Summary
We visited a number of sites in Ho Chi Minh City that show processes of urban development, gentrification, displacement of the poor and urban planning. Students observed a number of housing developments at various stages, considering the social and economic impacts of such developments.
Posts
A Tale of Two Riverbanks: Perspectives on Development in Ho Chi Minh City (11/10/2014) - A few days ago, my roommate and I were riding along the Saigon River on a wide and immaculately paved highway in District 1. The road had two separate lanes; one was for cars and the other for motorbikes, and the traffic lights were configured to account for both types of vehicles. The sides of […]
Supply and Demand: Urbanization conflicts in Ho Chi Minh City (11/9/2014) - Economic reform in Vietnam through out the past decade has brought about lots of changes, many of which have been very beneficial while others have caused problems. Industrialization and urbanization have had their benefits economically but have also had some negative effects. As big cities such Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi develop there is a […]
Short Term Gains for Long Term Strains (11/8/2014) - Here is a link to my observational post “Short Term Gains for Long Term Strains” regarding the consequences of rapid industrialization on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City.
Moving poor Vietnamese to make a place for rich Vietnamese (11/8/2014) - This week our class took a bus to district 7 where we looked into aspects of urbanization, development and upward mobility we hadn’t thought about before. Our first stop was at an upscale mall that would seem shockingly huge and expensive even in the US. A map of where this mall is the first […]
When it Rains it Pours: Observing Drainage Problems in Newly Developed Zones (11/6/2014) - Click here to see my post about drainage problems in Ho Chi Minh City.