Challenges of urbanization specially in the context of unequitable development and poverty has always been a challenge in urban centers in the Philippines. The country has no clear strategic road map in resolving the inter-connected problems of urban congestion, lack of dignified housing and public mass transportation and equitable development. The need for a comprehensive and integrated land use and transport planning are also vital in responding to these challenges.

Within this context, the Philippine government  will be implementing  the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP), the first ever subway project in Metro Manila that will connect North Caloocan or Meycauayan in Bulacan and Dasmariñas in Cavite through the National Capital Region. There is a compelling need that “urban poor and urban citizenship advocates will want to be attentive to the possibility of the gentrification of the station vicinities as private property developers crowd in to secure prime real estate. They will want to take part in shaping these new islands of urbanism. They will want to see part of the taxes being poured into both local transport and pedestrian  infrastructure that feed into the rail stations as well as  near-station socialized housing. Such investments (beyond the local train station business district) will expand the sub-localities that will have access to the other urban areas in the train corridor and to Metro Manila via the station. Unfortunately for property developers, the increased in quantity of land serviced by local feeder transit will increase the supply of residential, office and industrial locations and undermine monopoly rents that are available when there are only one or two central business districts” (Empirically-based policy interactions among different Interests  in Transit Oriented Development, Jude Esguerra, 22 March 2018).

Social and policy dialogue needs to happen  and the voices of the different sectors must be heard and must be factored in not only in connection with this government project but in charting the strategic road map in developing the country’s  public transportation and dignified housing program.

To contribute in framework development of civil society organizations, Informal Settler Families (ISF), allied academe and friends inside government in shaping an integrated land use, transportation and dignified planning, IPG, in partnership with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, has an on-going project (series of discussions) entitled: “Right To The City: A Social City Discussion on Mobility and Dignified Housing.”

The project aims to:

1. To dramatize the importance of Integrating transport, land use  and housing planning based on recent experiences and the problem of congestion and sprawl in Metro Manila;
2. To make a first attempt at building consensus around high level principles that can unite multiple constituencies and stakeholders around a social city strategy; and
3. To describe social innovation initiatives around which participants can sustain interactions, enrich advocacy ideas and, possibly, recruit policy champions, and constituencies.