Ho Chi Minh City Metropolitan Park System

The projects chosen were developed within a larger group project envi-sioned by 14 international post-graduate students in the Master of Human Settlements and Master of Landscape, Urbanism and Planning programs. The studio’s methodology combined large-scale terri-torial analysis and design, 2-weeks of intensive fieldwork, relief models and develop across scales in section. A metropolitan park system for 100 x100 km was collectively developed by the students. A total of 6 sites (3x5km each) were investigated in groups of 2-3 students. Each site had a significant open space that was threatened by run-of-the-mill development. Students developed a component of the metropolitan park system (the first part of project titles) and socio-ecological urbanism strategy (the second part of project titles). Individually, students developed a 1.5km-long transect and a zoom-in section perspective. All sites worked with the following premises: 1] no land filling (only cut/ fill for the landscape reconfiguration); 2] only native vegetation; 3] population growth continues at 2,6% annually; necessity of new housing on every site. Five individual projects chosen were part of three groups. The selection criteria emphasized the radicality of proposals across scales. They were as well chosen for the quality of visual representation, and the group’s engagement, learning spirit, and critical approach to landscape urbanism.