Palafox bares vision for PH by 2050

A renowned Filipino architect and urban planner revealed what the Philippines could possibly be in 2050 provided it is headed in the right direction while at the same time appealed for the need for the country to have more cities.

Speaking at the Asia Real Estate Forum on Thursday, Arch. Felino “Jun” Palafox Jr. said the country needs 100 new cities by 2050.

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“In 2050, the Philippines’ population is projected to rise to 148 million, and we would need to plan now and develop 100 new cities by then. Otherwise, our existing cities will be as congested as Metro Manila. Growth will inevitably continue to surge in our cities, which is why we should strongly support the creation of growth centers outside of Metro Manila,” Palafox explained.

He laid out what is needed to be able to create these cities of the future – architecture, planning, urban design, real estate and infrastructure “well into the New World Order.”

Global best practices

Palafox cited cities around the world that have adopted the best practices in urban planning and architecture. He based it on the following characteristics – Green, Smart, Urban Mobility, Resilience, and Livable.

In Asia, he cited Singapore, Taipei, Hong Kong, Osaka and Tokyo as those that have met the aforementioned attributes and that the Philippines should follow their example.

Palafox lamented the urban planning of the Philippines followed a bad example, most especially Metro Manila. Besides the congestion, he said the metropolis was designed based on that of post-war Los Angeles, which was designed mainly for automobiles instead of pedestrians.

Getting there – the master plan

In the case of Metro Manila, the vision of Palafox Associates is to transform the urban sprawl into a compact development, from segregated to integrated, and from congested to connected. This will also be applied in other major cities in the country, as well as the envisioned cities of the future.

One example on how this can be done is the creation of more mixed-use developments such as Rockwell in Makati City. The beauty of such projects is it encourages people to walk more than drive around, maximizes land values, promotes the sharing of infrastructure and makes for an attractive transition between land uses.

Another possibility is the rise of more vertical cities to address congestion since there is barely space to have homes built. It is likely condominiums will be the residence of choice in cities.

Public transportation, use of bicycles, and more pedestrian lanes are highly encouraged not only to minimize traffic, but also reduce if not totally eliminate pollution. Palafox said these should be given more priority over private vehicles.

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There should also be more green and open spaces. One example of such spaces would be parks, which provides an oasis in a city where people can soak up nature without having to go outside the city.

He cited his involvement in the development of Dubai. From what was a small cluster of settlements in the 1970’s, it evolved to become an ultra-modern city and commercial hub at present. If Dubai can be transformed, so can the Philippines.

Palafox wrapped up his talk by presenting “Postcards from the Future,” where he showcased what would certain places in the Philippines would look like if his master plan is followed. These illustrations show places like Manila, Davao, Iloilo, and even Boracay as green, smart, mobile, resilient and livable.

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The article was originally published in The Manila Times and written by Aaron Ronquillo.

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