Open Space Use Under Elevated Road Infrastructure: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Bangkok, Thailand

Abstract

In big cities in Southeast Asia, the living quality of their citizens is negatively impacted by a lack of green spaces. Seeking vacant land to develop more green spaces is the conventional solution to this issue; however, it is not applicable when land availability becomes more and more limited. Instead, optimizing the capacities of existing open spaces can be a better alternative for green development and certain additional public functions. Therefore, this paper aims to carry out a case study research on open spaces under traffic infrastructure and identify opportunities for renewal or further development. Due to the similarities in urban density, demand for green space, and potential ways to utilize the unused spaces under roadways in the cities, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Bangkok, and Thailand were chosen as case studies for this paper. The study found that in both cities, many spaces under bridges and highways can be further developed into public green spaces. Certain conceptual solutions are proposed for the selected spaces to diversify their landscape as well as improve their functions. These solutions, even at the conceptual stage, ultimately will help increase the cities’ greenery to improve their environment.