Public transport development orientation with transit and land-use integration toward a livable environment.

Urban landscape of today Ho Chi Minh is known as the significant increase of individual transportation. Extremely high-density living but inadequate levels of infrastructure provision create serious health problems and environmental impacts in HCM inner districts. In mid 1990s, many papers describe HCM is the city where traffic is transformed from bicycles to motorcycles. In mid 200s, it is labeled as "motor dependent city" and traffic congestion becomes more serious than ever. HCM as under the hyper urbanism are faced with the problem of traffic congestion on a large scale, like many other cities in Asia. Concerning this issue, a lot of solutions were applied but the traffic situation has not much improved. The study predicts that the next step of HCM traffic action will be the shift to cars. Moreover, the future reduction of car taxes in order to reach the globalization is threatening the city by shifting from motor-based to car-based system. In fact, a few years ago, the City Authorities started a series of initiatives and produced several political documents for future development. One of them is the Transport Master Plan for 2030 developed in 2004 and approved in 2013. To overcome HCMC's transport challenges, TMP is planned to modernize and extend the existing road and highway network, and especially an extensive public transport improvement program including metro line as Mass rapid transit (MRT) and bus corridor (BRT) encouraging friendly environment for cycling and pedestrian. This master plan based on the concept of sustainable urban transport towards the integrated approach between transit and spatial land-use. HCM city has potential of densities to support these mass transit systems, yet, the shifts in development are not yet in place and they need a long-term transformation to measure the impacts. Meanwhile, worsening congestion of motorized situation is adversely affecting the city's competitiveness and human life. By redefining the transportation and city interaction, can transit once again play a central role in HCM city after having been structured since colonial time? Would a future of HCM paired with integration concept be an alternative to the motorized city? Being considered as a means of public transport for those who cannot afford cars, what can be the prediction of advantages and disadvantages after Transport Master Plan towards 2030 are done? Transport differs from other problems developing societies face, because it gets worse rather than better with economic growth. While sanitation, education, and other challenges improve with economic growth, transport gets worse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]