THREE RESEARCH QUESTIONS

TECHNICAL:

Technical-RIVERS (Ling)
1. How can we reconcile the need to create networks of public open space along the Red River (to serve social and ecological needs within the growing city) with an affordable approache to hydrologic engineering and water management.

2. How can the drainage and water purification system of the dyked area offer a dynamic landscape both attractive and technical performant, during both floods and dry seasons?

3. How can we deal with the current challenges of climate change to prevent the bank erosion and river bed sedimentation, through a productive and sustainable maintenance method.

Technical-LAKES (Steven)

1. Integration of lakes into public space is the single strategy presently deployed to protect Hanoi's lakes against encroachment; what other strategies could be adopted to safeguard them against other threats posed by urban development pressures?

2. What unique aspects of each lake (character, location, ecological condition, etc) could be optimised in a bid to guide integrated development around the lakes?

3. Installation of Treatment Plants seems to be the only approach considered to managing the city's water quality; what alternatives are available? Can Hanoi's lakes play a biological role? Do they have the capacity?

Techonical-CANAL & SMALL RIVERS

From Dangachew:
1. [ Treatment ]
Is there any way by which we can improve the edge conditions of these canals making them more accessible thereby reintegrating them to the city? Is there any way by which we can reverse the polluted state of these canals?

2. [ Equipment ]
Are there more efficient techniques to deal with the flooding problems than the water level regulation systems being employed now ? Are there alternative techniques that are more sustainable and less energy consuming, such as replacing the "hard" or engineered solutions by "soft" or more flexible solutions ?

3. [ Management ]
Could we propose new ways of managing the canal systems, in a way that involves the people that reside alongside them? Can we raise their awareness about environmental issues and make them key role players in the sustainable upkeep of these canals systems?

From Marijn:
1. How can To Lich River be treated as to improve the relationship with its surroundings? Can there exist different relationships with urban and agricultural areas? Can parts of the river bed be restored to bring a new quality to the urban environment?

2. There are plans of reconnecting To Lich River to Red River (however in a way that is different from the historical course). What are the effects of a renewed connection of the small rivers and canals to the Red River?

3. Day River seems far away from the city, while Nhue River seems to be the next river to be swallowed. What should be the first steps to define the quality and character of Day River, imagining its gradual transformation? What can be learned from To Lich and Nhue River?

NATURE:

Nature-RIVER (Pamel + David)
1. How can we control the nature along the Red river and create new 'environments' for future generations?

2. What type of activities/uses can we introduce along the Red river that can naturally cope with both backward and forward fluctuations of the river?

3. How best can we deal with change in lifestyles of the people to prevent destruction of nature along the Red river?

Nature -LAKE (Ayasha)
1. Hanoi is occasionally called ‘city of lakes’. There are still some lakes that are the pride of city and largely accepted by inhabitants here. What approaches can be taken to maintain their existence?

2. Most of the lakes in inner urban are badly disturbed due to pollution, density, encroachment and so on. What measures are essential to reestablish their natural balance?

3. More than 100 lakes in the inner city now reduce to 28. The now developments are going on by encroaching and filling up these natural lakes which are used to be the retention area for water for city. In such practices what lessens Hanoi can have from regular water disaster?

Nature - CANAL & SMALL RIVERS (Emil)
1. What constitutes an appropriate response to flooding?

2. Can we guide urban development to strategically retain valuable natural resources?

3. Is introducing new technology and engineering enough to changing people's perception of existing canals?

CULTURE:

Culture-RIVER (Bart)
A bridge too far?Hanoi seems to have turned its back towards the Red River: has it forgotten about the Red River or does it not care about her anymore?

1. Within the context of a growing economy the Red River should be able to offer different old and new opportunities for the city. “How can the Red River connect Hanoi again to the region and the world?” is a question that refers to the challenge for the city to restore its relation with the Red River in terms not only of trade and traffic, but also spiritually. Maybe this is also a way to critically refer to the factor of the speed with which the city is developing and expanding.

2. The Bridge is a gate to the River and the City: it is an entrance to the city across the river and an opening to the river from the city. In terms of water problems the image of Hanoi is not always in balance with that of its beautiful Red River though. How can the Red river strengthen the image of the city again?

3. Finally the vast agricultural field in the Red River delta is feeding Hanoi and its region. This component forms a structural element in the economy of the city but on the smaller micro-scale level. The agricultural land and the people depending on it are under pressure though, due to large scale urban projects. How can the role of agriculture remain an important strength of the economy of the city?

Culture-LAKE (Xiaoxiao)
1. Could the relashionship of lakes and culture be reprogrammed?It is a clear observation in the mapping of cultural lakes that there is a possiblitilty to reprogramme the lake area to improve the monocultural situation of some lakes and better fit with their inhabitance.

2. Could new lakes be digged?We dig new lakes in order to bring people’s life back to the water, especially bring those in the overexpaned area to the inner lakes which have an intimate relashionship with our daily life. Perhaps new cultures will emerge as well as the return of traditinal cultures.

3. Is it able to connect all the lakes sysmatically instead of leave them basins?The locations of new lakes are mostly along the rivers, which followed the natual water shed in order to compose them into a water system.

Culture- CANAL & SMALL RIVERS (Wei)
1. What are the changes of traditional cultural activities to accordingly display the change of relationship of the people with water?

2. Is it inevitable that the culture of people living and surviving with the canal will be ruined by the urbanization? If not, what can be done?

3. What kinds of new approach can be applied to revitalize the connection or create new connection between the water and people's life?

BUILT:

Built-RIVER (Bardia)
1. How to make out dike areas more safe places against flood, considering amountof people living there by new typology of the houses and new regulations for construction?

2. How to integrate river sides more with the city and providing more public places by proposing new methodology for designing and planning based on reserving green fields?

3. what are the top-down and bottom-up forces and advantages for providing corporative relationship between authorities and people?

Built-LAKE (Sherin + Trung)
1. What are the strategies of controlling the flood from the lakes in Hanoi? Are they really useful for controlling water specially in flooded months or may they need more modifications and developments? And what are the effects on the surrounding built environment?

2. What are the regulations of new development projects around the lakes? And these regulations and laws are followed or ignored from these projects in reality. Or after few years we will not find any green space arround the lakes.

3. It seems that lakes are being filled up rapidly to creat land for new urban development. How could we recognize hanoi without lakes any more? And how could we prevent these random developments?Lakes give life to the built environment and in same time the built environment try rapidly to kill the lakes. Is it justice????

Built-CANAL & SMALL RIVERS (Patrick)
1. If the rivers would regain their natural flow by giving them more space, what characteristics and qualities the adjacent space could consist of in terms of landscape and urbanization? Can this changing attitude carry a new set of meaning for the region?

2. Can canals and small river-infrastructure be a backbone for qualitative urban development and water control?

3. Can/should urban and rural development coexist alongside the canals and small rivers?

Built+Small Rivers/Canals

1. If the rivers would regain their natural flow by giving them more space, what characteristics and qualities the adjacent space could consist of in terms of landscape and urbanization? Can this changing attitude carry a new set of meaning for the region?

2. Can canals and small river-infrastructure be a backbone for qualitative urban development and water control?

3. Can/should urban and rural development coexist alongside the canals and small rivers?

Small Rivers/Canals + Culture

1.What are the changes of traditional cultural activities to accordingly display the change of relationship of the people with water?
2.Is it inevitable that the culture of people living and surviving with the canal will be ruined by the urbanization? If not, what can be done?
3.What kinds of new approach can be applied to revitalize the connection or create new connection between the water and people's life?

River - Built + Techniques

Built:

1. How to make out dike areas more safe places against flood, considering amountof people living there by new typology of the houses and new regulations for construction?

2. How to integrate river sides more with the city and providing more public places by proposing new methodology for designing and planning based on reserving green fields?

3. what are the top-down and bottom-up forces and advantages for providing corporative relationship between authorities and people?


Techniques:

1. How can we reconcile between the need to create networks of public open space along the Red River to serve social and ecological needs within the growing city and affordable approaches to engineer and water management.

2. How drainage and water purification system of the dyke area be made sure of dynamic during floods and dry seasons and offer attractive techniques landscape?

3. How can we deal with the current challenges of climate and social change to prevent the bank erosion and river bed sedimentation in the productive and sustainable maintenance.

River + Culture

A bridge too far?

Hanoi seems to have turned its back towards the Red River: has it forgotten about the Red River or does it not care about her anymore?

1. Within the context of a growing economy the Red River should be able to offer different old and new opportunities for the city. “How can the Red River connect Hanoi again to the region and the world?” is a question that refers to the challenge for the city to restore its relation with the Red River in terms not only of trade and traffic, but also spiritually. Maybe this is also a way to critically refer to the factor of the speed with which the city is developing and expanding.

2. The Bridge is a gate to the River and the City: it is an entrance to the city across the river and an opening to the river from the city. In terms of water problems the image of Hanoi is not always in balance with that of its beautiful Red River though. How can the Red river strengthen the image of the city again?

3. Finally the vast agricultural field in the Red River delta is feeding Hanoi and its region. This component forms a structural element in the economy of the city but on the smaller micro-scale level. The agricultural land and the people depending on it are under pressure though, due to large scale urban projects. How can the role of agriculture remain an important strength of the economy of the city?

River-Nature

1. How best can we control the nature along the Red river and create new 'environments' for future generations?

2. What type of activities/uses can we introduce along the Red river that can naturally cope up with both backward and foward fluctuations of the river?

3. How best can we deal with change in lifestyles of the people to prevent destruction of nature along the Red river?

Lakes- Built Composit Panels

1. What are the strategies of controlling the flood from the lakes in Hanoi? Are they really useful for controlling water specially in flooded months or may they need more modifications and developments? And what are the effects on the surrounding built environment?

2. What are the regulations of new development projects around the lakes? And these regulations and laws are followed or ignored from these projects in reality. Or after few years we will not find any green space arround the lakes.

3. It seems that lakes are being filled up rapidly to creat land for new urban development. How could we recognize hanoi without lakes any more? And how could we prevent these random developments?

Lakes give life to the built environment and in same time the built environment try rapidly to kill the lakes. Is it justice????