GREEN VILLAGE CHALLENGE 2010

Summary

The Qui Nhon Practicum Green Village Challenge 2010 (QNPGVC) is a 6-credit course offered to students pursuing the Masters of Urban and Regional Planning, Masters of Engineering, Masters of Architecture, Masters of Economics, Masters of Business Administration, Masters of Government Policy, Law Degree, and Masters of Environmental Studies at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, Columbia University, M.I.T., University of California at Irvine, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In general, the practicum is an applied research project allowing students the experience of taking part in the building of Viet Nam’s first “green village.” QNPGVC will work with local and national authorities to address some of the unique challenges of building a sustainable economy in a region with a range of development choices in front of it. Issues to be addressed are likely to be of interest to planning and other students focused on tourism development, coastal planning, environmental planning, and regional economic development.

This is an innovative partnership between leading US universities, the primary trainer of Urban Planners in Viet Nam (Ha Noi Architecture University: “HAU”), and local officials in Qui Nhon, Viet Nam. It is a groundbreaking, integrated global education project that links the top urban planning students in the United States with HAU lecturers and local government officials in Viet Nam. This project will serve as a model on how US educational institutions can engage positively with their counterparts in rapidly developing countries on practical issues. One of the unique aspects of the Challenge is that it is one of the few educational experiences that links the extensive research and science of universities to the actual implementation of a public works project, for which we are also fundraising. There are lots of people who can fund a retrofit of a university or public building in Qui Nhon, but often the “professionals” doing the work want to use existing models, designs, and contractors in order to save their costs. This practice, however, undermines the autonomy of the local participants. Having a University consortium lead the effort will produce a process that is driven by local institutions using the best scientific expertise at their disposal at relatively little cost.

The project will result in:

• A scientifically-based development plan designed by the Local People's Committee of Qui Nhon;
• The first stage of retrofitting of a major public infrastructure of up to US $1 million;
• Stronger networks between Vietnamese and US University planning departments;
• An extensive pedagogical experience for up to 25 students from US planning departments and junior lecturers from HAU;
• A model for how local authorities can run a competitive bidding process for future developments.

Practicum Challenge Overview

Each school will have the opportunity to select three students who will form that school's "Green Village Challenge 2010 Team" and will represent the school in The Green Village Challenge 2010-Qhi Nhon Viet Nam. Each team will be given a project budget of US $25,000 to explore this question and prepare a plan based on the following question:

If your team was given US $1,000,000 to design and help transform Qui Nhon into Viet Nam’s first "Green Village"...what would be your plan?

At the end of the practicum, each team will submit and present their plan to a panel made up of the People’s Committee Chair of Qui Nhon, a representative from the Binh Dinh Province government, a representative from the Ministry of Construction, a representative from the University of Hawaii, a representative of the local Department of Construction, as well as relevant People's Committee offices who judge each plan and assign scores up to 100 points being the highest score:

• 25 Points (Use of Green Technology, Design, Building Practices)
• 25 Points (Community Engagement and Oversight)
• 20 Points (Academic Rigor)
• 10 Points (Use of Local Resources)
• 10 Points (Creativity of Design and Function)
• 5 Points (Presentation)
• 5 Points (Adoption of Green Practices by Local Community)
• = 100 Possible Points

The winning team will see their entry receive funding of US $1,000,000 to begin implementing the student-developed plan in Qui Nhon. The winning team will receive US $25,000 to be donated towards that school's general fund. The Second place entry will receive US $10,000 donated towards that school's general fund. Each remaining school will receive US $5,000 donated towards that school's general fund.

Dates 2010 (tentative)

• Jan - May: Planning and Development
• March: Faculty Training/Orientation
• Mid July: Green Village Challenge 2010 Launch: Practicum Orientation
• August - September: Viet Nam Trip (14 days)
• August - September: Background Research and Conceptual Planning
• November: Submission of Conceptual Summary Due
• September - December: Practicum Duration
• December: Present Team Plans to Panel: Viet Nam Trip (7 days)

Budget and Funding

The goal is to raise US $4,100,000 for the Green Village Challenge with the cost of the practicum budgeted at US $2,659,600 . Funds will be raised through donations, corporate sponsorship, grants, private giving, and from proceeds generated by a documentary that will be sold to benefit the project. The project is managed by 3RockD LLC in conjunction with the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and the University of Hawaii Foundation (the project's fiscal sponsor).

The project is sponsored by 3RockD LLC in conjunction with the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and the University of Hawaii Foundation (the project's fiscal sponsor.) All funds that are raised in excess of the program cost of will benefit future Green Village Challenges making this an annual competition that benefits developing urban communities around the world.

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