A corner of an accomodation complex for workers in Thủ Đức City’s Linh Trung II Export Processing Zone. — VNA/VNS Photo

The HCM City People's Committee has instructed relevant agencies to incorporate social and worker housing projects into the city’s investment stimulus programme and streamline administrative procedures to help achieve the target of building at least one million social units by 2030.

Demand for affordable and social housing in the city is constantly increasing, but supply is not enough to meet it.

As part of efforts to mitigate the situation, the city government has assigned the departments of Planning and Investment, and Finance to persuade businesses, especially large and reputed ones in the property sector, to develop social housing.

It also instructed relevant agencies to publicise the list of social housing projects seeking investment so that businesses know about and bid for them.

It has tasked the Department of Planning and Architecture and other agencies making zoning plans for new urban areas and industrial parks to include social housing in them.

Existing industrial parks with unused lands need to set aside an area for building housing for workers.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment needs to make master plans for land use that ensure there is sufficient land for building social and worker housing, and publicise availability for businesses to study and invest.

The Department of Construction has been told to develop a plan for social housing from now through 2030.

It is also tasked with ensuring investors of commercial housing and urban area projects to build social housing on 20 per cent of their lands, failing which it has to repossess the portion and hand it over to other developers. — VNS