National Urban Designer

GCIEP Overview

The Green Cities, Infrastructure and Energy Programme (GCIEP) is a demand-driven programme that drives sustainable green cities and climate-resilient infrastructure in lower-income countries. GCIEP is the core, demand-driven component of the UK's Green Cities and Infrastructure Centre of Expertise (GCI CoE). The programme supports the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to deliver the UK Government’s International Development Strategy through accelerating investment in, and delivery of, growth-enabling infrastructure and urban development that is responsible, reliable, inclusive, low-carbon and climate-resilient.

GCIEP is a high-ambition programme that targets transformational change in the enabling environment of its country partners that will deliver both immediate benefits and long-term development dividends for decades to come. The programme’s Theory of Change (ToC) targets the critical areas of support that will unlock these opportunities for countries – meeting these needs via Country Strategies that are tailored to the national and development context, and via innovative approaches that are drawn from UK expertise such as the whole systems approach to infrastructure design and resilience, and integrated urban planning and development. Key to the DNA of GCIEP is understanding how climate, gender, inclusion, investment and political economy analysis intersect and can be integral to its design and delivery. This gives the UK a clear and meaningful comparative advantage in this important and growing area of development practice.

Link to our website: https://ukgreencitiesandinfrastructure.org/

GCIEP Portfolio: Deep Offer Country

Country: Vietnam

Intervention name and code: DOC.VN02 – TOD and BIM

Workstreams / Work Package code: Workstream 1

Locality: National

Expert Level: Senior Expert

Essential Skills / Qualifications required

• University degree in Urban Design, Architecture, or a related field.

• At least 5 years’ experience in urban design to meet the sustainability needs of a fast-developing urban area

• Proven experience in developing urban design concepts, ideally for TOD or transport-integrated projects.

• Ability to work closely with land use experts and transport planners to ensure functional integration and alignment with TOD principles.

• Strong understanding of sustainable mobility, place-making, and design strategies to maximise social, environmental and economic value.

• Experience in multi-stakeholder engagement, including working with government agencies, development partners, and the private sector.

Technical Expertise

Producing an integrated urban design concept for the TOD area, ensuring it supports sustainable transport and enhances the urban environment.

This role reports to: TOD Core Team

Does this role involve line management responsibility?: No

Start Date: 07/09/2025

End Date: 31/03/2026 – Potential extension subject to FCDO’s approval for GCIEP’s extension (4/2026-4/2029)

Full time or Part time role: Part-time (approx. 9-11 days/ month)

Total number of days: 75 days (max.)

Intervention summary

This intervention builds on GCIEP’s ongoing support to Hanoi (via the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board - MRB) and Ho Chi Minh City (via the Department of Construction - DOC). To date, GCIEP has helped strengthen the enabling environment for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) by delivering city-specific Diagnostic Reports identifying TOD opportunities and barriers; Land Value Capture (LVC) recommendations for each city; a Strategy Framework on TOD planning, financing, and operations; and capacity-building workshops for Hanoi and HCMC.

This work has supported significant policy progress, including the issuance of national-level Resolution 188 (February 2025) and draft city-level TOD and LVC Resolutions in both Hanoi and HCMC (expected to be adopted in Q3 2025). It has also contributed to improved institutional understanding of TOD and Building Information Modelling (BIM) among key stakeholders, including MRB, DOC, MAUR, and others.

However, policy advancement alone is not sufficient. Local authorities, developers, and consultants still lack hands-on experience in delivering TOD projects and applying BIM in practice. Once policies are adopted, they must be translated into technical guidelines and effectively implemented. Institutional capacity remains a critical bottleneck. As the designated TOD and BIM delivery bodies, MRB in Hanoi and the Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) in HCMC must urgently strengthen internal staffing, technical capabilities, and management processes. Organisational development must evolve in tandem with these responsibilities to ensure these agencies can internalise best practices and function as capable, long-term implementers.

This phase therefore shifts GCIEP’s focus from policy development to strengthening technical and commercial practices, beginning with Hanoi and HCMC. The objective is to build institutional and market capacity to implement TOD and unlock investment for metro-rail expansion using mechanisms such as Land Value Capture. In parallel, GCIEP will engage other cities — including Da Nang, Can Tho, Vinh, and Nha Trang — through knowledge-sharing activities to expand the intervention’s national impact.

Planned Workstreams and Activities

Workstream 1: TOD Technical Guidelines & Capacity Building

• Activity 1: Continued support for the development and refinement of TOD-related Resolutions in Hanoi and HCMC (carried over from Phase 1 – The Intervention Lead will be supported by the Strategic Advisor to lead the day-to-day tasks of this activity).

• Activity 2: Development of two city-specific TOD Technical Guidelines, providing step-by-step implementation guidance aligned with each city's policies and resolutions. The guidelines will be practical, context-specific, and designed to maximise social, environmental, and economic outcomes.

• Activity 3: Delivery of capacity-building workshops in Hanoi and HCMC (to be extended to other cities), using a ‘learning by doing’ approach to introduce TOD principles and guide the design and implementation process.

• Activity 4: Support the establishment and development of a TOD Office within MRB, with strategic input from Transport for London (TfL). While this task will be led by GCIEP, TfL will provide primary technical input. The Urban Development Management Authority in HCMC will also be engaged in knowledge transfer activities led by TfL

Brief Overview of the role / Objectives

As the National Urban Designer, you will contribute specialised urban design expertise to support the effective implementation of the intervention. Your role will include providing technical inputs, regularly reporting progress to the Intervention Lead, and proactively identifying and flagging emerging risks.

Tasks and Key Duties

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing inputs to the relevant deliverables (specific deliverables listed below), incorporating analysis, recommendations, and alignment with project objectives, under the guidance of the Intervention Lead and Deputy Intervention Lead.

• Contributing to the development of technical guidelines to ensure urban design principles and proposals align with project objectives and TOD principles.

• Coordinating with the technical team to ensure urban design components are fully integrated with transport, land use, and financing strategies.

• Participating in technical and stakeholder meetings, presenting design proposals, and providing clarifications as required.

• Working with other experts to resolve design-related issues and build consensus in line with the Intervention Lead/ Deputy Intervention Lead guidance.

• Preparing drawings, design briefs, sections of reports, and other written outputs as requested by the Intervention Lead/ Deputy Intervention Lead.

• Presenting urban design outputs to stakeholders when required.

Specific Deliverables

The National Urban Designer will contribute inputs to the following deliverables as indicated in the ToR: