Clean, green and safe. That doesn’t sound like a city in the Philippines - but believe it or not - it soon will be. The project is named “New Clark City” and will be located in the vast flatlands of Capas and Bamban, Tarlac in central Luzon and is envisioned to be completed in 2022. Planned is a metropolis that is green and lush, where the air is clean, it is safe to walk or bike on the road and where everyone feels like they belong.
“The sub-special economic zones of Clark remained undeveloped for so many years. At the same time, we saw the challenges here in the capital of Metro Manila – too much congestion, which makes the city quite unsustainable – and there was really a need to help ease the pressure and provide more opportunities for growth.”
Arnel Paciano Casanova, BCDA president and CEO
“Before we develop any land, we come up with a master plan first to see the optimal sustainable use of the land,” he added.
Among others, the city’s districts will feature the government centre, a central business district, an academic district, an agri-forestry research/development area and a wellness and eco-tourism district. All will be powered by renewable energy facilities, a waste-to-energy plant, urban farms and to further improve the living quality by sustainable modes of public transport; for instance a bus rapid transit system and the use of high-capacity connectivity to support e-governance platforms.
Arnel Paciano Casanova, BCDA president and CEO further noted: “The Clark Green City master plan is a government response to address the rural to urban migration. It hopes that by developing a new city from the ground up with better urban planning, integrating infrastructure and public services and stimulating the start of new communities outside of Metro Manila, it will provide people with a higher standard of living. Currently, Metro Manila, a megacity of 16 cities and a municipality, is one of the densest metropolises in the world, and its rapid urbanisation and inadequate infrastructure and services have resulted to the proliferation of slums.”
Even though the project is still primarily in the planning stages with the sites being developed and roads being build, it will already have positive effects on the country’s economy not only by attracting investors and business, but by creating job-opportunities during the building stages and in the future.
Ultimately - in years to come - the city will improve the lives of Filipinos, especially those who are currently economically and socially marginalised.
“The Clark Green City is not just a physical city of infrastructure, but we’re building a city for human beings, an inclusive city,” he said.
📽 Udenna Corp. is transforming a 177-hectare property near the Clark International Airport into a new center of commerce in the Philippines. Here is a sneak peak of what's in store for the future Clark Global CIty (3:55)
This is another great example of innovative thinking of Government. Population growth, technological change, worldwide environmental conditions and available resources are the primary criteria for future projections. No one can actually predict the future. We can only estimate on present information and trends.
On the subject innovative sustainable future, we at Enviroblog recommend further reading/watching “The Venus Project”:
What is The Venus Project?
The Venus Project is an organization that proposes a feasible plan of action for social change, one that works towards a peaceful and sustainable global civilization. It outlines an alternative to strive toward where human rights are no longer paper proclamations but a way of life.
We propose a fresh, holistic approach – one that is dedicated to human and environmental concerns. It is an attainable vision of a bright and better future, one that is appropriate to the times in which we live, and both practical and feasible for a positive future for all the world’s people.
📽 Full version "The Choice is Ours" ((1:37) - The Vision of Jacque Fresco (1916 - 2017)
Reference
ECO Business, May 2014 (viewed 12.04.2018)
The Venus Project, 2018 (viewed 12.04.2018)