Waterways and Urban Morphology of Saigon HCMC Case Study of Xuyen Tam Canal Area in Ward 1 and 2, Binh Thanh District

Abstract

Saigon- Hochiminh City (HCMC) has a long history of water-based development, defined by entire system of water transport routes, water-based living culture and productivities. Today, due to the declines of water transport and water-related social economic activities, water-based settlements have degraded the qualities of their living and working environments, negatively contributing to images of the city with pollutions, slums and garbage filled. In order to upgrade the conditions, improve water landscape, attract investments and accumulate economic growth, city government, with financial and technical supports from national and international levels, has carried many projects on water upgrading and redevelopment. The general objectives have been recorded as (1) (whole or partly) evictions of water-based communities/households, (2) constructions or widening of water-side roads, and (3) renovations and developments in vacant areas acquired from land pulling and readjustment. However, the effectiveness of evictions and resettlements of large number of households, the incomprehensive and passive plans for spatial renovations and upgrading after road constructions, and the demolitions of lots of valuable buildings have been questioned. If only are the values of water - based characteristics convincingly identified, the responsive and sensitive solutions for these areas are reasonably appropriate. This paper develops a framework to analyze values of these settlements from various aspects of spaces based upon morphological approach: the physical, the behavioral and emotional characters. Then, taking a section of Xuyen Tam canal as a case study, this paper applies the framework to analyze and discuss its future spatial transformation.