Blueprint for Manila’s development in the works

MANILA, Philippines–The Manila City government has started drafting a new “blueprint” for the development of the city which would outline specific plans on how land in its various districts could be used efficiently while also addressing issues about disaster preparedness and climate change, among others.

The city government is preparing the most recent update to its Comprehensive Land Use Plan which will detail how the local government can maximize the growth and development of the different areas in Manila, according to City Planning and Development Office head Danilo Lacuna Jr.

Mayor Joseph Estrada said in his recent State of the City Address that he would ensure that the update on the land use plan which was formulated in 2006 would be finessed and serve as the “guide for our urban renewal projects.”

“The mayor gave us half a year but we have to be realistic,” Lacuna, an architect by profession, told the Inquirer. “This will be a long, tedious process which will involve many consultations with stakeholders throughout the city as we lay our suggestions for their respective areas and as we listen to their concerns and suggestions as well.”

“For the update, we aim to take an area-based, rather than a holistic approach, to regulate growth. We want to focus on specific programs that we think [would] help develop specific areas in the city,” he said.

Estrada earlier said that he wanted to “regenerate Binondo first as a business district that would attract more investors, and then the Ermita and Malate districts, as a tourist belt, to attract more visitors to our city.”

“These are the objectives for each district. But we are still encouraging ‘mixed-use’ development” to encourage commercial and residential growth in each district, Lacuna added.

Other areas also identified included the Taft Avenue corridor and the sprawling Baseco Compound, Tondo and Parola quarters in the Port Area. Lacuna said the city government would also identify other places as they develop the Comprehensive Land Use Plan.

Lacuna said that his department was set to work with a private planning firm to share the load of drafting the plan, a common practice among local governments.