Continuity

As assessed by experts, the movement of labor from rural areas to urban ones and industrial zones has strongly boosted urbanization, basically changing the urban appearance of Hai Duong.

Over time, a continuous urban network has embryonically formed with one 2nd-class urban area (Hai Duong city), one 3rd-class urban area (Chi Linh provincial town), one 4th-class urban area (expanded Kinh Mon town), and 10 5th-class urban areas (Ninh Giang, Thanh Mien, Tu Ky, Gia Loc, Ke Sat, Nam Sach, Lai Cach, Cam Giang, Thanh Ha, and Phu Thai towns).

Regarding the nuclear urban areas of Hai Duong city, Chi Linh provincial town, and the expanded Kinh Mon town, plans have been made and realized relatively effectively with fairly clear appearance formed.

Hai Duong city authorities made and approved a master plan for city building in 2006.

In 2014, the city authorities adjusted the master plan to enlarge the city towards upgrading it to a 1st-class urban area.

Urban renovation and rearrangement have been integrated into projects to build technical and social infrastructure systems.

Engineer Nguyen Van Truong, Director of Hai Duong Housing and Urban Infrastructure Investment and Development JSC., said that over the past years, the urban space of the city had been expanded with fast urbanization.

Upgrading to a 1st-class urban area is an important task to create a new position and power for the city in the integration trend and positively affect the development of Hai Duong as well as other localities in the region.

Chi Linh provincial town became a 4th-class urban area in 2010 and a 3rd-class one in 2015.

After nearly 10 years, the provincial town authorities have basically finished planning ward division and continued to implement projects in the locality in line with the approved plan.

On October 29, 2018, the 16th Provincial People's Council adopted a project to establish Chi Linh city.

The Provincial People's Council considered and realized that the provincial town had met all five criteria regarding population scale, natural area, number of subordinate commune administrative units, and percentage of standard wards (at least 65% of the total administrative units at commune level), 3rd-class urban standards, and criteria for socio-economic structure and development level, eligible to request recognition as a city.
 
Chi Linh provincial town and Hai Duong city will be upgraded in the near future, even one of these days, since necessary and sufficient conditions have been fulfilled.

Nguyen Van Hung, Head of the Economy and Infrastructure Division of Kinh Mon district, said the expanded Kinh Mon town was recognized as a 4th-class urban area in 2014 with Kinh Mon, Phu Thu, and Minh Tan towns forming its central area.

However, the National Assembly Standing Committee's Resolution 1211/2016/UBTVQH dated May 25, 2016 stipulates that at least 50% of commune-level units of a 4th-class urban area must be wards.
 

"Over the past time, Kinh Mon authorities have made plans and focused on meeting the remaining criteria and building technical and social infrastructure as well as other urban utilities towards establishing a provincial town before 2020. Apart from nuclear urban areas, construction planning and the realization of detailed plans, technical and social infrastructure projects, etc. for the remaining urban areas have basically finished," added Hung.

Improvement of people's lives

As assessed by engineer Nguyen Van Truong, over the past time, Hai Duong authorities have actively mobilized resources to build, renovate, and enlarge many national highways and provincial roads and a number of ring roads and urban bypasses.

Complete traffic infrastructure is a great opportunity for Hai Duong to bring into full play its potential in developing new urban areas, service centers, industry, etc.

According to the program for Hai Duong urban development until 2020 with orientation to 2030, the provincial urban space will develop towards three east-west corridors and three north-south ones.

At the same time, Hai Duong urban area will also develop following three large functional areas, consisting of a northern tourism – industrial – urban – ecological area, a central service – industrial – urban area, and a southern industrial – service area.

It is oriented that by 2020, Hai Duong will have had one 1st-class, one 3rd-class, three 4th-class, and 13 5th-class urban areas.

Together with urban space development, Hai Duong authorities will focus on implementation and handling of difficult and pressing issues in urban areas, especially the construction and development of technical and social infrastructure systems, issues related to people's habitat, urban and social housing, etc.; continue to improve the living conditions of urbanites through the improvement of technical and social infrastructure services and urban environment; and develop a criterion system to assess and classify the technical and social infrastructure of low-income residential zones in urban areas, development criteria, and steps to improve living standards in each urban area.

To realize these goals, urban authorities should focus on building and renovating urban systems in association with expansion, upgrading, and rearrangement towards civilization, modernity, identity, and eco-friendliness to meet the requirements of high economic growth and comprehensive development and create close links among urban areas in the province as well as the whole Northern key economic region and Ha Noi capital region.

VI THUY