Trainer: Eglantine Gavoty, research officer, ASCONIT Consultants
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The trainer with a group of trainees |
Trainees: 24 Vietnamese professionals referred by the Hanoi People’s Committee, Hanoi Architecture and Urban Planning Department, Hanoi Institute of Urban Planning and Construction and the National Institute of Architecture and the National Institute of Rural and Urban Planning (under the Ministry of Construction).
Due to recent spectacular economic growth in Vietnam, strong urban expansion in the last few years has thrust to the fore a daunting challenge for the environment, especially in urban and peri-urban contexts. This problem demands greater attention on the part of urban planners and decision makers alike with regard to environmental impact assessments when developing and executing planning documents. Unfortunately, this aspect has basically been overlooked or is often only rubber stamped. This has led IMV to provide training in environmental impact assessment in a bid to build the capacities of Vietnamese professionals in this field.
The training session was divided into two sections, theory and practice. The first section, which lasted three days, enabled the trainer to present the environmental impacts assessment process currently being used in France. The trainees were thus put in touch with state-of-the-art practices for analysis of the initial condition of the site and its environment, measures for stamping out, mitigating or compensating impacts and assessing project impacts. The trainer also emphasized the need to involve the public and monitor the project after implementation. In the second section that involved field work, the trainees chose Long Bien district in the suburbs of Hanoi that is subject to strong pressure from urban expansion. They also had fruitful discussions with the trainer on current regulations and practices in Vietnam in this area.