Planning Systems Elsewhere

Following on from this lecture, I thought that it would be interesting to investigate what spatial planning is like outside the continent of Europe. Therefore - as a second-generation immigrant - I decided that I would look at the system in place in The Philippines.

While growing up, my family would always spend the majority of the summer in The Philippines and therefore when going back we always had the sense that we were returning 'home'. However, my two versions of 'home' are very different - not only in the weather, culture, and people - but also in terms of the urban environment. This became evident to me very early on in my life as we always experienced a sense of shock that required some form of adjustment - and no, it was not just the jetlag! It was adjusting to the traffic, the urban density, the road surface, the variation in housing, the electricity cables which seemed to form a never-ending web above the streets, etc. Now that I am older and learning about place-making, planning systems, and urban design - I am starting to understand how these all have an influence on urban environments and consequently our experiences within them.

A street in my family's hometown: Biñan, Laguna.

Context:

The Philippines is an archipelagic nation and consists of over 7,000 islands. It is one of the most urbanized developing countries in Asia with roughly half of the population living in urban areas. However, poverty within the country is a major issue as there is a large wealth gap between the rich and poor.

The country is comprised of 17 regions and the local government is divided into three tiers:

- provinces and highly urbanized cities

- 'component' cities and municipalities

- barangays

Sources: Report on the 2008 National Spatial Policy Seminar, MLIT National and Regional Planning Bureau, 2009. Image sourced from: https://www.mlit.go.jp/kokudokeikaku/international/spw/general/philippines/index_e.html

Following the EDSA People Power revolution of 1986 against the Marcos dictatorship, more power was granted to local government units through the Local Government Code of 1991, in order to give people more freedom and self-reliance for development.

Planning System:

The planning system in The Philippines focuses on spatial planning as well as socio-economic development and has frameworks on different scales (national, regional, provincial, city/municipal).

Sources: Report on the 2008 National Spatial Policy Seminar, MLIT National and Regional Planning Bureau, 2009. Image sources from: https://www.mlit.go.jp/kokudokeikaku/international/spw/general/philippines/index_e.html

Spatial Planning at National and Regional Levels:

The current national framework for The Philippines is the National Framework for Physical Planning 2001-2030 which is rooted in sustainable development and social equity. It emphasises the utilization of physical resources rather than economic and acts as guidance rather than a detailed blueprint for development. The main goal of the plan is to increase land productivity in a sustainable manner, develop housing, and build infrastructure that will promote development.

Metropolitan and Regional Planning:

The region of Metropolitan Manila (NCR or Metro Manila) is the only area in the Philippines that is defined by a 1995 law creating the Metro Manila Development Authority or MMDA. When MMDA was created in 1995, it issued its first spatial planning document Physical Development Framework Plan for Metropolitan Manila 1996-2016. In 2012, this was revised due to socio-economic and environmental changes and resulted in the Metro Manila Green Print 2030 which aims to transform the capital into a competitive Southeast Asian metropolis.

Reference:

Morales, M. A. M. (2016) An Overview of Spatial Policy in Asian and European Countries: Philippines. Available from: https://www.mlit.go.jp/kokudokeikaku/international/spw/general/philippines/index_e.html [Accessed 20 January 2021]