The HCMC government has approved the use of an international contest to choose the best consulting firm to handle the planning of the city’s underground space.

A section of the first metro line in HCMC connecting Ben Thanh Market in District 1 and Suoi Tien Park in District 9

The plan will help the city execute breakthrough programs for urban areas, waterways and waterborne tourism.

The city is constructing a number of metro lines and underground car parks and plans to build underground shopping centers in the coming period.

However, investors in the metro line and underground parking lot projects have encountered ongoing difficulties owing to the lack of underground space planning. Problems with underground infrastructure, such as power and telecom cables and water pipelines, have led to the slower-than-expected progress of these projects.

If the underground space is mapped out for better planning, the projects can be executed more easily.

The greatest obstacle to using the underground space in HCMC is that underground projects can be affected by several factors, including geology, climate change and the lack of experience and expertise of those involved.

In addition to seeking a consultant to create a plan for the underground space, the city government will hold a conference to announce the city’s planning adjustments until 2030 with a vision to 2050, as well as an international conference on the development of an innovative urban area to the east of the city.

The HCMC government has assigned the municipal Department of Planning and Architecture to submit to the prime minister a scheme for the city’s planning revisions and to develop a geographic information system to swiftly publicize districts’ new plans.

 SGT