City drafts plan for urban development along first metro line

City drafts plan for urban development along first metro line.

HCM City authorities are drafting design and construction plans for urban development along the city’s first metro line, aiming to tackle issues such as flooding and congestion and improve the city’s landscapes and residents’ quality of life.

The Department of Planning and Architecture is seeking experts’ opinions on exploiting public land along the route, which extends between Bến Thành market in District 1 and Suối Tiên Theme Park in the new Thủ Đức City.

With natural landscapes and major cultural and historical works along the metro line, the large land fund along it will be developed into multi-functional and specialized service centers.

Under the draft, about 10 urban development projects will be built along a portion of the line that stretches 14.8 km through 11 wards in Thủ Đức City, according to the department.

The draft regulation on the management of urban architecture has been submitted by the Department of Planning and Architecture to the city People’s Committee.

With a total investment of more than VNĐ43.7 trillion (USD 1.91 billion), the 20-km metro line has three underground stations and 11 elevated stations.

More than 87 percent of the route has been completed. That is expected to increase to 91 percent by the end of the year. The completion date, originally slated for the year-end, has been pushed up to the end of 2023 or early 2024 due to the impact of the pandemic.