Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, has long struggled to provide adequate open and green spaces ... more Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, has long struggled to provide adequate open and green spaces for its growing urban population. Despite significant governmental efforts to build and renovate parks, squares, and plazas, the provision of public spaces has yet to meet the growing demand for these amenities in this densely populated city. The lack of open public spaces is compounded by accessibility issues, with a large proportion of the urban population not having access to a public space at a walking or cycling distance from their homes. These issues result, in part, from a lack of attention by planning authorities to the provision and renovation of local-scale public spaces such as neighborhood parks. While this sidelining affects the entire city, it is felt most strongly in densely populated lower socioeconomic areas where the shortage of public spaces is especially acute and where residents are the least mobile. Local civil society organizations in Hanoi recently stepped in to address these problems. This movement was launched by Think Playgrounds, a community architecture and social enterprise founded in 2014. Through their practice, Think Playgrounds, and the growing number of organizations it collaborates with, pioneered a new model of neighborhood-scale public space production in urban Vietnam. Departing from the conventional, top-down, state-led planning approach, this innovative model prioritizes the development of socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable public spaces through participatory and collaborative methods. The present report examines the impacts, experiences, and challenges of this new model of public space production in Hanoi. It does so through the lens of the Bờ Vở-Chương Dương Forest-Park, a significant exemplar of the principles, approaches, and methods promoted by Think Playgrounds and its collaborators. The objectives of this evaluative study are to: – Document the outcomes and perceptions of implementing an innovative approach and methods in developing public spaces in Hanoi; – Understand how this new model and the resulting public space are experienced by local populations, particularly residents in the areas of implementation; – Analyse the impacts of the new public space and development methods on local sociability and community dynamics. Our analysis draws on both quantitative and qualitative data collected during the Spring of 2023 through questionnaire, interview and observational surveys with adult and children users of the forest-park and other stakeholders involved in this unusual public space experiment.
Sidewalks bustling with action are a defining feature of many Southeast Asian cities, including H... more Sidewalks bustling with action are a defining feature of many Southeast Asian cities, including Hồ Chí Minh City (HCMC) — Vietnam’s largest urban centre and the primary focus of Sidewalk City. Every day, a lively ballet unfolds on the city’s sidewalks, starring — among other characters — street vendors peddling their wares, neighbours chatting with each other, kids playing improvized games, informal motorbike parking and pedestrians trying to negotiate the crowded space. Annette Miae Kim’s welcome monograph seeks to render this everyday spectacle more legible and, in doing so, to sensitize social scientists, urban planners, and municipal authorities to its multifaceted contributions to rapidly growing and evolving cities. The book opens with the following observation: while sidewalks are central to the everyday urban experience of residents in many cities across the Global South and North, including HCMC, they have been largely overlooked by the urban studies and planning scholarship. Kim’s book seeks to fill this gap. The author convincingly argues that understanding how sidewalks are organized, negotiated and practised requires a theoretical toolkit that integrates the material physicality and socio-political construction of these spaces. The first chapter of Sidewalk City proposes such an analytical framework. It comprises an unusual assemblage of three rarely combined conceptual-methodological approaches: spatial ethnography, property rights theory and critical cartography. In later chapters, Kim skilfully demonstrates the value of this innovative approach in uncovering
Large-scale residential developments on expropriated lands in periurban Hanoi resemble forms of g... more Large-scale residential developments on expropriated lands in periurban Hanoi resemble forms of gentrification seen elsewhere. But is it gentrification? Current debate over the definition of gentrification has focused on whether the term has become too broad to be useful in different institutional and spatiotemporal contexts. While some push for a generalizable definition based in capitalist development, others argue that the term harbors Western assumptions that fail to usefully explain unique local circumstances. The paper first identifies one such conceptual assumption that must be made explicit since it provides the term’s politicizing thrust: displacement generates an experience of social injustice. Then, drawing on surveys and interviews with residents as well as interviews with real estate agents, government officials, and academics conducted in Hanoi between 2013 and 2017, the paper evaluates five types of displacement on the city’s outskirts. Because displacement only occurs in marginal cases and generates limited feelings of social injustice, the term “gentrification” is of little use. Instead, the paper suggests that in a context of rapid urbanization and relatively inclusive economic growth like that of Hanoi the terms “livelihood dispossession” and “value grabbing” may better capture the experience of social injustice and are therefore more likely to generate political traction.
Au Vietnam, malgré la conversion de plus d’un million d’hectares de terres agricoles en terres à ... more Au Vietnam, malgré la conversion de plus d’un million d’hectares de terres agricoles en terres à urbaniser entre 2001 et 2010 (World Bank et al., 2011), les besoins des villes en ressource foncière ne fléchissent pas. Au contraire, au regard des projections de croissance urbaine actuelles, les autorités nationales estiment qu’environ 35 000 ha supplémentaires devront être convertis annuellement pour des usages urbains, et ce jusqu’à ce que le pays atteigne un taux d’urbanisation de 45 % d’ici..
Graffiti has become an omnipresent feature of urban landscapes, with sprawling words and images o... more Graffiti has become an omnipresent feature of urban landscapes, with sprawling words and images on public and private surfaces triggering heated debates on the meaning, implications, and legality of these urban inscriptions. Yet, to date, there has been little academic research conducted on graffiti and street art in the Asian context, and none that we could find on the burgeoning scene in Vietnam. In the context of a socialist state, with little tolerance for public dissent, we investigate how, and by whom, graffiti is created, and to what degree it transgresses public space norms in the country’s capital city, Hanoi. We analyse how young graffiti writers negotiate the social, physical, and cultural boundaries which serve as either deterrents or catalysts for graffiti creation, and consider whether strategies of compliance or everyday resistance are employed in order to create their work. With the effects that globalisation and urbanisation have had on the Asian region, and the tactics citizens employ to negotiate state‐imposed censorship and restraints having been studied closely, we position our work within these broader debates.
During the period of the vast national housing programme implemented by the Ministry of Construct... more During the period of the vast national housing programme implemented by the Ministry of Construction between 1975 and 1985, 80,000 lodgings a year were built in Hà Nội in KTTs (or Khu tập thể), collective housing units mostly intended for civil servants. This number then fell to 40,000 in 1986. Although construction of housing in the capital during the 30 years of the collectivist economy was insufficient, this was in large part due to the population doubling in size, but also to widespread s..
Vietnam’s capital city has recently witnessed the emergence of a new type of cultural space akin ... more Vietnam’s capital city has recently witnessed the emergence of a new type of cultural space akin to what have been labelled creative hubs in other contexts: that is, locales that foster creation, collaboration, community engagement and business development in the cultural sector. During the 2010s, Hanoi saw a proliferation of small-scale, art-oriented creative hubs, most of them community-led and developed without state funding. In a context marked by a government historically wary of contemporary and experimental arts, these spaces face various forms of state control ranging from the censorship of events, to stiff fines or even closure. Despite these barriers, creative hubs have become important sites for the gathering and formation of Hanoi’s contemporary arts scene and countercultures. Based on over 80 interviews conducted in 2019, this paper investigates the motives behind the rise of these spaces in Hanoi and the political engagement techniques their founders, operators and users employ to remain in operation. Drawing on the notion of ‘informal life politics’, we argue that creative hubs seek to provide spaces of (partial) autonomy from governmentality in Hanoi. We further find that artists, intellectuals and other creative individuals use these spaces to challenge state controls. They do so not by lobbying formal institutions for policy changes, but instead by enacting the more open and free socio-cultural milieu they seek, from the bottom up.
Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, has long struggled to provide adequate open and green spaces ... more Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, has long struggled to provide adequate open and green spaces for its growing urban population. Despite significant governmental efforts to build and renovate parks, squares, and plazas, the provision of public spaces has yet to meet the growing demand for these amenities in this densely populated city. The lack of open public spaces is compounded by accessibility issues, with a large proportion of the urban population not having access to a public space at a walking or cycling distance from their homes. These issues result, in part, from a lack of attention by planning authorities to the provision and renovation of local-scale public spaces such as neighborhood parks. While this sidelining affects the entire city, it is felt most strongly in densely populated lower socioeconomic areas where the shortage of public spaces is especially acute and where residents are the least mobile. Local civil society organizations in Hanoi recently stepped in to address these problems. This movement was launched by Think Playgrounds, a community architecture and social enterprise founded in 2014. Through their practice, Think Playgrounds, and the growing number of organizations it collaborates with, pioneered a new model of neighborhood-scale public space production in urban Vietnam. Departing from the conventional, top-down, state-led planning approach, this innovative model prioritizes the development of socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable public spaces through participatory and collaborative methods. The present report examines the impacts, experiences, and challenges of this new model of public space production in Hanoi. It does so through the lens of the Bờ Vở-Chương Dương Forest-Park, a significant exemplar of the principles, approaches, and methods promoted by Think Playgrounds and its collaborators. The objectives of this evaluative study are to: – Document the outcomes and perceptions of implementing an innovative approach and methods in developing public spaces in Hanoi; – Understand how this new model and the resulting public space are experienced by local populations, particularly residents in the areas of implementation; – Analyse the impacts of the new public space and development methods on local sociability and community dynamics. Our analysis draws on both quantitative and qualitative data collected during the Spring of 2023 through questionnaire, interview and observational surveys with adult and children users of the forest-park and other stakeholders involved in this unusual public space experiment.
Sidewalks bustling with action are a defining feature of many Southeast Asian cities, including H... more Sidewalks bustling with action are a defining feature of many Southeast Asian cities, including Hồ Chí Minh City (HCMC) — Vietnam’s largest urban centre and the primary focus of Sidewalk City. Every day, a lively ballet unfolds on the city’s sidewalks, starring — among other characters — street vendors peddling their wares, neighbours chatting with each other, kids playing improvized games, informal motorbike parking and pedestrians trying to negotiate the crowded space. Annette Miae Kim’s welcome monograph seeks to render this everyday spectacle more legible and, in doing so, to sensitize social scientists, urban planners, and municipal authorities to its multifaceted contributions to rapidly growing and evolving cities. The book opens with the following observation: while sidewalks are central to the everyday urban experience of residents in many cities across the Global South and North, including HCMC, they have been largely overlooked by the urban studies and planning scholarship. Kim’s book seeks to fill this gap. The author convincingly argues that understanding how sidewalks are organized, negotiated and practised requires a theoretical toolkit that integrates the material physicality and socio-political construction of these spaces. The first chapter of Sidewalk City proposes such an analytical framework. It comprises an unusual assemblage of three rarely combined conceptual-methodological approaches: spatial ethnography, property rights theory and critical cartography. In later chapters, Kim skilfully demonstrates the value of this innovative approach in uncovering
Large-scale residential developments on expropriated lands in periurban Hanoi resemble forms of g... more Large-scale residential developments on expropriated lands in periurban Hanoi resemble forms of gentrification seen elsewhere. But is it gentrification? Current debate over the definition of gentrification has focused on whether the term has become too broad to be useful in different institutional and spatiotemporal contexts. While some push for a generalizable definition based in capitalist development, others argue that the term harbors Western assumptions that fail to usefully explain unique local circumstances. The paper first identifies one such conceptual assumption that must be made explicit since it provides the term’s politicizing thrust: displacement generates an experience of social injustice. Then, drawing on surveys and interviews with residents as well as interviews with real estate agents, government officials, and academics conducted in Hanoi between 2013 and 2017, the paper evaluates five types of displacement on the city’s outskirts. Because displacement only occurs in marginal cases and generates limited feelings of social injustice, the term “gentrification” is of little use. Instead, the paper suggests that in a context of rapid urbanization and relatively inclusive economic growth like that of Hanoi the terms “livelihood dispossession” and “value grabbing” may better capture the experience of social injustice and are therefore more likely to generate political traction.
Au Vietnam, malgré la conversion de plus d’un million d’hectares de terres agricoles en terres à ... more Au Vietnam, malgré la conversion de plus d’un million d’hectares de terres agricoles en terres à urbaniser entre 2001 et 2010 (World Bank et al., 2011), les besoins des villes en ressource foncière ne fléchissent pas. Au contraire, au regard des projections de croissance urbaine actuelles, les autorités nationales estiment qu’environ 35 000 ha supplémentaires devront être convertis annuellement pour des usages urbains, et ce jusqu’à ce que le pays atteigne un taux d’urbanisation de 45 % d’ici..
Graffiti has become an omnipresent feature of urban landscapes, with sprawling words and images o... more Graffiti has become an omnipresent feature of urban landscapes, with sprawling words and images on public and private surfaces triggering heated debates on the meaning, implications, and legality of these urban inscriptions. Yet, to date, there has been little academic research conducted on graffiti and street art in the Asian context, and none that we could find on the burgeoning scene in Vietnam. In the context of a socialist state, with little tolerance for public dissent, we investigate how, and by whom, graffiti is created, and to what degree it transgresses public space norms in the country’s capital city, Hanoi. We analyse how young graffiti writers negotiate the social, physical, and cultural boundaries which serve as either deterrents or catalysts for graffiti creation, and consider whether strategies of compliance or everyday resistance are employed in order to create their work. With the effects that globalisation and urbanisation have had on the Asian region, and the tactics citizens employ to negotiate state‐imposed censorship and restraints having been studied closely, we position our work within these broader debates.
During the period of the vast national housing programme implemented by the Ministry of Construct... more During the period of the vast national housing programme implemented by the Ministry of Construction between 1975 and 1985, 80,000 lodgings a year were built in Hà Nội in KTTs (or Khu tập thể), collective housing units mostly intended for civil servants. This number then fell to 40,000 in 1986. Although construction of housing in the capital during the 30 years of the collectivist economy was insufficient, this was in large part due to the population doubling in size, but also to widespread s..
Vietnam’s capital city has recently witnessed the emergence of a new type of cultural space akin ... more Vietnam’s capital city has recently witnessed the emergence of a new type of cultural space akin to what have been labelled creative hubs in other contexts: that is, locales that foster creation, collaboration, community engagement and business development in the cultural sector. During the 2010s, Hanoi saw a proliferation of small-scale, art-oriented creative hubs, most of them community-led and developed without state funding. In a context marked by a government historically wary of contemporary and experimental arts, these spaces face various forms of state control ranging from the censorship of events, to stiff fines or even closure. Despite these barriers, creative hubs have become important sites for the gathering and formation of Hanoi’s contemporary arts scene and countercultures. Based on over 80 interviews conducted in 2019, this paper investigates the motives behind the rise of these spaces in Hanoi and the political engagement techniques their founders, operators and users employ to remain in operation. Drawing on the notion of ‘informal life politics’, we argue that creative hubs seek to provide spaces of (partial) autonomy from governmentality in Hanoi. We further find that artists, intellectuals and other creative individuals use these spaces to challenge state controls. They do so not by lobbying formal institutions for policy changes, but instead by enacting the more open and free socio-cultural milieu they seek, from the bottom up.
Large residential complexes mushroom on city outskirts, as Viêt Nam enters an accelerated rate of... more Large residential complexes mushroom on city outskirts, as Viêt Nam enters an accelerated rate of urbanization. The “new urban zones” are causing sociospatial and socioeconomic fragmentation, while some foreign researchers compare these new suburban zones to “gated communities”, and criticize the perverse effects of privatization, commodification, and securitization – central concepts in the literature on neoliberalization. This theoretical framework seems inappropriate for Viêt Nam, even if criticism of the negative aspects of this urbanization model continues to be a necessity. Rooted in studies on two new urban zones on the periphery of Hanoi City, this article analyzes sociospatial and socioeconomic fragmentation at three phases of their life cycle; namely, conceptualization and funding, construction and realization, as well as everyday living practices. This approach casts light on the many “reweaving” and negotiating practices linking the new zones and neighbouring districts; and finally, it identifies the real causes of urban fragmentation: the principles of modernist planning and property speculation.
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Local civil society organizations in Hanoi recently stepped in to address these problems. This movement was launched by Think Playgrounds, a community architecture and social enterprise founded in 2014. Through their practice, Think Playgrounds, and the growing number of organizations it collaborates with, pioneered a new model of neighborhood-scale public space production in urban Vietnam. Departing from the conventional, top-down, state-led planning approach, this innovative model prioritizes the development of socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable public spaces through participatory and collaborative methods.
The present report examines the impacts, experiences, and challenges of this new model of public space production in Hanoi. It does so through the lens of the Bờ Vở-Chương Dương Forest-Park, a significant exemplar of the principles, approaches, and methods promoted by Think Playgrounds and its collaborators. The objectives of this evaluative study are to:
–
Document the outcomes and perceptions of implementing an innovative approach and methods in developing public spaces in Hanoi;
–
Understand how this new model and the resulting public space are experienced by local populations, particularly residents in the areas of implementation;
–
Analyse the impacts of the new public space and development methods on local sociability and community dynamics.
Our analysis draws on both quantitative and qualitative data collected during the Spring of 2023 through questionnaire, interview and observational surveys with adult and children users of the forest-park and other stakeholders involved in this unusual public space experiment.
Local civil society organizations in Hanoi recently stepped in to address these problems. This movement was launched by Think Playgrounds, a community architecture and social enterprise founded in 2014. Through their practice, Think Playgrounds, and the growing number of organizations it collaborates with, pioneered a new model of neighborhood-scale public space production in urban Vietnam. Departing from the conventional, top-down, state-led planning approach, this innovative model prioritizes the development of socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable public spaces through participatory and collaborative methods.
The present report examines the impacts, experiences, and challenges of this new model of public space production in Hanoi. It does so through the lens of the Bờ Vở-Chương Dương Forest-Park, a significant exemplar of the principles, approaches, and methods promoted by Think Playgrounds and its collaborators. The objectives of this evaluative study are to:
–
Document the outcomes and perceptions of implementing an innovative approach and methods in developing public spaces in Hanoi;
–
Understand how this new model and the resulting public space are experienced by local populations, particularly residents in the areas of implementation;
–
Analyse the impacts of the new public space and development methods on local sociability and community dynamics.
Our analysis draws on both quantitative and qualitative data collected during the Spring of 2023 through questionnaire, interview and observational surveys with adult and children users of the forest-park and other stakeholders involved in this unusual public space experiment.
fragmentation, while some foreign researchers compare these new suburban zones to “gated communities”, and criticize the perverse effects of privatization, commodification, and securitization – central concepts in the literature on neoliberalization. This theoretical framework seems inappropriate for Viêt Nam, even if criticism of the negative aspects of this urbanization model continues to be a necessity. Rooted in studies on two new urban zones on the periphery of Hanoi City, this article analyzes sociospatial and socioeconomic fragmentation at three phases of their life cycle; namely, conceptualization and funding, construction and realization, as well as everyday living practices. This approach casts light on the many “reweaving” and negotiating practices linking the new zones and neighbouring districts; and finally, it identifies the real causes of urban fragmentation: the principles of modernist planning and property speculation.