Da NANG — A set of criteria to build a “livable city” was in the final stages at a consultation conference hosted by the Da Nang City Commission for Publicity and Education on Tuesday.

The set includes groups of criteria divided into six categories: human development, public management, public infrastructure, business environment, living conditions and socioeconomic affairs.

A detailed blueprint to turn those criteria into reality was requested by some representatives from a related agency at the event. Questions of how to evaluate the effectiveness of the new policy caught the attention of most attendants. The city authorities plan to set up a smart city and preserve local heritage simultaneously.

Dang Viet Dung, head of the commission, said that the term “smart city” implied cities which are built with good public management, becoming a foundation for the harmonious and sustainable development of economy, politics, culture and society. Therefore, becoming a smart city was both Da Nang City’s goal and motivation, he stressed. 

In December 2016, the Asia institute of City Management (AiCM) announced that the central coastal city of Da Nang was the most livable place in Viet Nam as a result of the yearlong study.

The institute commissioned the study to understand the development and challenges this city faces.

Unlike the larger metropolises of Ha Noi and HCM City in which infrastructure was first built long ago, Da Nang City takes the advantage of starting afresh, the institute’s press release emphasised.

Located between the ancient town of Hoi An and the old capital of Hue, Da Nang City spans an area of 1,285 sq.km, with an estimated population of 1 million people in 2014, and expects to reach 1.5 million people by 2020 and 2.5 million by 2030. In November 2017, the city welcomed 21 leaders of member economies participating in the APEC 2017 Economic Leaders Week. — VNS