base for planning to for SWI.43 Protective ecosystems 44 & 45 – Carry out a comprehensive mapping and action plan to realise the policy of preserving lakes and canals in the city. Develop key surface water retention areas for multiple purposes. Robust infrastructure 46 – Provide technical assistance to better understand SWI impacts on building quality and integrity. Adjust local building standards. Normalise canal maintenance (dredging, regular cleaning) to reduce pollution and sedimentation. Carry out public awareness raising to bring about long-term behavioural change. Coordinate automated monitoring of SWI and diurnal tides with sluice gate operation to restrict SWI. [See Annex V for Case study]. Coordination and cooperation – Aim for a more regular and flexible approach to planning allowing greater dialogue between levels and sectors to enable dynamic, risk-informed and integrated urban planning. Standardise ToR development by DoC and other sector departments for external 42 MoNRE January 2017 Climate change and sea level rise scenarios for Viet Nam, See http://www.imh.ac.vn/files/doc/KichbanBDKH/KBBDKH_2016.pdf (Full Vietnamese version) and http://www.imh.ac.vn/khoa-hoc/cat20/424/CLIMATE-CHANGE-AND-SEA-LEVEL-RISE-SCENARIOS-FOR-VIET-NAM (Summary for policy makers in English) 43 Use consistent formats to allow overlay of different spatial datasets. 44 Which ecosystem services in a city are most relevant varies depending on the environmental and socio-economic characteristics of each site. For example, natural barriers to buffer environmental extremes are critical for cities located in or close to coastal areas (e.g. New Orleans); air quality regulation can be of significance in cities severely polluted due for instance to topography of heat inversions (e.g. Santiago de Chile), but may be of secondary importance in cities where atmospheric pollution is favoured by topography, as well as policy (e.g. Helsinki). Similarly, while urban green areas will generally play a secondary role in tourism, city parks can be an important part of the portfolio of attractions valued by city tourists (e.g. the Central Park in New York). See ‘Classifying and valuing ecosystem services for urban planning’ Erik Gómez- Baggethuna and David N. Barton, Ecological Economics, Volume 86, February 2013, Pages 235–245, Sustainable Urbanisation: A resilient future. Available at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092180091200362X 45 See Chapter 11 Urban Ecosystem Services, Erik Gómez-Baggethun , Ã…sa Gren , David N. Barton , Johannes Langemeyer , Timon McPhearson , Patrick O’Farrell , Erik Andersson , Zoé Hamstead , and Pe leg Kremer. Available at http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/546/chp%253A10.1007%252F978-94-007-7088- 1_11.pdf?originUrl=http%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2Fchapter%2F10.1007%2F978-94-007-7088- 1_11&token2=exp=1485141573~acl=%2Fstatic%2Fpdf%2F546%2Fchp%25253A10.1007%25252F978-94-007-7088- 1_11.pdf%3ForiginUrl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Flink.springer.com%252Fchapter%252F10.1007%252F978-94-007-7088- 1_11*~hmac=0b7defef98a57c54c935a8784badacd9cb9fd82b80b54696f67199ada6ee8a75 46 See ‘Multi-layer safety and water robust building’, Urban green-blue grids for sustainable and resilient cities, available at http://www.urbangreenbluegrids.com/water/flood-risk-management/ 43 consultants. Ensure these include capacity building for staff to enable them to fulfil their responsibilities more effectively. Empowering stakeholders 47– Increase the public consultation around key infrastructure projects in the LIAs. Speed up the CBDRM programme to include rural and urban risk assessment and provide a more bottom-up and risk-informed planning. Integrated development planning 48- Ensure all monitoring systems and protective infrastructure work in an integrated manner, and guide sluice gate operation to restrict SWI. Carry out capacity building, training and provide basic guidance and pro forma reports. In common with other MRD provinces and cities, update and develop a practical CCAP (including GIS mapping – using the A1 F1 scenarios for SWI) using the January 2017 MoNRE CC and SLR scenarios; align with the provincial NDPC plan. Based on these, update the city master plan, and sector plans. Further, ensure key DRR and CCA issues are integrated into the annual and five-year city and provincial SEDP. Carry out capacity building for DARD and DoNRE with support from an external international and national consultant team. Speed up the planning, while ensuring accountability and transparency to reflect the dynamic urban environment. Review city GGAP and develop the GGAP for the next phase, incorporate greater tree planting preservation of surface water retention areas, and alternatives to hard structural solutions, including green infrastructure and bioengineering solutions, public awareness raising and behavioural change communication. Priority Actions The following priority actions will advance significantly the recommendations: 1. Technical assistance, to address the challenge of SWI and flood risk, impacting surface water and sanitation. Draft consultant ToRs, including capacity building for DoNRE, DPI, DARD, DoC, and other key departments, and the CPC. 2. Technical assistance, to update the CCAP (based on the January 2017 MoNRE CC and SLR scenarios), referencing the Provincial NDPC Plan. Use this to update the City Master Plan and sector plans. Draft consultant ToRs, including a capacity building component for DPI, DoC, and other key departments, and the CPC. 3. Capacity building to improve risk-informed and integrated decision-making to adapt to a more dynamic and coordinated interdepartmental approach to planning to keep pace with rapid urban development for all key departments involved with urban planning and management, including the members of the committee for NDPC. Draft consultant ToRs. 4. Technical assistance, to update the provincial and city GGAP. Draft consultant ToRs, including a capacity building component for DPI, DoNRE, and other key departments, and the CPC. 5. Scale up and hasten the CBDRM programme by DARD, including community-led risk- assessment of urban wards, to improve public consultation and stakeholder engagement. 47 The International Association for Public Participation does excellent work around the world in researching and describing a process of public decision making, using the continuum of: 1. Inform, 2. Consult, 3. Involve, 4. Collaborate, 5. Empower. Here informing implies the least involvement of people in decisions that affect their futures, and empowering grants the greatest say in decision-making. 48 A useful reference guide ‘Integrated Development Planning for Local Government’ for South Africa, gives a ge neral overview of Integrated Development Planning (IDP), covering: What is Integrated Development Planning? Why is it necessary to do an IDP? Who are the Stakeholders in the IDP process? What is the IDP process? The IDP and Public Participation. More detailed guides on how local government works are also available at http://www.etu.org.za/toolbox/docs/localgov/webidp.html 44 Provide training to PMU, CPC, DoC, DPI and other key departments in simplifying stakeholder engagement. Draft consultant ToRs. PART 5. WATER MANAGEMENT Ben Tre – Salination and Raw Water Quality; Flooding Issues Salination is a serious threat to water supply quality affecting all water intakes. There is urgent need for raw water from lower salinity source. A new 500 mm dia pipeline from Cai Co Pump Station 15 km to Son Dong WTP to connect it to a lower salinity, higher quality source is needed. 17.5 km of open ditches and drains in wards 1 to 6 which carry septic tank effluent require culverting/piping. Background Ben Tre Water Supply JSC (WSC) is the agency responsible for water supply in the city. The company was equitized in 2016 with 64% shareholding by the State and 36% shareholding by three private companies and water company staff. The agency responsible for drainage and solid waste management in Ben Tre is URENCO - also an equitized company - with 74% shareholding by the State to be reduced to 51% later. URENCO’s mandate includes drainage, desludging septic tanks, solid waste management, parks, maintenance of roads and bridges and lighting. Main Findings Water supply Water supply coverage in Ben Tre is 95%. The city is supplied 45,000 m3/day from two water treatment plants (WTP), 32,000 m3/day from the older Son Dong and 13,000 m3/day from the new An Hiep WTP completed in 2016 with an AFD loan. There are 3 other WTPs in the Province in smaller communities for which the water company is responsible - at Huu Dinh 4.5 km from Ben Tre (9,500 m3/day capacity), Giong Trom (6,000 m3/day capacity) and Cho Lach 40 km from Ben Tre (3,600 m3/day capacity). Encroaching salinity is a major problem for all WTPs, but with intakes higher upstream from Ben Tre showing less salinity intrusion. WTP raw water is abstracted from either the Ham Luong or Tien Rivers but sampling of river water reflected in the 2013 Master Plan indicates high levels of pollutants BOD5 137 mg/l, COD 279 mg/l and 45 suspended solids 222 mg/l - all well in excess of either Schedule A or Schedule B of Vietnam wastewater discharge standard QCVN 14:2008/BTNMT. Underground water is unsuitable for consideration for Ben Tre because of high sulphate concentrations and in addition the government have banned the abstraction of groundwater in some areas of the Mekong Delta from 2020. Salination is a very serious threat to water supply quality and taste, affecting all water intakes. Previously the saline events lasted 1 to 1.5 months, but in 2005 salinity lasted 3 months and in 2016 lasted 5 months. To manage the salinity a variety of operational procedures are used including mixing treated saline water with previously stored water and by taking water from plants with lower salinity. The WSC requires a new 500 mm dia pipeline 15 km to Son Dong WTP to connect it to a lower salinity source. The pipeline would be constructed from the new 40,000 m3/day Cai Co Pump Station constructed at Quoi Thanh commune to Son Dong WTP. The objective is to provide less saline water to Ben Tre’s major WTP Son Dong. An urgent climate change mitigation intervention therefore is the WSC’s proposal to construct a new 15 km pipeline from the Cai Co Pump Station to Song Don WTP to access improved raw water quality. Capacity building in GIS, Asset Management Planning and a study of possible operational improvements at the WTP to manage serious saline events is also required. This should also include comparison of costs and applicability of small back-up, stand-by desalination plants. Ultimately, an upgrade of the Son Dong water treatment plant is required. Many of the treatment structures are old and need refurbishment- a complete upgrade, extension of capacity with installation of automatic control and SCADA is recommended. Drainage A combined system of drainage 66.2 km in length exists in Ben Tre with pipes 300-1000 mm dia and which discharge to the river and canals. The system needs major upgrading and improvement. Ben Tre River bisects Ben Tre City and is a polluted river which needs dredging and cleaning. There are open drains in every ward in Ben Tre. Poor drainage conditions exist alongside many houses in the urban area, along the Cai Cau and Ca Loi canals and particularly in Wards 3, 5 and Ward Phu Hung. Open drains carrying polluted grey water with faecal contamination exist in many locations, and represent serious public health and sanitation issues with children playing near and in the polluted water. The drains travel beneath, behind and in front of many houses. Combined system drainage effluent is discharged at many locations of the city into rivers and streams and contributes to pollution of the Song Ben Tre. There is a total of 17.5 km of open drains in wards 1 to 6 that convey grey/black water discharge from septic tanks to nearby canals which represents a health hazard. A public health mitigation drainage improvement intervention component to cover, pipe or culvert 17.5 km of open drains to improve sanitation and public health is required, integrated with the forthcoming wastewater treatment project. Localised flooding of short duration occurs in Ben Tre in wards 3 and 4 but flooding is not a major problem. Progress has been made with embankment raising along the Ham Luong and Ben Tre Rivers recently. This work is half completed and continues. Sanitation There is currently no centralised reticulated sewerage system in Ben Tre, and the predominant sanitation system used in households is toilets connected to septic tanks, with septic tank effluent discharge to open ditches and drains, combined system pipes or direct to canals. Septic tanks can be desludged by URENCO at a cost of 700,000 VND, with septage disposed of into leachate treatment ponds established at the current landfill. Ward 3 has more than 100 houses without septic tanks 46 constructed on the banks of a canal whose wastewater is discharged directly to the canal. Resettlement of these households is required and then dredging, embankment lining with masonry and upgrade of the canal. There are many cases of diseases of poor drainage or sanitation in Ben Tre including acute diarrhea, Hand Foot Mouth syndrome, Japanese encephalitis, dermatology, gastrointestinal disease and dengue fever. The current occurrence of diseases related to poor sanitation were discussed with a health officer of the CPC. Dengue fever and HFM syndrome continue to be common. Two campaigns were undertaken last year to spray for mosquitos to combat dengue fever. The covering of open drains would assist to improve public health. Asian Development Bank completed a City Sanitation Strategy for Ben Tre in 2015. Main findings were to focus on the core central wards, use of the existing combined system of pipes and with wastewater treatment in either a stabilization lagoon system alone or in combination with decentralized package wastewater treatment plants. Based on the Sanitation Strategy a Feasibility Study for a reticulated wastewater collection and treatment system for Ben Tre was funded by the Global Green Growth Institute of Korea and completed in 2016. This feasibility study has been submitted to MPI and Prime Minister for approval. The proposed wastewater scheme serves 17,000 households in wards 1 to 5, 6 and 8 and comprises 70 km of sewer, 13 pump stations, and an 8,500 m 3/day stabilization lagoon system. Work to cover, fill in or pipe open drains should be integrated in the future with the construction of any sewerage system in the central core wards. Hydrological Aspects of Land Development There is a need for a review of hydrology of land development plans and improved planning for sustainable urban drainage - some land in Ben Tre has been opened up for urban development but remains undeveloped with stagnant ponds and is a source of disease. There is a need to formulate development plans that incorporate an integrated approach to the management of the urban water cycle. In relation to storm water management, sustainable drainage initiatives involve a proactive process recognizing the opportunities for urban design, landscape architecture, and storm water management infrastructure to be intrinsically linked. The impacts of a Master Plan that transforms complex hydrological systems with multiple water courses and retention ponds into housing development areas need further assessment. Small streams and water courses are likely to be filled in to provide large areas for land development. The construction of wide roads and paving around houses which increase rainfall run off dramatically needs to be carefully managed. Watershed and micro-watershed areas, storm issues, modeling techniques, and water quality objectives require consideration. Further, runoff volume, peak runoff, frequency of rainfall and water quality control must be defined. Catchment wide hydraulic modelling of areas to be developed is required, followed by installation of green infrastructure and sustainable urban drainage initiatives. The construction of bio retention basins, swales, permeable pavements and planters in road verges are engineering approaches which are now common internationally. In the UK, for example, these approaches have found to reduce peak storm flows in urban areas by up to 90%49. While green infrastructure solutions are developed, other alternatives are feasible. Parks and lakes in the cities are needed as replacements for lost natural and agriculture land. Planning and investments need to be guided by hydro-meteorological and hydrological modelling. For each city, the local drainage channels and retention basins can be included in the general model by detailing on a local scale. Correct 49C Ellis, R Cripps, M Russ, S Broom, Transforming Water Management in Llanelli, UK, Institution of Civil Engineers, London, Proceedings, Volume 169, Issue CE1, February 2016. 47 simulation should be made by considering the combined impacts of local rainfall, Mekong River floods, high tides and storm surges. Resilience qualities Water supply and Drainage Resilience qualities sought for water management include the actual existence of safe, reliable and affordable distribution of potable water, effective drainage and an affordable sanitation system to households across the city; planning for back-up water supplies; existence of a long-term robust strategic plan for providing water, drainage and sanitation to the city; diversity and spare capacity within the city's water supply treatment and distribution systems; water supply demand management strategies in place; existence of asset management planning covering monitoring, maintenance, renewal programs, service continuity and emergency response for both water supply and drainage. There are seven qualities of resilience that cities should aim to achieve in the planning of water management systems. The systems should embody the qualities of being Reflective, Robust, Redundant, Flexible, Resourceful, Inclusive and Integrated50. A brief summary of how Ben Tre meets these qualities of resilience is discussed below with some examples of how resilience qualities are met in Ben Tre and internationally. A Reflective system learns from past experience and accepts the possibility of uncertainty and change. Standards and norms should be based on emerging evidence. In Ben Tre the water supply management system is not reflective in terms of accepting increased risk, and the salination increases in recent years and the effect on water supplies need to be far better managed. A good international example of how reflective system changes were introduced resulted from Hurricane Sandy in US which in 2012 challenged the operations of drinking water, wastewater treatment and storm water management for 9 million people in New York51. 10 of the 14 wastewater treatment plants and 42 out of 96 pumping stations were damaged or lost power. Based on the results of a risk assessment, NY developed a portfolio of strategies to protect wastewater assets from flooding impacts. Strategies included: dry flood-proofing buildings with watertight windows and doors, elevating equipment, making pumps submersible and protecting electrical equipment with watertight casings, constructing external flood barriers, installing sandbags temporarily, and providing backup power generation to pumping stations. A Robust system should preferably not over-rely on just one asset and each asset should be strong enough to resist damage and hazards without loss of function. Ben Tre’s plans to develop a new water sources to the north is a good first step towards increasing robustness of water supply. An international example of a Robust system is Southern California’s Inland Empire Utilities Agency management plan52 to counter the impacts of climate change on long-term urban water management. The management plan devised included water-use efficiency, capturing storm water for ground water replenishment, water recycling and importing water in wet years so ground water can be extracted in dry years. The Agency found that if all these actions were undertaken, the costs would almost never exceed a target figure established by the agency to reduce the costs of water provision and at the same time providing climate change resilience. A Redundant system should be designed to have spare capacity so that the system can accommodate disruption, extreme pressures or surges in demand. There seems to be a lack of spare capacity in the Ben Tre water supply system and an absence of redundancy in the drainage and sanitation systems. An international example of a water supply system seriously lacking in redundancy is found in Wellington, New Zealand, which is seriously affected by earthquakes. Wellington has three water supply plants serving 1,400km2 area and the water network has long supply lines that cross known 50 City Resilience Index, July 2015, Arup, Rockefeller Foundation. 51 EPA, Office of Water, Adaptation Guide for Water Utilities, February 2015. 52 EPA, Ibid 48 earthquake faults. In comparison, the NZ city of Christchurch has 55 borehole water supply plants serving a slightly larger area but the water network has short supply lines. In Wellington, it could be up to 70 days before normal supply is resumed to most areas if an earthquake struck the city. Wellington is a city which needs additional spare capacity urgently to rapidly respond to an earthquake. A Flexible system is one that adapts well to changing circumstances. This type of system may favour decentralised and modular approaches. For example, VIWASE’s 2016 report on the Ben Tre wastewater system proposes an 8,500 m3/day stabilization lagoon system to serve 17,000 households in wards 1 to 5, 6 and 8. In extending this system to further wards and communes in the future a more Flexible decentralised plant approach might be adopted by the city with 7 decentralised plants 600- 1200 m3/day in wards 7, Phu Khung, Phu Tan and communes Son Dong, Binh Phu and Phu Hung. The advantage of a decentralised approach is that it is a low energy, “greenâ€? approach with a smaller sewer network, reduced pumping costs, a lower operating cost and the ability for one or two of the decentralised plants to keep functioning in the event of a disastrous event such as flood, cyclone or tornado. A Resourceful system finds different ways to meet goals and helps a city to restore functionality of critical systems under severely constrained conditions. Ben Tre needs to consider a multi-faceted approach to securing water security. A good example of a Resourceful system would be how a New Jersey US Utilities Authority53 is responding to rising energy costs, climate change and population growth. They have improved system efficiency and resilience through sustainable or “greenâ€? initiatives. Sewer infiltration has been reduced by inflow reduction; gravity connections replace some municipal pumping stations; electricity peak shaving has been implemented; a 1.8 MW solar panel provides 10% of energy needs at the wastewater treatment plant and a digester at the plant produces enough biogas to meet 60% of the utility’s power needs. An Inclusive system requires broad consultation and engagement with communities’ including vulnerable groups. Little community consultation appears to have been undertaken in Ben Tre in water supply, drainage and sanitation. An example of good public consultation in the river basin sector is in France at the Rhône Méditerranée RBD54. Each RBD has a Comité de bassin (river basin committee) that brings together a range of stakeholders and government offices. The Comités de bassin adopt key documents for river basin management, including the RBMPs: thus, they have decision-making powers. In the Rhône Méditerranée basin, as in other French RBDs, extensive efforts were made to raise public awareness and gather public opinion for the 2009 RBMP. This work included a communication campaign involving a travelling exhibition, public forums, conferences and workshops, as well as posters and brochures. Two rounds of questionnaires were prepared for the public (the second round was mailed to inhabitants, and numbered over 6 million questionnaires). An Integrated system requires alignment between city systems and ensures investments are mutually supportive. More work is required to truly integrate Ben Tre systems. Rotterdam, the largest European port, has an integrated climate change adaptation approach55 marked by (i) a strengthened, robust system of flood, storm water surge and sea-level rise defences; (ii) an adapted urban space to combine its three functions: ‘sponge’ (water squares, infiltration zones and green spaces), protection (dykes and coastal protection) and damage control (evacuation routes, water-resistant buildings and floating structures); (iii) increased city resilience through integrated planning; and (iv) actively fostering the opportunities that climate change brings, such as strengthening the economy, improving the quality of life, and increasing biodiversity. It has built water storage spaces, including the Museumpark car 53 EPA, Ibid 54 European Environment Agency, Public Participation: Contribution to Better Water Management, 2014 55 C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, Climate Change Adaptation in Delta Cities, February 2016 49 park underground water storage with capacity of 10,000 m3, and is integrating Blue-Green Corridors into the urban landscape. Cross Cutting Issues Water supply The main water supply cross cutting issue is the unavoidable salination of the treated water system which occurs periodically between January and May of each year in Ben Tre. This is currently managed by using a variety of operational procedures but it is proving increasingly difficult to manage. More instances of salty water in the water supply system may occur. This affects the poor, elderly and disabled who may be more susceptible to the unpleasant taste and less able to afford to buy replacement bottled water during the salinity event. Whilst the high salinity is stated to not be a danger to health, at salinity concentrations greater than 0.25 g/l the taste is discernible56 and is described as unpleasant and nauseous. Additionally, the saline intrusion has an effect on drainage and transport infrastructure, bridge piers, abutments and masonry canal linings with concrete subject to degradation by the salty water. This requires more frequent inspection by drainage, road and bridge maintenance staff to monitor bridge piers, abutments and drainage systems for degradation. Drainage The main drainage cross cutting issue is the 17.5 km of open ditches and drains in wards 1 to 6, which carry septic tank effluent and wastewater. This represents a public health risk particularly for children who play in the vicinity of these ditches. Dengue fever and HFM syndrome disease are common in Ben Tre and the ditches should be covered or piped with urgency. Hydrology A hydrological cross cutting issue is the practice of some commercial land developers in Ben Tre of infilling large areas of land including existing water bodies for the purposes of sale of housing plots. By eliminating long standing water bodies and water courses this practice may be interfering with the natural hydrological regime resulting in increased storm water runoff and flooding. The practice needs to be reviewed from the standpoint of sustainable urban drainage systems whose aim is to replicate natural hydrological systems by using basins, rain-gardens, swales, filter drains, bio retention basins, reed beds and other wetland habitats. Gaps, challenges, constraints and barriers to improvement Water supply The most critical water supply challenge is the increase and duration of salinity in the Ham Luong River in the past two years. The water company advised that salinity measurements recorded in four of the WTPs in 2016 were as follows: - Son Dong 9 g/l - Huu Dinh 4-7 g/l - An Hiep 2 g/l - Cho Lach 2 g/l The second critical water supply challenge is that all of the water supply intakes are affected to a greater or lesser degree by salinity- there is no intake completely free of saline water during the critical months January to May. Another issue associated with water supply is the poor quality of the raw 56 Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality FOURTH EDITION, WHO, 2011 50 water in the Ham Luong River which smells and contains wastewater, particularly in the water intakes near Ben Tre city such as at Son Dong WTP. The raw water at the more distant intakes upstream of Ben Tre such as at Cho Lach WTP and at the intake to the new 40,000 m3/day pump station at Quoi Thanh Commune are of better quality. Drainage The main drainage challenge is the need to upgrade the combined system drainage pipes in Ben Tre, and the 17.5 km length of open ditches and drains carrying wastewater and septic tank effluent in the city which smell and are a danger to public health and need to be covered, piped or culverted. Recommendations • Capacity building at Ben Tre WSC for improved operational management of salinity events including provision of instrumentation and automatic control; upgrade water supply network drawings from AutoCAD to MapInfo GIS and preparation of: Condition Assessments and Asset Management Plans to improve monitoring, maintenance, and renewal of water supply assets; • Undertake hydrological study in collaboration with local land use planners of the practice of land developers of infilling water bodies for the purposes of housing development. Compare and contrast the infill approach with a sustainable urban drainage systems approach whose aim is to replicate natural hydrological systems by using basins, rain-gardens, swales, filter drains, and bio retention basins. Priority Actions At Ben Tre Water Supply Joint Stock Company: • Capacity building for improved operational management of water supply treatment and salinity events; GIS improvements and preparation of Asset Management Plans. • Hydrological study of the practice of land developers of infilling water bodies • Review of need for construction of 15 km pipeline to Song Don WTP and upgrade Son Dong WTP. PART 6. GEO-SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURE A needs assessment was conducted for evaluating the potential of DoC and DoNRE at the province levels, for taking up urban planning enabled by a geo-spatial data infrastructure base for Ben Tre city. This section highlights the objectives, main findings, key issues and priority actions. The Master Plan and Sectorial Plans were used as the units for the needs assessment. Four dimensions were assessed: (1) Technical capacity and needs; (2) Institutional coordination; (3) Needs for human resource augmentation; (4) Equipment needs. Main findings The Province level authorities laid much emphasis on their vision for enabling Ben Tre City’s competitiveness, while addressing climate change concerns. The City’s officials and staff were highly committed towards implementation of the Master Plan 2020 - 2030. They also participated in responding to several observations made by the World Bank experts regarding challenges facing the implementation of the Master Plan. Their technical skills and knowledge also provided a good sense of their readiness for taking on change. A meeting was also held with the Land Registry department of DoNRE, which demonstrated a good level of data integration across District, Province and City levels. Ben Tre City authorities highly appreciated the benefits from the use of geo-spatial data as a platform for achieving integrated urban development. The institutional/technical and human resource capacities of the city, in this context, are also moderately strong. The officials and staff of DoC and DoNRE were concerned about the extent of revisions to the Master Plan, emerging from imperatives for sustainable development, such as promoting compact cities, optimizing on resource consumption 51 through design of road and transport infrastructure and integration of disaster risk proofing for Ben Tre. Issues facing other cities in the MDR were common to Ben Tre as well. The spatial data base prepared for the preparation of the Master Plan is available only at the macro level (in Auto Cad format). Maps generated for studying urban growth dynamics include overlays of non-spatial data such as population and employment on the spatial data base. However, since the software used is AutoCad no multi- criteria analysis has been possible. Socio-economic data has not been linked with the spatial data base. Further, data concerning natural hazard risk, such as contour data, mapping of watersheds, areas prone to flooding and saltwater intrusion and other natural hazards, generally required for urban planning and revisions are based on secondary data; however, no vector data is available. Unavailability of consistent macro and disaggregated data sets (1: 25,000, 1:10,000, 1:2000, 1: 1,000 and 1: 500) makes planning for the worst case scenario through integrated development difficult. Ben Tre’s spatial database follows the National Standards for coordinate system, i.e., VN2000. Hence, it is favourable for cross sectoral data integration for master planning. It was positive to note that intra departmental cooperation such as integration of data available with Land Registration division of DoNRE and their Cadastral data base has already been set up, although the linking of data sets is on a non-spatial data format. It was highly positive to learn that this data concerning land registration is updated annually, and published on the website of DoNRE. With an initial appreciation of GIS as a strong tool for integrated decision making they expressed the need for GIS application skills to be developed for their staff, to help prepare and implement Master and Sector Planning. The highest leader of Ben Tre City, Mr. Hieu, Chairman of the City’s People’s Party, specifically highlighted the need for this skillset to be imparted to their staff through a Capacity Building Programme supported by The World Bank. He also impressed upon GIS data management and analytical tools for integration of Master Plan with Sectoral Planning. Resilience qualities • Integrated development: Ben Tre demonstrated a good level of technical skillsets and knowledge base for urban planning processes. The DoC also acknowledged effective consideration of sectoral plans and projects in the Master Plan for Ben Tre. This strong base also gave them the advantage of understanding the significance of sectoral integration in the Master Plan, with focus on sustainable development and risk proofing of Ben Tre. Further, the water and sanitation sectors are managed by two separate companies, the Water Company and URENCO, both with substantive public and private shareholding. This adds a degree of complexity to institutional coordination, data sharing and data base generation and maintenance. The absence of satellite imagery for incorporation of environmental concerns remains an issue in the Master Planning process. • Inclusionary planning: Contradictions are inherent in resettlement policy, of the public sector facilitating privately marketed affordable housing in lieu of land surrendered for public infrastructure. Absence of socio-economic data linked to spatial data base and consultative planning are issues consistent to all cities of the MDR. In Ben Tre, the urban core, especially areas occupied by lower income group, were inadequately serviced with sanitation networks. • Reflective: Policy initiative of transport network as the driver of urban expansion is not in tandem with goals and objectives for resilient cities. Reflection and deliberations on this and other similar areas of infrastructure design are essential. The good level of technical knowledge of Ben Tre staff helped the World Bank team to discuss details of integrated and 52 sustainable development solutions, initiating a process of reflection on their current Master Plan. • Resourceful: Partial availability of data and skillsets prevents generation of growth scenarios, evaluation of impacts and evolving sustainable solutions to optimal use of resources, viz., water, land, soil, food and power. • Robust: Department of Land Registration, under DoNRE has commended integration of data across the District, Province and the City. This includes linking land transactions with cadastral data. This process will enable ease of spatial data integration at a future date. The data linking also demonstrates replicability, for other departments of Ben Tre, making the process robust. Although, there is a relatively good cooperation between some departments within the DoNRE and Ben Tre inter-departmental coordination is weak. • Redundant: As in other cities of the MDR, incomplete data, particularly, data pertaining to disaster risk management and climate change does not enable the city to address worst case scenario and fast track urban systems management, during disaster. • Flexible: Integration of multiple formats of geo-spatial data (GIS, LIDAR etc.) and a flexible institutional coordination will in turn allow better data management and preparedness for disaster risks. Presence of public and private shareholding in the sanitation sector shows flexibility in the institutional context. However, to ensure that this flexible arrangement will bring inclusionary development is a challenge for Ben Tre. Cross-cutting issues (Availability of data for GIS based methodologies) • Meeting targets for a Grade-II City Status: While meeting the targets for achieving Grade II City status is a challenge for all the cities of the MDR, each city faces distinct pressures. Ben Tre City and Province’s officials were optimistic regarding their new role. Their focus is to attract private investments for job creation and development of new urban extensions of high quality of life. However, in parallel, the urban core needs service delivery, especially the sanitation sector. Urban expansion is directly proportional to higher living costs in the core areas, out-migration of populations to the peripheries and decline of the urban core. Promoting compact cities is one solution to address concerns of inner city blight, urban sprawl and land and living costs. • Cross sectorial institutional coordination: Intra and inter departmental coordination is essential for addressing cross sectoral concerns. The cooperation of various line departments with DoC, DoNRE and with one another is essential. This includes, Health Department, Education Department, Water Company and URENCO This is pre-requisite in order to determine the spatial data for infrastructure or extent of access to physical and social infrastructure at disaggregated levels Spatial and non-spatial data is also essential for emergency planning, for asset management, etc. • Planning for Climate Change: Mitigation measures for disaster risk proofing of Ben Tre, requires addressing not only threat of salinity intrusion into river courses and soil salinity but- also sea level rise and increased rainfall. As stated earlier, addressing climate change concerns requires extensive data at macro and micro levels. These include physical and socio- 53 economic/non-spatial data57. While Ben Tre city are aware of considerations in the Climate Change Action Plan at Province level, they still need to understand how these could be integrated into mainstream land use planning and design of infrastructure. We discussed the benefits of using the geo-spatial data platform for this purpose. Measurable parameters, from macro to micro level (such as topographic data, to socio economic data at household level) can well be integrated into the geo spatial database. • Transportation driven urban expansion: The Master Plan includes proposals for apparently, over provided arterial road alignments, linking the urban core with proposed industrial development at the periphery. Present growth rates for employment and population pose a challenge to achieve the prescribed densities. While the officials and staff of the DoC were unaware of primary surveys conducted for the transportation Master Plan, the DoT shared that a data model was generated for the transport sector in order to support decision making. However, integration of studies conducted by the DoT with the spatial and socio-economic indicators used in the Master Plan would be key in arriving at proposals that address the real demand at Ben Tre. • Management Information System for monitoring and evaluation of plan and project implementation: Having observed a fairly well capacitated DoNRE and DoC staff at Ben Tre, and DoNRE’s efforts in linking land transactions registered at the land registry department with (non-spatial) cadastral data, the City our assessment is that Ben Tre City is fairly positioned to undertake the construction of a software application tool for monitoring plan implementation and evaluating outcomes. A complete geo-spatial data base would help documenting the level of planning targets achieved, both towards climate change adaptation and grade-II of the city. Availability of citizens’ data will in turn usher flexibility in plan formulation and implementation. • Augmenting institutional capacity: The DoC, DoNRE staff at Ben Tre is very capable of gaining further technical understanding of how various urban systems integrate with one another. The Chairperson of the CPC, in particular requested a capacity building programme to be supported by The World Bank. Training and capacity building programs would need to address a dual requirement: cultivating people with skill sets for urban systems thinking on the one 57For example, physical data sets would cover building footprints, number of floors in buildings, building materials, land cover, natural ground area per cadastre, natural ground area in public spaces, material inventory for physical infrastructure, etc. Non-spatial data includes, temperature variance on daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis, sea level rise on an annual basis, rainfall fluctuations, rainfall fluctuations during storm conditions; it also includes specializing data for age profile, male-female population, adult literacy, locations of houses of persons physically challenged, children between 0-11 years of age and the elderly etc. 54 hand and the knowledge of various types of geo spatial data platforms on the other (ArcMap, LiDAR, etc.). Gaps, challenges, constraints and barriers to improvement This section draws upon the main findings listed earlier in this chapter and elaborates upon the gaps, challenges and bottlenecks to the practice of integrated urban planning and sustainable development. Availability of Partial Data 1. Satellite Imagery: Statutory Landuse Master Plans and Sectorial projects don’t use satellite imagery, such as Cartosat, Landsat, VNREDSAT etc., and remotely sensed satellite images for preparation of base maps. 2. Cadastral Data: The cadastral map, one of the important datasets for urban development, is available with DoNRE. The cadastral maps that are managed by Cadastral Department of DoNRE are limitedly accessible to all other line departments. 3. Data for Disaster Risk Mitigation and Management • Maps pertaining to disaster risk mitigation have been prepared at the City level; however, these are at a macro level. DRM data has been integrated with CCAP of the Province; the spatial maps for saline water intrusion, sea level rise, flood, etc. reflective of climate change (according to climate change scenarios in 2009 that are published by MoNRE) are available. However, the City’s CCAP has not yet been updated according to the revised climate change data of 2016 and specific areas in Ben Tre, prone to flooding or salinity intrusion are yet to be demarcated spatially. • Topographic data is available for Ben Tre city in scale 1:25.000. In addition, partial data is also available for small scale ongoing/finished construction projects. However, these are not substantive in providing an understanding of the City’s terrain model. Institutional arrangements for data sharing are limited in a multi-level organisation system. Hence, the local City authorities have no information that the LiDAR data (scale 1: 2.000) is being generated and processed for Ben Tre City by MONRE. Consequently, they are not familiar with the benefits of LiDAR data for disaster risk mitigation and adaptation. • Spatial data regarding pollution, key to assessing climate change, viz., air, water and ground water are unavailable. • As in the other cities of the MDR, spatial socio-economic data pointing towards areas with potential social vulnerability during disaster is unavailable. For example, a detailed mapping of physical locations of households with physically challenged persons remains to be documented. Similarly, streets, public spaces and public buildings inadequately or unequipped 55 with amenities for universal accessibility are not mapped either. Age and gender profile at house-hold levels would also be essential. • Data collection through primary surveys and installation of equipment poses financial challenges. 4. The Master Plan database58: The Master Plan prepared for Ben Tre City comprises of the same extent of geo-spatial data59, mapped at an output scale of 1:10,000. • The spatial data available covers multiple sectors, including geography, location and regional spatial relationship, existing land use, existing landscape, existing social infrastructure (i.e. education, health care, etc.), existing technical infrastructure facilities and environment, existing transportation, existing water supply system, existing drainage network, existing drainage system for waste water, existing landfill and cemetery, existing communication network, existing electricity and utilities. However, this is available only at primary and secondary levels. Disaggregated data is unavailable and poses barriers to planning for risk proofing Ben Tre. • Non-spatial data includes population at commune/ward level and distribution of poor households. However, this data is not structured as attributes to spatial data. • One of the most significant lacunae in the Master Plan database is the absence of non-spatial data. Socio-economic data, such as Census data (population, density, type of occupation, employment, household size, household income and assets, poverty), which is essential to understand urban growth dynamics and growth potential, has not been linked to spatial data base. • Data pertaining to hazard risk includes areas prone to flood, river/sea erosion, salt water intrusion has not yet mapped and available. • Proposals for spatial development include the spatial development orientation until 2020, proposed land use plan for a horizon period of 2020, transportation plan, water supply plan, utilities and communication plans, drainage system plan, sanitation plan, social infrastructure plan, technical infrastructure plan, strategic environment plan. Data discrepancies • The spatial cadastral data and linked land use data have been supported and prepared by DoNRE in Micro-station format (DGN), while the rest of the data is in AutoCAD format (DWG). Hence, the spatial data integration between the various sectors is moderately difficult. • Difficulties for standardizing spatial data for integration between sectors: Contour, cadastral, land use, population density, population growth rate, number of registered and unregistered workers, number of households, age distribution, number of institutions, commercial enterprises, industries, number of schools, health care provision), open spaces, other 58 The national law for Urban and Regional Planning prescribes plans to be undertaken at four scales: at the macro level, regional plans at an output scale of 1:25,000, at the City level, master plans at 1: 10,000 scale, zonation plan at 1: 2,000 scale, zonation detailed plan at 1:1,000 scale and urban design plan at 1: 500 scale. However, the DoC has presently only prepared statutory Master Plans at the 1:10,000 scales. Plan preparation was outsourced to external consultants, viz., Southern Institute of Agriculture and Urban Planning. 59For city master plan, the digital plan data was designed based on decision No. 04/2008/QD-BXD promulgating the Vietnam building code on regional and urban planning and rural residential planning issued by the Minister of construction pursuant to the government’s decree No. 17/2008/ND-CP of February 4, 2008. 56 amenities, meteorological data, hydrological data, soil condition, DRM locations, DRM according to different climate change scenarios, location of exposure persons, etc. Coordinate System Compatibility • The coordination systems used for creation of the Auto Cad data of Ben Tre is in compliance with the national standard coordinate system (VN2000)60. Hence, this is favourable for data integration. • Accuracy and level of detail of spatial data (especially cadastral data) needs to be improved in order to plan for disaster risk proofing Ben Tre. Institutional Capacity • In Ben Tre, although external consultants are playing a key role in preparation of the Master Plan, the concerned officials from DoC and DoNRE have kept themselves well abreast of the Master Plan and the planning process. However, the staff is not exposed to various planning practices that support sustainable development. • Augmentation of technical skillsets and human resource capacities require financial support from the government which are limited. • Institutional readiness and interest to improve their skillsets in the domain of geo-spatial data is strongly positive. Active participation of sector representatives and comments from Vice- Chairman, Ben Tre CPC proved this. Data sharing As in the other cities, data integration between Master Plan and CCAP in Ben Tre remains an issue and data sharing between departments (DoNRE, DoC, DoT, MARD) is also partial or absent. Central government organizations have conducted several studies relevant to the Mekong Delta and Mekong cities, not except for Ben Tre. However, the assessments and results are often not accessible to provincial or local organizations. Further, interoperability between different studies is low in the cities, sectors. Contractual obligations for classified data, binding upon government institutions often impede data sharing. Organizational issues such as lack of government’s mandate to release data pose challenges. All organizations in Ben Tre city and province expressed the need for better data sharing practices between organizations. Data for Scaled Up and Sustainable Development Staff and officials of Ben Tre City’s public organisations are highly committed to scaling up growth of their city. However, they have not yet anticipated data requirements that planning for this anticipated growth necessitates. Further, while they are aware that climate change concerns need to be addressed for plan revisions, they do not yet have cognizance of the nature of measurable parameters to be mapped and consequently, integrated into a common data base. Equipment Our discussions revealed lack of availability of appropriate computer equipment, software, hardware, and connectivity to support effective use of spatial data for master planning across provincial and local 60 The spatial data is obliged to designed according to “Regulations of national geographic information standardsâ€? in Decision No. 06/2007/QÄ?-BTNMT issued on February 27th 2007 and Decision No. 05/2008/QÄ? -BTNMT dated August 26th 2008 by Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and the geo-reference is obliged to follow GIS National standard coordinate system of VN2000. 57 governments. Data, software and equipment maintenance recurring costs will add burden to the concerned authorities. Recommendations Major imperatives identified for Ben Tre city include the following: Planning for sustainable development • Adapt the Master Planning process and process of preparing sectorial plans to address cross sectorial concerns that cut across multiple scales of development – regional, city, local and area levels; • Prepare a framework for incremental-integrated planning (to address urban growth dynamics); • Formulate a framework for urban design schemes for urban watersheds and green streets plan using the Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDs) framework and a corresponding dataset. Data for integrated planning: Prepare a framework for integration of province level CCAP into Statutory Master Plans of Ben Tre city and accordingly, corresponding data integration into primary data base; also prepare a framework for integration of province level CCAP into Sectorial Master Plans for Ben Tre city and integration of corresponding data with primary database; Primary data collection and creation of a robust geo-spatial data infrastructure for scaling up of economic development imperatives through Master Plans and Sectorial Plans; discuss details with DRM experts and formulate an outline for disaster risk proofing of Ben Tre; Data integration: Integration of multiple spatial and non-spatial data sources from multiple governmental, non-governmental organizations, World Bank funded projects is essential and feasible in avoiding duplication of efforts. These include: • LIDAR data from ongoing project of MoNRE for Mekong Delta Region; • Satellite images (VNREDSAT1) from Remote Sensing Department of MONRE; • The results of sea water intrusion from ongoing project funded by The World Bank. • DRM database structure from WB5 project funded by World Bank. • DRM map atlas from Integrated Disaster Risk Management Project funded by World Bank. Data management: Develop a mid-term target for regular updating of spatial and non-spatial data, essential to develop a reflective and flexible approach to addressing disaster risks. Data Monitoring and Evaluation: Develop a list of tangible indicators relevant to Ben Tre, for monitoring implementation of plans and projects; also, formulate a set of indicators for valuation of 58 policy outcomes – for example, inclusionary affordable housing, soft infrastructure design, compact urban development, climate change action etc. Training and Capacity Building Programme: Prepare a capacity building programme for augmenting capacities in GIS enabled urban planning, monitoring of plan and project implementation, project management, data processing and management at the province and city levels. Priority Actions A short term and medium term priority action agenda has been suggested for Ben Tre city. Technical Assistance Programme: Data Infrastructure for Integration of Master Plans and Sectoral Plans with Climate Change Action • In the short term (1st year), a Technical Assistance Programme is recommended at the Province and City levels for integration CCAP, into Statutory Master Plan and Sectoral Master Plans; • At the outset, as a common agenda for all seven cities of the Mekong Delta, conduct a High- Level Policy Briefing at the Ministry level to discuss policy imperatives for Risk Proofing of Cities in the MDR. • As part of this common agenda, conduct series of consultative workshops at the ministries at the Central Government levels, with MoC, MoNRE, MoIT, MoH, MoT et al and National Institutes for Informatics and Geomatics, to understand their mandates/ challenges and share initial observations from field; develop frameworks for exploring new urban development planning practices and importance of data; • Also conduct consultative workshops between government and non-government organizations to explore areas of synergies; • Evaluate possibility of establishing data centres at the Province levels at Ben Tre or at selected centres amongst the seven Provinces; evaluate financial, institutional, legal and policy barriers 59 for their establishment; integrate efforts with national and international research institutes for this purpose; • Develop a framework for integration of Master Plans and Sectoral Plans with the recommendations of the CCAP; • It is desirable that this TA exercise would include submittal and receipt of approval of proposal to MoC for establishing data centres at Province level for Ben Tre Province and City, including financial outlays and phasing of investments for the purpose. Capacity Building: Better Urban Governance for Risk Proofing In the medium term (2nd to 4th year) as follow up actions, the following are proposed: • Step 00: Conduct series of consultative workshops for officials of DoC, DoNRE of Ben Tre Province, at the central government level and expose them to data sets currently available and benefits of GIS enabled planning (0-3rd month); • Step 01: Establish GIS cell at Ben Tre Province level office of the DoC (with minimum equipment, software etc) (0-6th month); • Step 02: Orientation sessions: Exposure to Integrated Master Planning – relevant international examples and arriving at what is feasible, with the target team, for Ben Tre (3-6th month); • Step 03: Detailed assessment of vector data available with DoNRE, DoC and all line departments (3-6th month); DoNRE has substantial data already available. It would be important at this stage to find institutional arrangements for data sharing; • Step 04: Delineate a boundary as Pilot for GIS data base generation, followed by application for Ben Tre Planning Area; List primary surveys for data collection and area of interest (6-8th month); • Step 05: Integrate ‘minimum’ disaggregated data collected from sectoral primary surveys (6th to 18th month); • Step 06: Creation of a GIS Data base including detailed spatial and non-spatial data, at City level, for Ben Tre (12th to 24th month); • Step 07: Creating suitable data and maps for generating climate change scenarios/ simulations- refer RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 (20th to 28th month); • Step 08: Revision of Statutory Land Use Master Plan and integration with CCAP using GIS based technology platform (20th to 28th month); Simultaneous revision of Sectorial Master Plans and integration with CCAP using GIS based technology platform (20th month onwards); Training & Capacity Building Programme in use of GIS software, accompanying the above projects: Workshops and job on hands training sessions at DoC for DoC, DoNRE, PPC, CPC staff (18 th to 28th month). 60