Pavement sustainability: a tripartite analysis of natural stone pavements in Hanoi, Vietnam

Abstract

As a basic component of the city’s structure and, particularly, an integral part of the transportation infrastructure, pavements fundamentally contribute to the city’s achievement of sustainability goals. This paper examines the environmental, societal, and economic impacts of using natural stone for the pavement to pursue an ideal image of Green-Clean-Beautiful city by the government in the burgeoning city of Hanoi, Vietnam. It addresses the urgent question of whether natural stone is a sustainable paving material in a tropical climate under the impacts of climate change. By analysing the published contents of the official press, supported by data and information gathered from interviews with key experts, stakeholders, and urban residents, this paper argues that the actual impacts of natural stone use for pavements on the environment, economy, and society are strongly negative, compared to the positivity initially perceived in Hanoi’s scheme of changing the pavement facelift. It shows that by overemphasising appearance and imagined nationalism values when selecting natural stone, Hanoi government shows a slow progress in improving and balancing functional, social, environmental, and economic dimensions. The paper is significant in contributing to knowledge on pavement sustainability and sustainable materials while shedding light on the challenges of applying these theoretical perspectives into real-life practice.