3. Year Projects Scale Theme
2007 Walking to LRT stations: a GIS exploration City-wide GIS / Transit-Oriented Development
2007 16th Avenue North: The People’s Corridor Corridor Urban Design / Transit-Oriented Development / Bus Rapid Transit
2008 Sen Viet Eco Village District Township Development / Urban design
2009 Riviere in Saigon South Site Urban design / High-density Urban Development
2010 Phuong Nam University Campus Site Campus planning / Urban design
2010 Viet Thuan Thanh Eco-city District Comprehensive planning / Waterfront development
2011 Phuoc Giang Regional Plan Region Regional planning / Land conservation / Urban Design
My vision of what constitutes good
design evolves with people’s changing 2012 Water as a system: a GIS exploration of District GIS / Hydrology
needs and their rich living traditions.
Downtown Atlanta’s hydrolic dynamics
Dzung Do Nguyen
2012 Kallang River Site Design Competition Site Water-sensitive urban design / High-density Urban Development
2012 Built to Drive: Can higher density reduce Regional Land-use - Travel behaviour interaction / Statistical modeling
Atlantans’ addiction to drive?
2012 Playground Design Charrette for An My Site Participatory Design
Commune
nguyen.do@gmail.com
dothivietnam.org 2013 Making the Sense of San Francisco City-wide 3-Dimension GIS / Visual analysis
2013 Urban Form - Hydrology Interaction in Saigon Regional GIS / Remote sensing / Hydrology / Urban ecology
River Basin
4. Client: N/A (Academic work) |
Location: Calgary, Canada | Scale:
56 sqkm | Complete year: 2007 |
Theme: TOD, Urban Design | Skill: 10-minute walkable-distance from
GIS, Cartography | Role: Principal LRT stations - Downtown Calgary
Investigator
Walking is a complementary mode to rail rapid The study also illustrates that as of 2001,
Site survey of the actual transit. The city of Calgary defines a walkable-to- approximately 55,000 people living within
pedestrian shed around transit urban area (WUA) as an 800m radius circle APSs and 107,000 people within the city-
Heritage station confirms center at the LRT stations. Using a GIS network defined WUAs, accounting for 6% and 12%
the GIS study. analysis tool, I attempted to measure the size of of the city's total population respectively.
actual pedestrian sheds (APS) around stations and
the number of people livingwithin these areas. The study also suggests that Calgary can
achieve the goal of having 10% of Calgar-
In the Downtown, where the grid network defines ians living within pedestrian sheds of LRT
urban patterns, APS equals to 84% of the WUA. In stations through improving and extending
the suburb, where dendritic network champions walking pathways instead of increasing
the city layout, APS can be as small as 20% of the residential density, which is politically
WUA. difficult to achieve.
10-minute walkable-distance from
LRT stations - Calgary South Suburb
Actual versus Population density
city-defined in APS areas
walkable-to-
station areas
APS area
WUA area
5. Regional Destinations
Honorable Mention
City Centre
Calgary Mayor’s Biannual
Client: N/A (Academic work) Urban Design Award 2007
Location: Calgary, Canada
Scale: 56 square kilometers
Complete year: 2007
Role: Urban Designer/Researcher
This project analyzes the urban design
potential for an extensive public transit
system for Calgary's 16th Avenue North -
one of the city's major through streets.
• The plan explores a land use strategy for
a transit-first policy and design opportu-
nity for the implementation of Transit-
Oriented Development along the corridor.
• The Plan aims to provide mobility in a
regional and local scale. This is accom-
plished through the provision of a
frequent and comprehensive cross-town
and in-bound bus-rapid transit service.
• A healthy land use and transportation
relationship is obtained through
supplying bus-rapid transit service to the
Corridor and developing diverse activity
nodes along the Avenue that provide
places for living, working and playing.
6. Client: Vietin Bank | Location:
Dong Nai province | Scale: 214
hectares | Complete year: 2008
| Theme: Urban Design | Skill:
Illustration [handsketch] |
Role: Lead urban designer
7. Client: Invesco Development
Location: Ho Chi Minh City
South Vietnam
Scale: 6 hectares/ 300,000 GFA
Complete year: 2008
Role: Lead urban designer
& illustrator (hand-sketch)
The combination of towers and
lower street-front buildings
contribute to creating intimate
pedestrian-scaled environments
as well as dramatic skylines. All
these work to take advantage of
the river and the city.
While the small site and towers
produce significant density of
development, the landscaping
and careful placement of all
structures is orchestrated to
provide amenities and beauty
to this riverside.
The most significant aspect of
this project is the use of a formal
diagonal axis to spatially
organize all high-rise towers.
The axis leads the viewer from
an entrance mall past a pond
through an undulating series of
hills to a major pedestrian plaza
and on to the Ong Be riverside
marked with a pier and light
towers.
Section A-A
The small hills conceal parking
areas that help reduce the
towers’ parking requirement.
The curved boulevard further
orders the composition and
brings a simple understanding
to the order of functional uses.
Shopping Mall Office Tower Garden Hill Open Hall Crescent Avenue Plaza Parking Condo Riverside Park Lighthouse
8. Client: Phuong Nam College | Location: Dong Nai Province
Scale: 10 hectares | Complete year: 2010 | Theme: Campus
Planning, Urban Design | Skill: Development Programming Phuong Nam University Campus Master Plan
Role: Lead planner | Status: Planning Approved
Rubber Tree Farm
Temple of Literature,
11th century | Hanoi, Vietnam
Dormitory
The Phuong Nam University Campus Master Plan is based Student Center
Student Center
on the simple Vietnamese tradition of street and courts.
The pattern of broad streets and narrow corridors
combined with courtyards of various sizes provide an
effective means of way - finding and creating a strong
sense of place.
Cooling Pond
The campus is divided between an urban and a more
natural environment that enhances the contrast
between the two settings. This contrast creates a dramatic
visual setting for the University as well as provides
students with a richness offered from both experiences.
The central courtyard flanked by the library and admin-
istration building creates a heart for The University and
provides a focus for campus life. The Central Courtyard
supports academic life and complements the daily Park & Playing Fields
rhythm of work and relaxation.
Student and faculty housing occupy the west
periphery allowing access and views to the
surrounding village and countryside.
9. Hotel
Main entrance
Rubber Tree Farm
Central Library
& Administration
Faculties
Central Court
Classrooms
Labs
Lecture Theatres
Adapting to the hot climate of Vietnam via cross
ventilation and protecting buildings from the
direct sun not only provides a simple and
effective means of strengthening the identity of
Phuong Nam University, but it is also based on
common sense principles and traditional
traditional wisdom.
Much like the heritage building of the Temple of
Literature, the Central Library of Phuong Nam
University gives meaning to the philosophical
idea of the empty stage - helping to empty the
Image Credit: Thanh Binh Consulting mind in order to receive knowledge and wisdom.
Site Plan
h Binh Consulting
10. Client: Viet Thuan Thanh Corp.
Location: Dong Nai province
South Vietnam
Scale: 500 hectares
Complete year: 2011
Role: Lead planner
2m 1.5 m water
Planning concept Urban Hub Green belt Grading strategy low land (seasonal flooding)
70% land fill needed is accommodate on site
Tourist port
Villa on piles Wetland
Villa on piles
Tourist port
Multifunctional
Reservoir
0 400 800 m image credit: Thanh Binh Consulting
11.
12. Client: Dong Nai province / Sonadezi
Corp. | Location: Dong Nai Province | A Form-based Code is introduced as a
Scale: 3,250 hectares | Complete year: complement to design to achieve a Phuoc Giang
2011 | Theme: Regional Planing, Urban desirable urban form. Additionally, to provide Transect Plan
Design, TOD, Conservation Development | a good illustration of the future developement as
Skill: Project coordination, Illustrator | well as to meet the design requirement
Role: Lead urban planner & urban of the contest, a conceptual physical plan for
designer | Status: First runner-up in the each growth area is produced.
Binh Duong
international planning competition for Growth Area 4 is selected
province to demonstrate in greater detail
Phuoc Giang Region
an urban design plan to
achieve a sustainable and
context-sensitive urban T1 Ecological/Agricultural reserve
developement. T2 Rural settlement
T3 Sub-urban
T4 General urban
T5 Urban center
S Special use (ie. industrial)
Civic/Landmark building
South-East Region Context Taking part in a planning competition for Connect to be the heart of the region:
Phuoc Giang are, north of Bien Hoa city, Phuoc Giang will be connected with the
Phuoc Giang
we want to give the local government and entire region through a new road network, an
communities an alternative solution and a inter-city BRT service and a waterway transit
set of planning tools to contiually nurture system;
Dong Nai and sustain the environmental, social and Grow along the edge: urban growht areas
province economic well-being of the area. are determined to be along the west and
Our key strategies include: south boundary to take advantage of the
Conserve is to develop: fertile cropping economic vitality of Binh Duong - Bien Hoa
land and rural settlements are preserved industrial belt and existing regional
to maintain environmental sustainability, thoroughfares. This strategy also helps to
rural characteristics and also uniquely reserve the most productive agricultural lands
scenic views for new urban developments; as well as to protect the environment and the
water quality upstream of the Dong Nai River;
13. Lighthouse/Observation Tower Green Connector Waterfront Theatre Central Market
Reservoir
Dong Nai river
Dong Nai river
Vinh Hiep rice field
GrowthThanh Binh4
image credit:
Area Consulting
Create a desirable micro-climate : the street Provide good mobility & accessibility: the street Stormwater management: beside building canals Connect & nurture public spaces: green spaces and
network is laid out to follow wind patterns, network is laid out in a grid pattern and a multi-modal and retention ponds to mitigate flood risk, on-site infil- public plazas are linked to enhance the walking
enhancing ventilation and avoid sunlight transit system is integrated into the urban fabric. -tration is emphasized through design and develop- experience. Buildings are required to integrated with
approaching buildings at right angles. -ment code to reduce run-off quantity. and frame public spaces.
14. Client: N/A [Academic work] | Location:
Atlanta [US] | Scale: one sqm | Complete
year: 2012 | Theme: Municipal Water
Management, Hydrology, Urban Design | Flood zones
500-year
Skills: GIS [ArcHydro] | Role: Researcher 100-year
50-year
Site Building footprints + Topography Surface + Flood risk
In nature, every drop of water is estimated water demand in Downtown Only 35% of this clean resource becomes events (2-, 10-, 25-, and 50-year).
part of a hydrolic cycle. In the city, Atlanta’s one-sqm watershed, mapped useful as it fall into greenery. The rest flows Design implications: One flooding alieviation scenario is
modern engineering manages to the area’s water system dynamics in to lower elevations and may cause flooding developed to reduce run-off by 36% and turn a 25-year
drain stormwater as waste then meta-diagram format, and quantified along I-85/I-75 Highway as we observed in stormevent into a 2-year one. In this scenario:
import, treat and deliver tap run-off flows in time and volume. November in 2010. - Every building can catch and store (green roof/cistern)
water from other sources. We have Results: Total daily demand is 3,459,000 Using USGS’ regression models plus one-inch rainfall (24 hours) or 517,000 gal/day;
seperated water spatially, organi- gal/day, 85% serving as non-residential ArcHydro and spatial analysis tools in - ‘Green street’ design is applied for 25% of total road length
zationally and temporally. use. The area also receives 2,494,000 ArcGIS, I calculated and graphed peak-flow to remove one-inch rainfall from drainage system;
Using GIS as a measuring tool, I gal/day of precipitation in average, volumes and time lags for different storm
equaling to 47% of its demand. - Develope a 16-acre constructed wetland on vacant lots
along I-75/I-85 highway to store and filter 62,000 gal/day.
Hydrograph
15. Client: Urban Redevelopment Authority | Location: In the Kallang River project,
Singapore | Scale: 23 hectares/468,000 sqm GFA | context- and water-
sensititve urban design and
Complete year: 2012 | Theme: Water-sensitive landscape framework were
Urban Design | Skill: Development Programming, combined to accomplishes
Building typology, Illustration | Role: Planner & high-density urban delope-
ment while maintaining
Urban designer | Status: Contract awarded Singapore’s last historic
coastal park and its storm-
water retention capacity.
Planning Parameters
In this complex design
challenge, programming
comes first. I built a math-
ematic model that demon-
strate all planning param-
eters: small developable
land, a maximum overall site
coverage of 25%, a provision
of 3800 housing units and
3000 hotel rooms plus 1.1
space/unit parking require-
ment.
In this ambitious develop-
Kallang River Site
ment assignment, different
design disciplines should be
interwoven at different
Design Competition scales. The role of a planner
like me thus was expended
to urban design and build-
ing design dimension to test
the compatibility, the
integration and the func-
tionality of each design
attribute to the entire site.
image credit: Atelier Dreiseitl & CPG Consulting
Circulation Plan Landscape Plan Building Stormwater
System Prototype
1. Green Roof
2. Garden Terrace
3. Planter Box System
Treat greywater from sinks
4. Bio-retention Swales
5. Bio-retention Basin
6. Cleansing Biotope
7. Cistern
8. Hybrid Node Discharge
Integrate discharge gate
with landscape features
MRT Connector Green Spine Promenade 51
Biotope Urban Beach Floating Plaza
16. Client: N/A [Academic work] |
Location: Atlanta [US] | Scale: 20,000 Model Summary
km2 | Complete year: 2012 | Theme:
Model R R Square Adjusted R Std. Error of the
Landuse - Transportation Interaction,
Square Estimate
Urban Design | Skill: Statistics, Research a
1 .315 .099 .098 48.786
| Role: Researcher
a. Predictors: (Constant), HH_income, easywalk, traffic, newde
Atlanta is nationally infamous for its low The regression model has a low predic- closejob, lowcrime, neartran
density and high per capita vehicle miles tion power with an adjusted R2 = 0.098, a
Coefficients
traveled (VMT). Based on a 2002 travel which is nearly mirrors a previous study by
Model Unstandardized Coefficients
Standardized t Sig.
survey for Metro Atlanta, I conduct a study Chapman et al. (2004). The correlation
on the relationship between population Coefficients
between VMT and population density is
density (people/acre - independent statistically significant at 99% with a B Std. Error Beta
variable) and two-day non-transit VMT coefficient value of -1.727. The elasticity (Constant) 74.213 2.750 26.987 .000
(dependent variable) using a linear multiple of density in respect to VMT is -0.34, which
regression model. To control the impact of newden -1.727 .195 -.142 -8.836 .000
is greater than most other findings in the
other built-environment's attributes on easywalk 5.255 1.580 .050 3.327 .001
travel behavior, I also included following country (national average: -0.04). These
numbers, the coefficient and elasticity of closejob -20.590 1.566 -.200 -13.145 .000
variables: household income, access to 1
vehicle, access to job, access to transit, quality density, illustrate that for one more unit neartran -9.519 1.753 -.090 -5.429 .000
of pedestrian environment. increased in density, VMT will be reduced lowcrime 2.663 1.807 .023 1.474 .141
Results: After aggregating data from by 1.727 miles, or 3.5%, of total travel
traffic -3.140 1.530 -.030 -2.052 .040
SMARTRAQ to get personal daily travel length. The regression model also notify
us the importance of job-housing balance HH_income .000 .000 .084 5.617 .000
length, I have 14,461 records with a mean
VMT of 49.24 miles/two-day period (St.D = at a regional level. Providing jobs with a. Dependent Variable: SumOfNDISTANCE
46.87) and an average density of 4.8 close proximity to housing can reduce VMT
people/acre (St.D = 3.75), which is very low. by 20.59 miles, or by 42%.
This finding is consistent with the overall
literature, which confirms that an increase
in density makes insignificant difference
to travel behavior for regions having
below-8-person-per-acre densities.
17. Teenagers’ design team A volunteer working on a 3D model
Brainstorming Day
Let vote for what matters!
Client: Actions for the City [NGO] | Presentation to the community
Location: Hoi An [Vietnam]
Scale: 2,000 m2
The “Master Plan”
Complete year: 2012
Theme: Community Participation
Skill: Charrette Coordination
Role: Charrette Team Leader
Status: Completed
Neither graphics nor numbers, but
collaboration makes a design great. In
summer 2012, I ran a 3-day Charrette to
design a playground serving multi-
generations for a rural community
outside Hoi An, South Central Vietnam. Completed An My Commune Playground
Time was short, budget was limited, but Judgement Day: people voting for the community’s
ideas flourished as the whole community future playground design proposals.
joined the design team.
The Charrette was began with a
30-people focus group brainstorming to
identify issues and desires. Next step was
to get people involving in the design
process and generate design ideas. To
create interactive and understandable
plans, no pencil was used and no blue
print was made. Instead, we cut papers
to display different design programs and
built 3-D models to exhibit different
design concepts so that people can
touch, imagine, modify and select the
preferred plan.
18. The sensed form of the environment Based on the artificial topography, the
defines one place’s legibility and quality. visibility study maps all locations in San
In this study, the sensed form is Francisco, at both ground level and top
explored in two formats: vertical map- floors, that offer at least a glimpse to the
ping and visibility mapping. city’s most significant landmarks. This
study attempts to reveal where in the city
Vertical mapping aims to uncover the the sense of place can be best maintained
interlacement between natural topog- through visual connection. The study can
raphy, parks/open spaces, streets, and also be used to test the visual impact of
buildings. This interlacement created a new developments.
new artificial topography of the city that
affects human and ecological flows
[pedestrian, traffic, hydrologic, and
vertical mapping of
wind flows, etc.]. topographic layers
Artificial Topography
Location: San Francisco [US]
Scale: 37 sqkm | Complete year: 2012
| Theme: Environment simulation&
analysis | Skill: 3-Dimenion GIS | Role:
GIS specialist/Cartographer (in
collaboration with Susannah Lee)
19. visible [& invisible]
SAN FRANCISCO
Coit Tower
Twin Peaks
Downtown Skyline Visibility San Francisco Visibility Mapping Invisible
Where you can and cannot see SF’s landmarks: Golden Gate [See none]
Less visible
Bridge, Twin Peaks, Pacific Ocean, Downtown Skyline, Coit [See 1 or 2]
Tower & Ferry Building More visible
Golden Gate Promenade [See 3 or 4]
Most visible
[See 5 or 6]
“Hot spots”
Russian Hill
Ferry Bldg
Twin Peaks
20. Saigon River Basin 250
Hours >1.3m level Percent impervious surface
14.00%
Land cover in 1990
Changes of impervious surface percentage and
12.00%
200 hydrologic performance in Saigon River Basin
during 1990 - 2010 period. 10.00%
150
8.00%
6.00%
100
4.00%
50
2.00%
0 0.00%
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
Year
Saigon River Basin boundary
Phu An Hydro-station
Saigon River Basin is the land of a This research is the first attempt to
Nha Be Hydro-station sophisticated interlacement between measure the change of urban form at
human settlements, interconnected basin level throughout 1990-2010
watercourses, wetlands and crop lands. period and their relationship with
From 1990 to 2010, while urban devel- hydrologic conditions. Nine variables
opment aggresively expanded into low are used to meausre the change of
and wetlands, one can also observe a urban form in term of size, shape and
rapid increase of peak water level of the connectivity of developed patches
River in downtown Ho Chi Minh City [impervious surface]. Due to the lack of
[formerly Saigon] at average annual rate run-off volume, hydrologic perfomance
Client: N/A | Location: Saigon River Basin | Scale: 2505 of 1.6 cm, causing inundation to 35 is measured by the ratio between
sqkm | Complete year: 2012 | Theme: Urban Form Meas- sqkm of urban area and affecting over 2 rainfall depth and the water elevation
urement, Hydrology, Landscape Ecology | Skill: Remote million people. difference between the Phu An hydro-
sensing, GIS, Statistics | Role: Principal Investigator
21. Land cover in 2000 Land cover in 2010 Image classification testing Planned landuses in flood-prone areas
-station near the outlet of Saigon River percentage of impervious surface from increased overtime, but less explicitly,
Basin and Nha Be hydro-station down- 3% in 1990 to 12% in 2010. compared to the trend in compactness
stream. and distribution.
Concurrently, the compactness of urban
Within the 20-year period, in Ho Chi areas had been reduced from the score The results inform that total urban patch
Minh City only, the settlement area of 0.043 in 1990 to 0.026 in 2010 due to, area, number of patches, change rate of
below 1.3-meter flooding alarm rate III perhaps, both in the fringe areas of the number of patches, landscape
(equivalent to 9-year floodplain) had existing urban centers and along major percentage of urban patches, and their
increased by an additional 40 sqkm or roads and arterials. On the other hand, cohesion has converse relationship with
almost 400%. At the basin scale, 246 urban areas were transformed from a the hydrologic ratio. In contrast, com-
sqkm of agricultural and wet land were more clustered to more dispersed pactness, fractal, and contag scores of
converted into impervious surface distribution in the basin. In contrast, the urban patches have inverse with the
within that period, and increased the connectivity of these urban areas hydrologic ratio.
22. Central Market
Binh Luc Village
Tan Trieu River
Landmark Tower
Waterfront Theatre
A rendering of Growth Area 4, Phuoc Giang Region, Dong Nai, South Vietnam
23. Dzung Do Nguyen
Senior planner/urban designer, Fulbright Fellow
Motivated professional planner and urban designer with solid background in township
Vinh Hiep Field development, and strongly committed to stakeholders engagement and eco-sensitive
planning to achieve high-performed integrated communities. Interested in comprehensive
township planning, Transit-Oriented Development and water-sensitive urban design.
E : nguyen.do@gmail.com | W : dothivietnam.org
C : +84 943 647 000 (Vietnam) / +65 8350 4404 (Singapore)
Dong Nai River
24. Cai River
Fisherman’s Pier
Central Park
Church
Market
dzung do nguyen’s portfolio
planning + urban design + hydrology + cartography
Conceptual sketch of Ngoc Thao Island Redevelopment Plan, Nha Trang, South Central Vietnam
