The purpose of this project is to explore approaches to governance based on consensus-building and to examine the role played by civic activities conducted at the city and community level in Vietnam, with reference to cases of urban planning in South Korea and Japan.
This year, a workshop entitled "Effective Policy Making for Urban and Regional Planning: The Role of People Participation" was held May 19, 2006 in Hanoi. It was jointly sponsored by Kyung Hee University and the National Institute for Urban and Rural Planning. Presentations were given by seven South Korean experts on public policy and civil society, and 80 participants representing local government organizations in Vietnam learned about urban planning in South Korea. A study tour visited South Korea September 17-23. Sixteen of the workshop participants, including government officials, intellectuals, and NGO representatives visited Seoul and attended lectures by Japanese and South Korean experts on pollution, garbage, greenery efforts, and water quality. They also visited the Saemangeum wetlands, where NGO activities have had an impact on government and corporate policies, and POSCO (a steel company). The participants are expected to determine which components of their experiences might be applicable in Vietnam in the future.