ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY
in the context of Hoi an, or is some modernised
development a good outcome for Hue?
HOW SPACE IS USED AND URBAN
ACUPUNCTURE AT WORK IN THE HUE
CONTEXT
In a western context we judge the success of
place in terms of amenity and human activity and
interaction. Upon initial observation of three specific
sites in Hue, it appeared that work needed to be
done as river bank walk, the Truong Tien Bridge that
leads to the Citadel from the tourist precinct and the
forecourt area adjacent to the Imperial City entry
were underutilised and lacked interest to visitors.
River walk transformation
These comparison images of the river walk section
under the Truong Tien Bridge demonstrate how
the location is transformed. From a place devoid
of people, possibly even perceived as unsafe in
the morning, the river walk become a street market
of an evening. Food and tea vendors line the
walk in the cool of the evening when people have
recreational time to shop or socialise with family and
friends with no change to existing infrastructure.
However, initial single observations failed to
capture how urban acupuncture is activating these
locations, it is just that visitors to the city of Hue may
not understand how this is applied in the localised
context.
Figure 1: Principles of Urban Acupuncture
River walk under the Truong Tien Bridge. Source: Author
Truong Tien Bridge
Source: Hoogduyn (2014)
In considering the principles of urban acupuncture
of described by Hoogduyn (2014) in Figure 1, the
Truong Tien Bridge and the Imperial City act as
the sensitive points in which the analogy of the
healing influence stems from these locations. Quick
acting, small scale participatory activities create
‘places’ responsive to the requirement of the local
population, considering climate and preferences for
social engagement, however remain unappreciated
by the visitor that does not make time to understand
how space is used and place can be created
through rapid activation.
The Truong Tien Bridge is a sensitive point as it
initiatives activation such as the market example
above, but also enables alternative uses. Despite
extensive public areas, the bridge is a popular
morning location for exercise. As demonstrated
below, the structure is used for strengthening and
stretching exercises. An Australian comparison
would be the installation of fitness equipment in a
parkland setting, however again the Vietnamese
adaption requires no investment in infrastructure
utilised for short periods or subject to damage
from flooding which is Hue has experienced over
48 recorded events exceeding 3.0m between
1977 – 2003 (Vo Ngoc Duc & Carlorosi 2017). It
is this enabling that attracts people and allows the
activation of surrounding and associated spaces.
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