SUPER MEGA MANILA AND URBAN RENEWAL

By Philip M. Lustre Jr.

(Author's note: I wrote the following article for Rappler. Com nearly a year ago. This is about the ongoing expansion of the already expanded Metro Manila and the necessity to pursue redevelopment efforts.)

The emergence of Super Mega Manila, or Greater Capital Region (GCR), requires inward-looking urban renewal or redevelopment, or programs to complement the outward migration of its people and development.

The concept of Greater Manila surfaced in the 1960s to refer to old Manila and the adjacent cities of Caloocan, Pasay and Quezon. By a mere stroke of the pen, dictator Ferdinand Marcos expanded it to become Metro Manila in 1975 and include Greater Manila and 12 other cities and a town.

The same 17 political constituencies composed the modern-day Metro Manila. In 1989, Congress enacted the law creating the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) as an administrative super body to provide them with basic services, traffic management, garbage collection, and urban planning , among others.

In the late 1990s, the concept of Mega Manila had emerged to refer to the expanded Metro Manila. It was largely used by corporate planners as a conceptual guide to cover areas within the 50-kilometer radius as with old center. In the broadcast industry, Mega Manila became a selling point as it referred to areas, which radio signals could reach.

The Mega Manila concept did not take off as a political concept but policymakers, urban visionaries, and corporate planners had nevertheless used it in their works to refer to the expanded Metro Manila.

In the late 2000s, the concept of Super Mega Manila emerged to refer to an expanded Mega Manila, which referred to areas that go beyond the 50-kilometer radius.

Since rapid urbanization continues its frenetic pace outside Mega Manila, the Super Mega Manila concept has lately been refined and redefined to become the Greater Capital Region (GCR). It covers areas in the 100-kilometer radius as with old center.

Lately, the foundation of the GCR Special Administrative Region (SAR-GCR) by 2030 has been proposed to become a special political body to provide the region with full autonomy.

Even the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the coordinating agency of Japan's official development assistance to developing countries, has used this concept in its planning as reference works.

As conceived in the 1990s, the Mega Manila concept originally included parts of Pampanga and Bulacan in Central Luzon and Rizal, Laguna, Cavite and Batangas in Southern Tagalog.

Mega Manila extended to Tagaytay City in the south, Malolos City in the north and the towns of Tanay in Rizal and Angat, Norzagaray in Bulacan and in the east.

The Super Mega Manila concept, or the refined Greater Capital Region, seeks to include Mega Manila and the area extending to the entire Pampanga and Bulacan, parts of Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Zambales, and Bataan in Central Luzon, and entire Cavite and Rizal, and parts of Batangas, Quezon and Aurora in the Southern Tagalog region.

coherent whole

Studies of urban planners, including JICA, said the GCR concept and the 2030 creation of the GCR-SAR address the rapid urbanization of Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog.

Its development into a coherent whole geographical is being sought to improve the delivery of the following services: garbage disposal, waste and sanitation, traffic management, flood control, urban renewal and environmental planning, and disaster management.

The proposed creation GCR-SAR has become necessary as development projects keep on sprouting in every nook and cranny of the GCR area.

Several housing projects have mushroomed to shelter the growing population. Industrial enclaves and relocating factories have been there, too.

Also, the government has been building several big-ticket infrastructure projects there.

In fact, development centers have come out in the north, south and east of Mega Manila, or outside of the 50-kilometer radius.

Every center has specific characteristics to make it distinct and unique.

Super metropolis

The imperative is to connect these development centers into a single, integrated, cohesive, functional whole and to maximize economic growth and development.

Hence, Super Mega Manila, or GCR, is an emerging super metropolis.

It is the perceived result of the integration of at least three development centers outside Mega Manila, the Olongapo-Angeles corridor, the Lipa-Batangas City corridor and the Calabarzon integrated industrial center, which is spread in San Pedro, Canlubang, Cabuyao, Laguna, Sta. Rosa City Calamba City in Laguna, and Gen. Mariano Alvarez, Rosario, Dasmariñas City, Cavite and Quezon.

The concept paper on JICA GCR-SAR justified its creation because Regions 3 and 4 have to mitigate the increasing growth pressures on Metro Manila.

It has identified interventions on key areas: integrated transport for urban and rural mobility; disaster preparedness and resilience; environment and high quality public space; affordable housing and delivery; and land use management and development control.

The JICA concept paper spoke of a plan to build urban roads and expressways, urban railways and for integration into a coherent public transport system, pursue housing programs to include informal settlers and construct gateway ports and airports, and installing traffic management systems.

The overall investment cost could reach P3 trillion, or $ 58 billion, until 2030.

These are not all. Urban planners have failed to consider that as urbanization continues outward, inward redevelopment emerges as an issue too.

Stop Manila's decay

Hence, the outward trend would have to be complemented by an inward move to stop the decay and aging cities, particularly the very center of growth - old.

Urban planners have to pursue with vigor and dynamism redevelopment of the old to bring back its old glory and stop its decay and its core.

The nation needs symbols. Manila, with all its splendor and glory reminiscent of its past, has to continue to embody its gentle soul and tranquil nature that goes back to the old colonial and postcolonial days.

While growth and development are unstoppable, urban planners have to look at maintaining and strengthening the old symbols of nationhood. Their destruction is criminal.

But the redevelopment of old should not be limited to Manila alone. It has to include Quezon City, the country's largest city in population.

While the move to make it the nation's information and communications center is laudable, its planners have to move to make it a showcase of urban redevelopment, primarily to improve the quality of life of its almost two million inhabitants.

In short, the emergence of Super Mega Manila, or GCR, requires inward-looking urban renewal or redevelopment, outward migration programs to complement and development of its people.

Urban decay has to be stopped too.   Hence, redevelopment is a must.