The unsustainable spatial characters of new urban areas in Hanoi, Vietnam

Abstract

This research investigates the spatial characters of New Urban Areas (NUAs) in Hanoi, Vietnam, by employing space syntax and urban morphological approaches. Hanoi grows from a monocentric city to an ‘amoeba’-like urban form in its periphery, where modern formally planned neighbourhoods exist next to, or even mix with urbanised villages and agricultural lands. At the city scale, this paper examines the spatial configuration of street networks in Hanoi, and the integration of these NUAs into the system. It compares the configuration of the NUAs with their surrounding neighbourhoods that have been spontaneously developed. At the neighbourhood level, the analysis explains the attractiveness and performance of streets, movements of pedestrians, motorbikes and cars, maps and compares the morphological features of various NUAs in Hanoi. Findings reveal that these NUAs are poorly integrated into the spatial network of the city. They underscore the private vehicular favoured urban environments of these NUAs, uncomfortable pedestrian movements, resulting in less-vibrant street life. This research informs practices, including urban planning, design, development and management, on the significance of top-down and bottom-up forces in shaping urban centres and the importance of street network in promoting healthy and sustainable lifestyles.