Competition Question:
The development of Greater Manila has, since the 1960s, moved away from the City of Manila, which was once the premier residential, recreational, cultural, business and tourism district. (Formerly successful districts like Remedios Circle are gone. This has resulted in lost revenues for the city)
How would you propose to restore this part of Historic Manila and the Bay area into a great livable and safe city for work, leisure, culture, sports, recreation and entertainment for residents, as well as domestic and foreign tourists alike. With a waterfront, heritage districts, historic quarters, plazas/parks, this area presents an ideal canvas for an advanced analysis of urban transformation. Your team has been tasked to handle the challenges facing the City of Manila today.
The questions you want to examine will be how to:
- Revive its economic vitality and sustainability. Your team must illustrate some broad policy for this city which may aid in the economic agenda of generating growth for its citizens so as to raise the quality of life through employment, while undertaking the pressing needs for housing, transport, waste management, health, environment quality, commercial activities and other infrastructural requirements.
- Attract residents, businesses and tourists back. Take into consideration any or all of the sustainability principles in terms of social, economic and environmental aspects. For instance the problem of vagrants and informal settlers, poorly managed traffic, transport and parking systems, floods, unusable sidewalks.
- Formulate strategies and plans for implementation for this area. Propose a viable plan with unique ideas, timeline and resources needed. Taking into account legislative, cultural and financial status of the city. Given that the players and the pieces are in motion and ideas are plentiful and problems are surmounting, your proposal should also examine the probabilities of why it can or cannot be implemented, while illustrating a distinct visionary leadership as a young mayor.
- Undertake a scenario planning exercise in "visioning" what future conditions and events are probable, what their consequences or effects would be like and how to respond or benefit from them. Example: Taking into account political changes, coups and renewal.
- Suggest any ground-up initiatives and nation-building campaigns that can overcome issues of displacement, over-development and pollution. Suggest soft policies (i.e. ways to incentivise your approach )
