On October 24, the Dak Lak Party Committee's Standing Board held its 33rd meeting to discuss the general urban plan for Buon Ma Thuot through 2050. The plan describes the city as a regional urban center, a growth driver and the «global coffee capital».
The meeting was part of the review and completion of the plan before its publication. The work is linked to a five-year review of the implementation of Conclusion No. 67-KL/TW and National Assembly Resolution No. 72/2022/QH15 on special mechanisms and policies for Buon Ma Thuot's development.
Under the draft, Buon Ma Thuot is to develop as a highland, creative, green, smart and modern city with a strong local cultural identity. It will be Dak Lak province and the region's administrative and political, economic, cultural, commercial, service, logistics, tourism, education, healthcare and science and technology center.
The study covers nearly 37,800 hectares. The urban space is to follow a multi-core, polycentric model linked to a landscape framework of «five streams and two lakes» and six specialized functional zones.
The proposed urban structure includes nine centers, two growth axes and two development corridors, with expansion planned to the east and southeast. The plan considers multifunctional centers, lakeside tourism services at Ea Nhai and Ea Kao lakes and the Srepok River, as well as technology, education, innovation and smart agriculture centers.
Alongside urban expansion and modern districts, the draft focuses on protecting rivers, streams, lakes and green areas, controlling flooding and preserving 33 villages.
The aim is to create Buon Ma Thuot's distinctive «village in the city, city in the village» character, where modern urban life coexists with the traditional cultural spaces of the Central Highlands' ethnic communities.
The plan identifies three economic pillars: deep processing linked to high-tech agriculture, building an international coffee brand and developing an innovation center.
Dak Lak People's Committee Chairman Do Huu Huy called for a clearer focus on the «global coffee capital» brand through the planning of squares, boulevards, a coffee street and other distinctive spaces.
He said the plan should also clarify connections to the CT23 expressway and roads leading to the border, while studying railway and high-speed railway development to meet needs through 2035 and 2050.
Concluding the meeting, Dak Lak Party Committee Secretary and head of the province's National Assembly delegation Luong Nguyen Minh Triet instructed agencies to fully incorporate the committee's comments and quickly complete the plan so that it is consistent with the provincial plan and long-term goals.
He also called for a clearer definition of Buon Ma Thuot's role as a city that drives regional development and for a list of priority projects to focus investment through 2035. Planning management rules should be stable and coordinated to limit arbitrary changes.
The plan, its appendices and the list of specific projects are to be completed and published quickly and in coordination. Authorities also plan to use more visual photographs and videos to inform the public and attract investment.
Sources: Dân Trí
