Magandang umaga po sa ating lahat.
Before anything else, let me thank our partner organizations for inviting me to deliver today’s Keynote Address in this Conference on Public Space and the New Urban Agenda.
Having been a longtime Mayor of the City of Makati, I feel that today’s Conference is close to my heart. It reminds me of the experience, and the innovations we initiated, as we worked to put the City Government back on track. As we tried to make the existing advantages of the country’s financial capital include as much as possible the larger Makati constituents — the residents of its barangays outside the Central Business District. We tried as much as possible to make development, when the word was not yet fashionable—inclusive.
This is how I can relate to our participants today. And what I can humbly share with the Local Chief Executives, our Mayors, who are here now.
As they say, change is inevitable. And when it comes to cities, I cannot agree more. In today’s world where urbanization happens rapidly, the city landscapes seem to change right before our very eyes. What used to be open spaces and grasslands when we were young and not too long ago, have been paved over. These places have mushroomed into urban centers that symbolize the wealth and prosperity that cities have promised, and delivered.
Unfortunately, the changing landscape did more than just bring wealth and prosperity to its inhabitants. With the unabated growth of cities, a host of challenges and issues have also come to the fore. Population density growth, social disparity, pollution, public safety and security, congestion, and loss of biodiversity have, among others, become pressing concerns of urban inhabitants.
With fifty percent (50%) of our country’s population living in urban areas, it means that every day, one (1) out of (2) Filipinos experiences heavy traffic, is exposed to a polluted environment, and has limited access to certain basic goods and services. However, at the same time, by being in the city, one finds himself in a position to partake of the roughly seventy-five percent (75%) of the country’s economic output, which comes from these areas. That is, in a very general sense, the scenario we have today.
But without improving the urban living conditions as well as the social conditions in general, we cannot fully claim that we have done well, notwithstanding the economic growth that we have been able to register over the years. So long as half of our citizens are exposed to the ills that continue to plague our urban centers, we need to continue striving harder to make things better. We have to continuously work to make our urban areas and cities more viable, sustainable, enjoyable, and livable. We must manage urbanization well to ensure that it is more beneficial than disadvantageous to the people.
I know that it is easier said than done. I am sure our Mayors here would agree. Hindi madaling trabaho ang hinihingi natin sa kanila. I understand the existing constraints—financial, legal, social and even political—that prevent us from pursuing the necessary urban reforms within our respective jurisdictions. Quoting the great Woodrow Wilson, “If you want to make enemies, try to change something.” But every task is a challenge. And every moment of change even more.
Needless to state, this conference is designed to help us overcome the daunting task ahead. Through an informative and interactive framework, this Conference will not simply give our participants a better understanding of our urban systems and its issues, but more importantly, it will provide them with the necessary analytical tools to address the same.
One area that should be emphasized in bringing forth a better urban system is promoting public space-making.
However, in doing so, we are confronted with the question, “what really is a public space?” For most urban dwellers now, their most likely concept of a public space is the nearest mall where they spend time walking around, shopping, enjoying the air-conditioned premises, eating, watching a movie or just sitting around in the food court area. But is a mall a public space?
Orum and Neal defined urban public spaces as “all areas that are open and accessible to all members of the public in a society.” The American Planning Association defines public places as a gathering spot or part of a neighborhood, downtown, special district, waterfront or other area within the public realm that helps promote social interaction and a sense of community.
I believe that there is more to public spaces than these definitions provide, given the multidimensional aspect of a public space. In an urban setting, where buildings crowd the city, open public spaces play an environmental role by serving as a buffer zone for high density development; where you get fresh air and sunlight as such public places are often lined with trees thus serving as the urban lung of the city.
Depending on how public spaces are created, they can also provide room for cultural exchanges among city dwellers; or a place for expressing opinions, where forums can be organized.
What makes a public space successful? Is it all in the beauty or functionality of the public space? A Joseph Rowntree Foundation study found that “the success of a particular public space is not solely in the hands of the architect, urban designer or town planner; it relies also on people adopting, using and managing the space. People make places, more than places make people.”
I know that in providing public space and pursuing urban reforms, our Mayors face many challenges.
We have to address the perennial stand-off between “the value of urban land which can be used for economic or commercial purposes versus using the same as a public place.” We are confronted with the lack of resources to maintain the beauty and safety of public spaces.
Despite these constraints, there have been local governments that were able to overcome the challenges and emerge as model local governments for sustainable urban development.
I am proud of the fact that one such city is Makati. Allow me to share some of my experiences as Mayor of Makati City.
As early as the mid-2000s, the City of Makati already put together and pursued a plan called the Makati Development Agenda for the 21ST Century or the Makati 21.
The aim was to provide balanced growth which ensures the economic, social and physical well-being of the communities and all individuals within them. That early, the City Government of Makati already emphasized the importance of balancing the well-being of our inhabitants with the requirements of economic growth.
The Makati 21 had three (3) pillars: jobs, shelter, and pride of place.
With regard to shelter, we did not focus simply on housing but the communityscape which includes infrastructure and facilities that will ensure high environmental quality and strengthening of the social fabric and community bonds. We focused on raising the overall quality of life in our communities.
Pride of place, on the other hand, is reflected in the physical cityscape, its economic affluence at one end of the spectrum, and environmental quality in the other. In-between would be social elements: the diverse population, social equity, cultural richness and heritage. And another counterbalance would be the responsiveness of the people themselves—the communities’ drive for excellence and productivity, and their sense of civic commitment, responsibility and identity with the city.
Working integrally, these elements produce the totality that distinguishes the city from any other city. And which projects the city’s ‘soul’; a life solely its own.
In line with said pillars, we pursued the following strategies:
- First, the City Government embarked on providing and improving parks and open spaces throughout the city. With the need for more parks and open spaces, the same had to be provided innovatively, doing away with conventional methods. This included linear parks in the form of riverside, creekside and roadside landscaping. A green plan was also pursued wherein areas were designated as green spaces, pocket parks and landscaped gardens located in highly visible areas such as, street corners, vacant areas of public facilities, rotundas, and others.
- Second, recognizing that the City Government could not do everything on its own, we partnered with private companies that are willing to invest in making the City more livable and sustainable. We provided incentives to projects that included public places, such as: network of green and open spaces, including roof gardens; and public art or heritage facilities.
The recently approved Comprehensive Land Use Plan and Zoning Ordinance of Makati City reinforce the said strategies. The new C.L.U.P. and Ordinance state that a bonus incentive of one additional floor compliant with the mandated floor area ratio shall be given to buildings in commercial zones within 200-meter walking distance from an existing rail station. Bonus incentives shall also be granted for the development of iconic spaces and landmarks that would give the City a positive and distinct image.
With these strategies, the following projects emerged to improve the well-being of the City’s inhabitants.
One is the Makati Park. Its proximity to the University of Makati as well as the adjacent Makati Aqua Sports Arena makes it an ideal place to rest and unwind. It has also served as venue for several City events and can also be used for private parties—weddings, birthdays and other occasions.
We put up community complexes or multipurpose halls that are accessible to residents, such as the Makati Coliseum. These venues were used for barangay activities including sports events and even concerts.
The City Government is now pursuing the Makati Poblacion Heritage Conservation Project. This is aimed at revitalizing the old town core of Makati through the redevelopment of parks and plazas, pedestrianization, and restoration of key heritage buildings. Proposed projects shall create a network of parks connected by pedestrianized streets.
After putting up these so-called places for the people, we reinforced our efforts by spearheading activities that make people actually use these places. The Caracol Event is held every 3rd Sunday of January. Students in colorful mother earth-inspired costumes participate in an ethnic dance competition. The event attracts local and foreign tourists. Other events continuously promoted by the City Government include the Makati Day Celebrations highlighted by the Flores De Mayo, Miss Makati, Sports Fests, Fireworks Display, Band Concerts, Street Parties and a Grand Parade.
Complementarily, we have also paid attention to details and small aesthetic improvements that have helped enhance the City’s overall landscape.
For one, we enhanced our streetscapes through landscaping and the improvement of sidewalks. Key street segments that extend throughout the City were identified for improvement measures such as repaving, tree planting, removal of clutter and obstruction, signage improvement, and, in general, giving priority to the pedestrian.
For another, we also landscaped major infrastructure elements. Recent infrastructure projects such as the EDSA-MRT3, the Kalayaan Flyover, and the Skyway Link have become very conspicuous parts of the City’s Urban Form. The aesthetic impact of these infrastructure elements was improved through landscaping and other interventions that reduced their heavy and obtrusive image.
These are just some of the few initiatives we pursued and were able to implement within existing constraints.
The challenge is upon us to protect and improve on existing public spaces and to bring Public-Private Partnership in developing new ones. We must continue to fight for their development and we need champions who can push to protect, create, and make useful such public spaces. More public spaces mean better people’s lives.
That is Makati experience I can share with you today. Despite all the constraints and challenges, it is possible to make our urban areas and cities more viable, more sustainable and more livable.
My Friends, our cities are now at a crossroads. We can stay at status quo and let our cities continue to grow haphazardly, with overemphasis on economic growth and little regard for human and social needs and environmental consequences. Or we can change our priorities and create a more sustainable and livable urban system. As leaders of your cities, that choice is yours to make.
Maraming Salamat po at mabuhay tayong lahat.