Living River | Manila, Philippines
Proposal by: Adrian Alexandrescu, Alison Lloyd, Nadhira Abdul Halim
Type: Urban infrastructure
Status: Idea
Year: 2017
Introduction
As with many other Asian capitals, Metro Manila developed its current form under colonial rule and had historically symbolised the country’s interface with the international economy and with‘modernity’. It is the economic and political epicentre of the country and sits at the centre of an industrialising and urbanising region that contains a population of some 17-18 million.
Despite this, the city faces a myriad of social challenges, most visible and pressing being the fact that around 40% of its residents live in informal settlements. These settlements are often in inaccessible areas with a lack of necessary infrastructure and few employment opportunities. Despite its sprawling size transport infrastructure in Metro Manila is overrun with problems of maintenance and inadequate provision of routes for its growing population, leading to high levels of traffic congestion and pollution as major concerns. These issues, with the lack of suitable lanes for pedestrians and cyclists make travelling through Metro Manila a dangerous and expensive daily routine for some of the city’s poorest.
Living River aims to improve this aspect of everyday life for residents in Manila by harnessing its intricate river system for use as an alternative travel network. The river system has the capacity to provide the public with new routes for alternative modes of transport that are safe, clean and give greater access to opportunities for employment in the city.
Key Objectives
The key objectives of Living River are based on the principles of sustainable development. In doing this, the project is able to address wider issues of ensuring social justice and improving the quality of life. Living River seeks to ensure the sustainability of its implementation through:
1.
Increasing Connectivity and Access
Reduction of travel time and cost
Improved safety
Improved health and lifestyle
Access to livelihood and employment
2.
Increasing Social Capital
Blurring the physical boundaries of socio-economic divides
Public space activation
Enabling entrepreneurship
Enabling knowledge sharing across stakeholders
3.
Increasing Citizen Participation and Political Representation
Stakeholder collaboration
Enabling public-private partnerships
Reforming policy for longevity
Strengthening connection between general and local authorities
Beneficiary managed programmes and outputs
These objectives align with the 10 Point Agenda by the City Planning and Development Office Manila which seeks develop the Pasig River’s potential to provide an alternative mode of transportation in Manila and to regulate the activities of street vendors by designating safe and suitable allocated areas. The agenda also seeks to increase community participation and communication with various sectors in doing this.
Location
The principles of Living River can be applied to any river where there is sufficient space adjacent, and a useful route can be created. Six common site types can be identified throughout Manila’s river system, each presenting a unique set of restraints and possibilities. These are planned residential, unplanned residential, industrial, public, brownfield and waterfront sites. To demonstrate the potential of this project, we have located an example of each of these locations along the banks of Estero Dela Reina and illustrated how an intervention could be designed to serve the local context.
Concept
Living River presents a framework for providing and implementing safe alternative routes for cyclists and pedestrians along tributary river banks in Metro Manila.
The project seeks to improve the quality of pedestrian and cycle pathways. In conjunction with this, the project will partner with existing NGOs to clean up the river, and shore, protecting the environment and residents.
Secondly, the project seeks to provide the necessary infrastructure to promote the use of public space and encourage entrepreneurship. Illustrated are some examples. However, these potential activities should be defined in consultation with local stakeholders and implemented in a way that ensures long-term management takes into account public interests.
In doing this, the project can be expanded over time to address:
Safety – to provide safer public spaces in Barangays
Health and Lifestyle – to improve the quality of life and reduce the time and cost of commuting
Transport – to provide safer alternative transport such as bicycle paths
Livelihood – to redesign a safer market place along the riverbanks
Partnerships are fundamental in achieving sustainability of the key objectives for Living River. The project will be implemented using tools of participatory practice that focus on community engagement. Key to the success of the project will also be partnerships with local authorities and private entities such as industrial landowners and potential residential developers.
*More information will be provided shortly in the Warehouse section of this site.*
