All within 15 Minutes: Urban Planning Concept City to Rise in Pasay

An artist’s render of a 15-minute city, where work, food, housing, education and cultural activities are easily within reach.

For the modern urban dweller, 15 minutes is a lot of time.

A lot of productive things can be done – a high-intensity, interval training (HITT) workout or run a 1.5-kilometer route, clearing your emails, meditating, catching up on the news, or preparing a quick smoothie – all within 15 minutes. 

But for the Metro Manila commuter, 15 minutes is barely enough to get from point A to point B. During rush hour, it is most likely that within this time, you still haven’t moved an inch.

 

Ever heard of the 15-minute city? It’s a modern urban planning concept that puts people and the planet first. The term was coined by Paris-based urbanist and Sorbonne University professor Carlos Moreno wherein he said that the ideal neighborhood or city is built in such a way where work, food, housing, education and cultural activities can be easily accessed within 15 minutes, whether by foot or by using a bike.

Pasay City, in its forward-looking 360-hectare smart city development, aims to create an innovative tropical 15-minute city for over 300,000 residents. 

Situated at the edge of a densely-packed and overpopulated metropolis perpetually in a traffic gridlock, this city will provide respite to its residents and visitors with sustainable, inclusive, safe, and healthy living where all their needs can be accessed within reach. 

Among its intended features, the project is envisioned to have low carbon and safe mobility networks with multimodal public transport services and enhanced infrastructure that prioritizes active mobility like walking and biking. There will be parking lots equipped with electric vehicle charging stations, dedicated bike lanes, easily accessible public transport hubs, and unimpeded pedestrian walkways.

An artist’s rendition of a soon-to-rise 15-minute city in Pasay

This assures lower transportation costs, less carbon emissions, and most importantly, healthier and happier people. No more long and tiring queues at the EDSA bus carousel or sitting hours on end in the middle of EDSA traffic. 

The project has been thoughtfully planned and designed for many years, and finally it has received the green light by government to proceed. In fact, no less than Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda highlighted how the Pasay-led project is expected to earn billions in real estate assets for the government. 

Revenues from the project will generate a massive multiplier effect on our gross domestic product (GDP) and an estimated 300,000 new jobs from 2027 to 2040. By 2035, it is projected to employ 4% of the National Capital Region’s (NCR) total work force.

The Pasay 360 Project will be a city that nurtures lives and livelihood, is expected to revitalize the economy, and hone the next generation of Filipino leaders. It can be a source of pride for Filipinos as we push towards the 22nd century.

Statement of Secretary Ramon Lopez on Unified Country Branding

We basically want a clear and focused messaging of the Philippines’ value proposition to investors—the country as an investment destination especially during this administration, given the meaningful reforms and solid macro fundamentals with respect to specific sectors. To achieve this, our 19 Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) are working on a Unified Country Branding, instead of each IPAs working independently and in silo.

If CITIRA is meant to harmonize the incentive regime from the Policy-side; we are also doing the same from the Promo-side. This is for the effectiveness and efficient use of government’s limited resources.

DTI GIVES HALL OF FAME COMPETITIVENESS AWARD TO QUEZON CITY

After winning the overall most competitive Highly-Urbanized City (HUC) for four consecutive years, Quezon City has been inducted in the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) Hall of Fame. CMCI is an annual gathering of competitive cities and municipalities, organized by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) since 2013. During the 2019 CMCI awarding ceremonies last 24 October, Quezon City was also named the best HUC for government efficiency and infrastructure, and third-best HUC for economic dynamism. Competitiveness awards for different categories were also given to other cities and municipalities. DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez (4th from L) commended the consistent performance of Quezon City throughout the years and highlighted their role in increasing the competitiveness of the whole country by being the pilot city for DTI's ease of doing business reforms. Receiving the award was Mayor Joy Belmonte (5th from L), in the presence of Congressman Manuel Zubiri (3rd from L), DTI Undersecretary Blesila Lantayona (7th from L), and DTI NCR Regional Director Marcelina Alcantara (8th from L).