Shaping the urban edge

Ref.: 319
Key theme: 04 Abstracts for which the authors did not indicate a key theme
Date of reception: 05/12/2008

AUTHORS (*Main author)

TU QUYEN, Luong * (Viet Nam) - Hanoi Architectural University

ABSTRACT

The paper aims to analyse the transitional process of Vietnamese cities in different historical periods and in Vietnamese conditions, where the vast rural areas have strong impact to the urban development. Starting with ancient ages, through out the Feudal and Colonial period, the Socialism and Innovation years, the cities transformed from the concept of border- precise, clear, firm, morphologically defined and substantially coincident with city wall; to the notion of edge- undefined, ambiguous, open, porous, imprecise, hard to identify. The process of physical transformation of the cities from cities included in walls to cities surrounded by shapeless edges. The walls divided the inner cities from the rural areas.
After the Country Unification in 1975, the Vietnamese Government has tried to fill the gap between urban and rural areas by different policies. These policies, in one hand has positive influences to improve the rural life conditions, but in the other hand has also the negative ones that to lose the image of urban and rural spaces. Further more, the globalization and economic development has push the cities to collaborate in land using, infrastructure networking, environmental protection etc. so the urban boundary becomes more difficult to identify.
In the world, many countries have experienced the same problems as Vietnam in losing the characteristics of urban and rural spaces. Thus, the need of shaping the urban edge must be taken in urban design to improve the identities of urban as well as rural areas.
The paper also introduces some lessons from foreign countries which is successful in renovation the urban edge.

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