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 VIENGXAY
TOWN MASTER PLAN
Landscape Architects: Hansen Partnership
The
Viengxay Town Master Plan confronts the critical issues of urban and land
management practices in sensitive cultural heritage settings worldwide.
The project
was funded and managed by the United Nations World Tourism Organization
and
SNV
Netherlands Development Organisation within the framework of the UN’s
Sustainable Tourism – Eliminating Poverty program.
The area
anticipates accommodation of approximately 1,400 new households over this
period, an additional population of some 12,000 people and requiring the
provision of considerable additional urban services and facilities.
In most
countries, a lack of community capacity presents a significant stumbling
block on the road to poverty alleviation. Similarly, landscape architects
and other professionals face challenges working in historical sites of
international interest where local and distinct cultural groups are facing
global pressures of various sorts, particularly increasing prosperity
through economic and tourism planning. The Viengxay Town Master Plan
represents a sensitive and remarkable achievement in addressing these
crucial issues, and demonstrates the advanced leadership and management
skills of Australian Landscape Architects practicing abroad.
The consultation and capacity building approach taken in
this project have been instrumental in articulating and realising the
local community’s vision for the town and creating a strong sense of
ownership of the plan, and represents a vital step in self-determination.
The commitment and enthusiasm of the project team, evident both during
their time in the field and subsequently in presenting and advocating
adoption of the plan, is exemplary in its considered approach to
conservation planning and management for a developing community.
Noteworthy also is the central role of the landscape architect in
directing other related outcomes, including economic, tourism, urban
development, transport, architectural, and socio-cultural factors.
The project is an exemplar of a participatory approach to
landscape planning which has application across towns and cities worldwide
where similar ethically sensitive issues are increasingly to be
encountered.
Images
 
Photographs: Hansen Partnership Pty Ltd |
