Highlights from the Urban Pathways project in Vietnam

The global Urban Pathways IKI project has successfully established a facility to support national and local governments to develop low-carbon plans for basic urban services. In this context, it supports the cities of Hanoi and Hai Phong in the development of local implementation concepts on sustainable transport and waste management. On 7 February 2018, a workshop was held in Berlin, Germany, for all the global cities involved in the project to share their experiences on current and future activities for demonstration projects. Representatives from the city of Hanoi introduced their urban mobility plans: Hanoi aims to increase the use of public transport and encourage further use of e-mobility in the city to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector. The city has already implemented a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system and started to operate its first metro line in the first quarter of 2019. During the workshop, officials from Hanoi and the Urban Pathways team elaborated the demonstration project concept on e-mobility in Hanoi. The proposed e-mobility demonstration focuses on promoting e-scooters as last-mile connectivity integrating with the BRT and metro rail stations. The demonstration project will have the potential not only to encourage a shift to e-scooters, but also to increase the use of public transport.

Another thematic focus for Hanoi is to promote the recycling of used milk cartons to reduce and manage solid waste in Hanoi. It will engage teachers and students at primary and secondary schools, as well as some children at kindergartens to separate used milk cartons from garbage bins and have them delivered to recycling facilities. Further stakeholders are officials and civil servants from the Hanoi city, such as the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the Department of Training and Education, and other potential organizations already working in waste management and research institutions.

In Haiphong, Urban Pathways has developed a project proposal on a ‘Pedestrian Street along Tam Bac River, Hong Bang District, Hai Phong’ as part of a local implementation concept. The project proposal was submitted to ‘UN-Habitat call on Small public space implementation projects’ in November 2018. The proposed demonstration project will be part of an overall urban transition strategy for Hai Phong City. By implementing the project along the Tam Bac River, the measure will not only provide access to a safe, green and inclusive urban space, but will also encourage the city to undertake similar projects in the coming years. The Hai Phong Department of Transport will be the key local partner for the project.

Further information on the pedestrian street proposal in Hai Phong can be found here.

The global Urban Pathways IKI project helps deliver on the Paris Agreement and the NDCs in the context of the New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals in the cities of four pilot countries (India, Brazil, Kenya, Vietnam) and 20 replication cities.

Urban Pathways website: https://www.urban-pathways.org

Contact: Oliver Lah, E-Mail