East Asia & Pacific » Philippines
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Addressing explosive growth at Metropolitan Scale |
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| Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 is about “making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”.
Local governments are essential in achieving sustainable development. Livability and productivity of a city rely strongly on how well people are able to move around and access basic services and opportunities. Making public transport more attractive, safe, and green is a key approach to making cities sustainable. Representatives from ADB, local governments, donor community, and partners will speak on the current transport situation in their cities, the challenges that hinder development of sustainable transport modes, and their vision for a progressive city. Government officials will also lay out the support they need from institutions like ADB to achieve their respective visions. |
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Cagayán de Oro |
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| This is the product of a collaboration between Mia Quimpo, excellent Philippino professional, and Pedro B. Ortiz.
Mia Quimpo attempted a metro-Matrix approach to the analysis and planning proposal of Cagayán de Oro, north of Mindanao Island. Pedro B. Ortiz, following Mia Quimpo Guidelines, profiled a complimentary analysis to provided further basis for the work developed by Mia. It represents an homage and great respect for her work |
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Cebu Metro-Matrix Propositive Analysis |
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| You have two ways of measuring collective intelligence in a given metropolis:
1) How far away is the official proposed solution from the rightful planning solution. 2) If the solution is the right one, how long the administration (politicians and civil servants) take to implement it (Medellin 4 years, Bogota 20 years) Cebu has an obvious metro-matrix structure: - Coast linear main directionality - Equipotential parallel gradient lines - Transversal strenght (maximum slope) lines connection - Periodicity This basic reticular structure provides the basis for the Public Transport system: - MRT/Commuter line, on the metropolitan backbone - BRT on the ribs/thorax urban system How far is the official proposal from that? How long will they take to implement the right solution? |
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Davao expansion in an integrated inland strategy |
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| Davao needs to expand and does have a constrained background limited by environmental assets.
Rather than pushing sideways, it has to look to a county policy that will integrate Davao with its hinterland. |
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D4D Manila Propositive Analysis |
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| Manila is confronting a challenge: explosive growth is taking place and there is urgent need of a sustainable framework to allocate that growth.
In ten years, the population grows at a rate close to 2.5%, but built area to a rate of 4.5%. This means that the size of Manila doubles (200%) every 16 years. A completely new Manila has to be built in 16 years. And in the next 16 years twice as much (400%). The model of informal, uncontrolled sprawl is unsustainable and has to be confronted and redirected to a dense mass transit-oriented model, both for the benefit of Metro Manila and the National economy. The urban and the metropolitan scale have to be addressed with differential solutions both in terms of infrastructures and governance methodology. Manila is a metropolis with similar problems to many others. Metropolitan solutions to those problems are not actually implemented. Doing so will is the most relevant national development policy the Philippines can undertake well above any other. It would not only benefit Manila, but as well foster efficiency on 54% of the National economy, which is the Manila share. The proportions on Manila stew are wrong. New ingredients have to be introduced. But to do so first we have to take the pressure lid off. That is what this report is about. |
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Manila on Tracks, National Press Club Presentation (Washington DC) |
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| Manila is experiencing one of the fastest growth ratios of all world metropolitan systems. The rapid, explosive expansion of the built area is generating the uncontrolled invasion of inadequate land, amplifying the risk of flooding, as well as the development of hazardous or environmental quality land. The lack of mass public transport in these uncontrolled areas makes the future of the whole system unsustainable. There is an urge for the Metropolitan Government to find the political backing and the governance instruments that will allow it to set up a comprehensive and consistent vision for Metropolitan Manila.
Due to the size and extent of Manila’s metropolitan region (the size of Los Angeles-San Diego metropolis), this vision has to be based on the extension of the commuter train as the main backbone for mass transport. The linearity of the topography and natural pattern of urban settlement determines a simple and efficient structure (a linear grid system between two main directional lines) that adequately addresses the needs of the metropolis. |
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Intramuros Revisited |
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| The destruction of Intramuros during WWII has erased an important heritage of Philippine culture. Urban heritage provides many socio economic benefits. Social vertebration is a community’s sense of belonging to that culture. The result is both social stability and resilience that affects governance and economic efficiency. They are the outcome of the capacity to develop a social system with high social capital on top of the simple human resources capital (see La Reunion).
Manila Intramros has the capacity to restore and rehabilitate this heritage. Cities like Gdansk are a benchmark and a template for these policies. Urban policies such as the ones applied at the Village Saint Andre in Paris might show the way to make modernity compatible with historical heritage. Intramuros de Manila (Ediciones de Cultura Hispanica, Madrid 1954 –Library of Congress-) by Pedro Ortiz Sr., compiles just after the destruction of central Manila, all the information necessary to build up a consistent urban rehabilitation policy. Political will is nevertheless needed and this can only be achieved with the unconditional backing of public opinion, the media, and the electorate. |
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Vigan: Suggestions for the Restoration of the Historical Center. April 1982 |
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| Vigan is one of the few remaining historic Pilipino-Spanish urban centers after the heavy bombardment of the Philippines during WWII. This important asset had to be exploited both for cultural and economic reasons. This approach, suggested since 1982 by a report made for the Ayala Foundation, has been successfully applied and we can now see a thriving historic urban center that has protected to a larger extent its historical heritage and has built an economy of craftsmanship and services aimed at the base economic sector of exports and tourism.
A new step forward should now be implemented through a new report that would update the successful guidelines produced 30 years ago by means of the search for excellence and quality improvement of the supply. |
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