Viet Nam: Urban Green Growth Consultant

Introduction:

Based in Seoul, The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is an intergovernmental organization founded to support and promote a model of economic growth known as "green growth", which targets key aspects of economic performance such a poverty reduction, job creation, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability. GGGI works with countries around the world, building their capacity and working collaboratively on green growth policies that can impact the lives of millions. The organization partners with countries, multilateral institutions, government bodies, and private sector to help build economies that grow strongly and are more efficient and sustainable in the use of natural resources, less carbon intensive, and more resilient to climate change.

GGGI supports stakeholders through complementary and integrated workstreams – Green Growth Planning & Implementation and Investment and Policy Solutions – that deliver comprehensive products designed to assist in developing, financing, and mainstreaming green growth in national economic development plans.

Since 2012, GGGI has worked with the government of Viet Nam, in the finance sector with the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), in green cities with the Ministry of Construction (MOC) and on renewable energy with the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT). GGGI works to provide strategic policy advice as well as prioritization and development of bankable projects. GGGI and MPI recently published the 2016-2020 Country Planning Framework (CPF) for Viet Nam, which confirms GGGI’s partnership with the government will focus in the green city, finance and energy sectors to enable Viet Nam to achieve its ambitious development goals in a green and inclusive way.

Within the urban sector, GGGI is supporting the development of green cities through activities aiming to mainstream green growth in government bodies responsible for urban planning. MOC is the leading government agency in the field of urban planning, and has identified the following five areas of activities that are critical for implementing the National Green Growth Action Plan (Decision 403/QD-TTg) in the urban sector:

• Development of Urban Green Growth Strategic Framework and Roadmap
• Identification of Urban Green Growth Monitoring and Implementation Indicators
• Preparation of Urban Green Growth Guidelines and Best Practices and Analysis
• Training and Capacity Building
• Prioritized Energy efficiency +Equity Investments

GGGI’s project with MOC – Viet Nam’s Urban Green Growth Action Plan – has been implemented since 2015. The ultimate aim is to strengthen the ability of stakeholders in Viet Nam to integrate green growth objectives into their planning, development, and investment processes in the urban setting.

In Phase I (2015), the project developed urban green growth indicators, conducted a status quo assessment of urban green growth policies and activities, and developed capacity development trainings for government officials of MOC and relevant departments and cities.

In Phase II (2016), the project continued to conduct capacity development trainings, completed the investment prioritization exercises in two cities; Dien Ban and Tra Vinh, and supported MOC to review the Urban Planning Code and developed a Circular for Green City Indicators.

Phase III (2017) assisted the Government of Viet Nam to achieve targeted poverty reduction, social inclusion, environmental sustainability and economic growth through urban green growth development. GGGI conducted an assessment of the potential contributions by cities to NDC achievement. The findings, validated in consultation with stakeholders, facilitate the alignment of local policy and planning with national low-carbon objectives, and assist cities and the MOC to implement a sectoral green growth action plan.

Phase IV (2018) the project will build upon the work completed in 2016-2017, mainstreaming green growth in city master plans and piloting the green growth indicators in different cities. Specifically, phase III will focus on the following components:

1. Component 1

Conduct an analysis to mainstream green growth into city master planning. GGGI will cooperate with a pilot city to develop an orientation and vision for the Green City Master Plan that incorporates the urban green growth indicators and the investment framework, and is informed by the revised planning code and GGGI’s National Urban Green Growth Strategy (NUGGS). GGGI will also develop guidelines for green city master planning that would be able to guide other cities in the future.

2. Component 2

Pilot the urban green growth indicators in three cities in Viet Nam. GGGI will support MOC to track the planning and implementation of green growth, supporting all urban areas in Viet Nam to transition to green growth and the achievement of GGGI’s strategic outcomes.

3. Component 3

Support the Viet Nam Urban Forum (VUF) to design and deliver knowledge sharing activities, including the annual meeting and Urban Green Growth Week. GGGI will provide experts to speak at events on urban green growth in Viet Nam and provide experience from other GGGI programs.

4. Component 4

Develop feasibility studies and financing proposals for green urban infrastructure and submit them to the government. Previous GGGI support identified and prioritized investment opportunities for urban infrastructure projects. GGGI will build on that support by conducting pre-feasibility studies and assessing available funding options. Findings will result in GGGI designing a business case for potential funding entities, and supporting projects to access identified funding sources.

The Project is managed and implemented by GGGI, in partnership with the Ministry of Construction, the Project counterpart. MOC provides leadership, technical inputs, coordination support and liaises with relevant government agencies and development partners. The Project is working at the national level with MOC as well as focusing on several pilot cities.

Scope of Work:

In 2009, The National Assembly of Viet Nam approved the Law on Urban Planning (Law No. 21/2009/GH12) which concretizes the orientation of the master plan on the national system of urban centers and related regional plans and ensures consistency with branch development plans within urban centers. Following the 2009 Law, the Prime Minister signed the Decree on the formulation, evaluation, approval and management of urban planning in 2010 (No. 37/2010/ND-CP), and then the Minister of MOC signed the Circular on the Content of Urban Design in 2016 (No. 12/2016/TT-BXD). The Decree and the Circular specify the requirements on urban design, as well as the contents of an urban plan and the contents of a specialized technical infrastructure plan. However, none of these legal documents requires cities to consider sustainable development and green growth in their urban plans.

Based on the need to operationalize elements of the Viet Nam Urban Green Growth Development Plan, GGGI will work with a pilot city to develop an orientation and vision for Green City Master Plan that incorporates the urban green growth indicators and an investment framework that is informed by the revised planning code and GGGI’s Green City Development Guidelines. GGGI will identify a candidate city for the Master Plan and engage with national and city level stakeholders to develop a pipeline of prioritized investment opportunities for follow-up financing and action.

GGGI will have two staff working on this project. GGGI will hire three consultants: Urban planning expert, urban green growth expert, and a local coordinator. The three consultants shall work closely with each other and with the city task team and other experts in MOC. All consultants hired by GGGI will report directly to the GGGI Green Cities Officer.

The urban green growth expert shall perform the following tasks under the guidance of GGGI and MOC:

Task 1. Conduct an analysis to mainstream green growth into a pilot city master plan

• Analyze the previous city master plan and the current draft of the revised city master plan (if available)
• Identify the gaps in the current master plan against the 2017 Planning Law, 2009 Urban Planning Law, the 2013 and 2016 Circulars, and the GGGI Green City Development Guidelines, and other urban planning best practices
• Identify the potential areas to mainstream green growth in the pilot city’s green city master plan using CDIA toolkit

Task 2. Integrate green growth actions in the city master plan

• Identify green growth actions to be included in the city master plan with potential environmental, social and economic benefits
• Develop a technical report on the analysis of green growth mainstreaming into the city master plan
• Closely work with the city drafting team to develop the concept and a vision for a green city master plan

Task 3. Hold a consultation workshop on mainstreaming green growth into the city master plan

• Develop workshop content
• Deliver presentations and lead the relevant discussions on green growth actions to be mainstreamed into the city master plan
• Prepare a workshop report with all comments from stakeholders

Task 4. Develop guidelines on mainstreaming green growth into the city master planning process

• Provide comments on the draft guidelines to develop a green city master plan
• Finalize the draft guidelines to develop a green city master plan

GGGI will provide travelling costs for a maximum of 3 trips to the pilot city for data gathering and analysis and consultation meetings. If other field visits are needed, the consultant shall be responsible for all logistic arrangements and at his/her own cost.

Output/Reporting Requirements/Deliverables:

Output 1:

• A technical report on the gaps in current master plan and potential areas to mainstream green growth in the revising city master plan

Due date: 15 June 2018

Value: 30% of contract value

Output 2:

• Delivery of the raw data files from the city used in the mainstreaming process
• A technical report with green growth analysis and concrete green growth actions to be incorporated into the city master plan
• Presentations delivered at the consultation workshop and a consultation workshop report

Due date: 31 August 2018

Value: 30% of contract value

Output 3:

• Final technical report on analysis of green growth mainstreaming into city master plan
• An orientation and vision for green city master plan submitted to the government and accepted by the City Government
• Guidelines on developing green city master plan

Due date: 31 October 2018

Value: 40% of contract value

The deliverables will be prepared and submitted in English and Vietnamese, in accordance with GGGI’s formatting requirements, and submitted in hard copy and electronic formats along with complete sets of raw data, research materials, and related information.