MMDA’s ‘Green Print’ program aims progressive Metro Manila

THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said Tuesday that Metro Manila can be at par with progressive metropolis in East Asia in the coming years with an environment that is more conducive for investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators and more livable for its residents.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said a framework dubbed “Metro Manila Green Print 2030”, which was formally launched Tuesday, would bring such dream into fruition, though he added this can be only achieved if the 17 local government units (LGU) in the metropolis would think beyond their boundaries.
“It’s a long process but Green Print 2030 is one big step towards this direction,” Tolentino said during the program’s launch at Edsa Shangri-La hotel in Mandaluyong City.

According to Tolentino, the program will develop a common vision for Metro Manila’s future, propose institutional reforms to improve coordination among key players and provide spatial strategy that will guide the urban form of the metropolis, primary infrastructure, green system and the clustering of economic activities to improve livability.

The program will also identify key factors that will contribute to Metro Manila’s improvement as an urban system. These factors include economic clustering, neighborhood scale development, overall physical structure, and transportation access, which the MMDA believes will unleash Metro Manila’s considerable latent economic potential and human talent.

“Of special considerations are factors including climate change, the increasing vulnerability of the metropolis to natural disasters, rising demand for affordable housing close to places of work and livelihood,” the official said.

Tolentino said the World Bank (WB) will give $200,000 in initial funding for the conduct of the study with technical support coming from the Australian Agency for International Development (AUsAID) and urban poverty reduction advocate Cities Alliance.

The program will incorporate an earlier study crafted in 1999 which the MMDA said is in need of revision in view of the significant changes in the economic, social and environmental conditions in the metropolis.

The Green Print according to the agency will also complement the NCR Regional Development Plan 2011-2016, the Metro Ko, Metro Love Ko’ urban renewal program, the Metro Manila Re-Greening Program, the Metro Manila Open Spaces Program (MOSS) and other similar projects.

The MOSS program is designed to provide Metro residents to enjoy urban living side-by-side with gardens and parks to serve as “environmental sinks” and recreational areas.

Tolentino said providing residents with such “green” amenities will result in a higher standard of living as envisioned in the Green Print but so far only nine LGUs (Caloocan, Makati, Manila, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Pateros, Taguig and Las Pinas) have submitted their proposed open spaces for the program.

For his part, WB Country Director Motoo Konishi said Greenprint 2030 fits well in the institution’s broader commitment to help address urban development challenges in the Philippines.

“Our role in this endeavor is to help facilitate the conversation among key stakeholders to achieve a common vision for Metro Manila as well as bring in international experience and expertise from where this kind of planning process has worked very well,” Konishi said.
“This process will require the active support and participation of the private sector, civil society and the academe to ensure success. And the success of Metro Manila Greenprint 2030 in addressing key challenges will unlock the growth potentials of the entire country,” he added.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2012/03/06/mmdas-green-print-program-aims-progressive-metro-manila-209812