Muntinlupa Matters: Addressing Informality in Metro Manila Part 1 by MIT DUSP

M U N T I N L U PA M AT T E R S ADDRESSING INFORMALITY IN METRO MANILA

SITE PLANNING STUDIO 2015

PREPARED FOR THE WORLD BANK AND THE CITY GOVERNMENT OF MUNTINLUPA BY MIT DUSP IN COLLABORATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES RESEARCH LED BY MARY ANNE OCAMPO AND STEPHEN F. GRAY IN COLLABORATION WITH FADI MASOUD

Copyright ÂŠ 2016 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Urban Studies and Planning School of Architecture + Planning All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, unless specifically permitted in the text or by written permission of the authors. Photo: Dennis Diaz

INTRODUCTION

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Photo: Adriana Akers

INTRODUCTION

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INTRODUCTION

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Photo: Dennis Diaz

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INTRODUCTION

Photo: Adriana Akers

INTRODUCTION

Photo: Mary Anne Ocampo

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INTRODUCTION

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CONTENTS

00 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xviii PARTNERSHIPS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Clients and Participants

01 INTRODUCTION

Photo: Dennis Diaz

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INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION Studio Framework and Critical Questions

PROCESS Field Studies and Community Engagement

PRINCIPLES AND RECOMMENDATIONS Three Principles of Integrated Urban Development

PROJECTS Introduction to Student Work

MUNTINLUPA CITY

STUDENT PROJECTS

REGIONAL CONTEXT Gateway to Calabarzon

SITE SELECTION Addressing Informality

CITY CONTEXT City of Barangays

INFORMALITY Informal Settlers and Vulnerability

INTELLIGENT INFRASTRUCTURE Sharing Resources and Living Local

AVAILABLE VACANT LAND Open Land in Muntinlupa

BARANGAY CONTEXT Sucat, Buli, Cupang, Alabang

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Stakeholder Interviews and Design Charrette

144 CONNECT AND PROTECT Cleaning Water and Balancing Benefits 192 ENVIRONMENTAL ZONING Directing Settlement and Building Capacity 230 DISTINCTLY FILIPINO Local Landmaking and Development

VISUALIZING VULNERABILITIES

CONCLUSION

ENVIRONMENTAL VULNERABILITIES Systems Thinking, Natural Hazards, and Urban Development

SOCIOECONOMIC DISCONNECTS Informal Settlements and Relocation

DEVELOPMENT SILOS Private Development and Infrastructure Building

288 CONCLUSION Informality and the Dual City

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PARTNERSHIPS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Muntinlupa Matters was a semester-long site planning and environmental systems studio led by MIT Lecturers Mary Anne Ocampo and Stephen F. Gray of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) in collaboration with MIT Lecturer Fadi Masoud of the Center for Advanced Urbanism (CAU). The University of the Philippines (UP) College of Architecture Dean Mary Ann A. Espina, UP College of Urban and Regional Planning Dean Mario R. Delos Reyes, and Professor Michael Tomeldan contributed to the community engagement and design strategies at the outset of the project. The World Bank, MIT’s client, provided the project brief; shared relevant background data, studies, and information; and arranged for workshops, presentations, and field study opportunities with local community leaders. MIT and UP worked closely with Senior Urban Economist Yan Zhang and Senior Social Development Specialist Makiko Watanabe of the World Bank. Numerous local NGOs participated in the project, including the Homeless People’s Federation Philippines,

Inc. (HPFPI), the Technical Assistance Movement for People and the Environment, Inc. (TAMPEI), the Muntinlupa Development Foundation (MDF), and Bukluran, among others. This project would not have been possible without the institutional leadership of MIT President L. Rafael Reif an MIT Provost Martin Schmidt and their dedication to finding ways for MIT to respond to the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the Philippines in November 2013. The Institute’s Philippines Recovery Working Group leaders, Christopher Capozzola and Aaron Weinberger, provided invaluable determination, passion, and commitment to making this studio possible. Travel was made possible by generous funding and support from MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI), MIT School of Architecture and Planning, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning, MIT Office of the Dean of Graduate Education, Sasaki Associates, Philippine Transmarine Carriers, Inc. Vice Chairman and CEO Gerardo Borromeo, and the visionary leadership of ACM Landholdings.

Work sessions with MIT and UP included presentations by Manila Observatory’s Toni Loyzaga and Ateneo University’s Emma Porio. Photo: Arianna Salazar Miranda

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INTRODUCTION

Key presentations and an extensive GIS database were shared by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Urban Poor Affairs Office (UPAO), Muntinlupa City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) Acting Planning Director Jose Reynaldo B. Lunas, GIS Division Head Jose “Pitz” David Adriano, and Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) President Arnel Casanova. Manila Observatory Executive Director Toni Loyzaga, leading architect and scholar Paulo Alcazaren, and Ateneo University Professor Emma Porio provided support and thought leadership to students, as well as relevant data and background information on the Philippines, Manila, and the project site. MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Professor Christopher Capozzola and MIT Media Lab researcher Katja Schechtner in the Urban Development and Transport Technologies division at the Asian Development Bank also collaborated during the research phase of the project..

Makiko Watanabe presents the World Bank’s Citywide Development Approach. Photo: Dennis Diaz

MIT, the University of the Philippines, the World Bank, NGOs, POs, and Muntinlupa City community members gather in Sucat for community meetings. Photo: Dennis Diaz

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Photo: Arianna Salazar Miranda

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION As part of an institute-wide effort to respond to the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan (2013), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Urban Studies and Planning (MIT DUSP), in collaboration with the University of the Philippines (UP) and the World Bank, led a studio practicum to explore urban resiliency strategies in Metropolitan Manila. The studio investigated and proposed ways of reducing vulnerability for Informal Settler Families (ISFs) living without secure land tenure along the shores of Laguna de Bay, the largest freshwater lake in the Philippines.

Aerial Photo of Barangay Alabang

In January 2015, a group of MIT students and professors traveled to Manila for a two-week site visit that included extensive fieldwork, stakeholder interviews, community meetings, and design charrettes. Students from MIT and UP worked collaboratively to understand the history and present context of development, settlement, and natural disasters in relation to informality and vulnerability, and then brainstormed approaches to addressing these complex challenges. Relying on local knowledge, professional expertise, and ongoing initiatives, students engaged directly with informal settlers, visiting those communities with the highest concentration of substandard living conditions, higher than average exposure to natural disasters, low levels of land tenure, and an elevated risk of displacement. Throughout the semester, students continued their engagement with the projects through thorough research and analysis. Following the analysis phase, they worked in teams to develop planning and design proposals aimed at addressing the socio-spatial, environmental, and economic challenges of ISFs living in Muntinlupa City. Vulnerability to natural disasters has long been a part of Filipino history, shaping the country’s society, culture, and physical environment. In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan (also known as Typhoon Yolanda), the strongest tropical storm recorded at landfall in the Philippines, cost thousands of lives, displaced millions, and caused large-scale destruction, amplifying the urgent need for environmental and social resilience planning in the region. Climate change, reflected in increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters, is further compounded by unabated population growth and

MANY NGOS HAVE ACHIEVED SUCCESSFUL INTERVENTIONS IN METRO MANILA’S INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS, BUT THEY HAVE FALLEN SHORT IN REACHING SCALE. rural-to-urban migration. Metro Manila has experienced rapid urban growth in recent years, leading to a marked increase in urban poverty and a population of over 600,000 ISFs seeking jobs and housing. Approximately 51% of ISFs live in high-risk areas, where they suffer disproportionately from natural disasters, especially flooding, and settle along the easements of urban waterways and lakeshore flood zones, exposing them to recurrent and intensifying flooding.1 This studio inquiry was based in Muntinlupa City, the southernmost of sixteen local government units (LGUs) that make up Metro Manila. Muntinlupa lies adjacent to Laguna de Bay. Nearly half of Muntinlupa’s 460,000 residents belong to the urban poor sector, and according to 2007 Local Government Unit (LGU) data, the city has over 27,000 ISFs in 241 communities.2 With approximately 5,000 ISFs residing along waterways and 4,000 ISFs living along the 11 km lakeshore of Laguna de Bay, Muntinlupa requires a citywide strategy for addressing flood risk and informality. Since 2014, the studio’s client, the World Bank, has been working to establish a Metro Manila Citywide Development Approach to Informal Settlement Upgrading (CDA) in the region, with the goal of reducing vulnerability and improving flood resilience

1 Makiko Watanabe. “Searching for Sustainable Housing Solutions for Informal Settlers in Metro Manila.” Community Architects Network Workshop. Muntinlupa City Hall, Muntinlupa, Philippines. 17 June 2015. Conference Presentation. 2 The World Bank, Terms of Reference “Metro Manila Citywide Development Approach to Informal Settlement Upgrading Project (CDA) – Muntinlupa City” October 23, 2014.

A lakeshore settlement along Laguna de Bay. Photo: Ellen Lohe

“Estero” Community in Muntinlupa. Photo: Adriana Akers

for informal settlers in three pilot cities: Caloocan, Quezon City, and Muntinlupa. The CDA is intended to allow the government to address informal settlement at scale by adopting a decentralized, programmatic, and highly participatory approach. Should the project prove successful, the CDA may provide a model for resettlement under the ongoing national informal settlement upgrading program, which aims to resettle104,000 informal settler families out of the danger zones, and the World Bank’s Greater Metro Manila Flood Management Project, which will affect an estimated 400,000 informal settlers.

While some Local Government Units (LGUs) that have demonstrated exemplary achievements (e.g. Cebu, Iloilo, Mandaue, Naga, and Quezon City) in informal settlement relocation, these remain isolated success stories.

According to the World Bank’s Metro Manila Citywide Slum Upgrading Project, many NGOs have achieved successful community-driven interventions in Metro Manila’s informal settlements, but they have fallen short in reaching scale (e.g. Habitat for Humanity, Homeless People’s Federation Philippines Inc. (HPFPI), Foundation for the Development of the Urban Poor (FDUP), and Foundation for Development Alternatives (FDA)).

INTRODUCTION

Past efforts have witnessed some success, yet have also suffered from crucial limitations. In recent years, the government has taken a more aggressive approach to addressing issues of informality through largescale relocation strategies. Those relocated have faced significant challenges, including unsustainable mortgage debt, increased travel time to jobs, and the fragmentation of social and economic networks. These strains have in some cases precipitated a disintegration of the traditional family unit, within breadwinners living apart from their extended families to be near their jobs. Private sector participation in the low-income housing market has been limited to date, though some developers have interest in expanding their own markets to include in-city medium-rise buildings for ISFs. These

HOW CAN INTEGRATED RESETTLEMENT STRATEGIES FOR ISFS BALANCE CONSIDERATIONS FOR NATURAL SYSTEMS, CITY FORM, AND SOCIO-CULTURAL DYNAMICS? schemes often come up against financing barriers, however, due to a lack of affordable mortgages for those not employed in the formal economy. In collaboration with the World Bank and the University of the Philippines (UP), this studio sought to build upon the World Bank’s Citywide Development Approach (CDA) by developing replicable resettlement and upgrading strategies for residents located in four Muntinlupa City barangays (neighborhoods) along the shoreline of Laguna de Bay: Sucat, Buli, Cupang, and Alabang. Acknowledging the limitations of past efforts by the government, NGOs, and the private sector to address flooding and informality in Metro Manila, the studio challenged students to devise solutions that were both replicable and scalable, and which engaged the realities of the private sector, while questioning the cost benefit of the conventional relocation paradigm. In the context of one of the world’s most densely populated mega-cities, populated by an increasingly vulnerable and growing informal urban population, the studio explored the following questions: •

How can ISFs in Metro Manila be better prepared for future storm events?

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Where should future development and redevelopment occur and where should it not?

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How can integrated resettlement strategies for ISFs balance considerations for natural systems, city form, and socio-cultural dynamics?

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What are the benefits of public, private, and nonprofit sector collaborations?

Community Architects Network (CAN) workshop, June 2016. Photo: David Vega-Barachowitz

This document records diverse and innovative strategies, which together address the vulnerabilities of ISFs related to climate adaptation, economic development, and social inclusion in urban areas. Studio recommendations and projects for Muntinlupa’s Citywide Development Approach are documented in detail in the full studio report and are intended for use by the World Bank as well as city agencies, local NGOs, developers, and other institutions that contribute to urban development in the region. These findings were presented at the Community Architects Network (CAN) Regional Conference and Workshop in Intramuros and Muntinlupa City in June 2015. The research was also presented at the NXCities Symposium, the first international forum for discussing urbanism in the Philippines, in Bonifacio Global City in March 2016. This workshop represents the first of many opportunities for engagement with various stakeholders in the larger Metro Manila region.

PROCESS Over the course of the studio, students analyzed the physical and socioeconomic conditions of informal settlements using a multifaceted process, including stakeholder engagement; environmental mapping; documentation of land and housing needs; research into community financing mechanisms; and exploration of new methods for building capacity among ISFs.

Metro Manila Fieldwork | January 2015 During fieldwork in Metro Manila, MIT students gained an understanding of the context, vulnerabilities, and opportunities related to the people in four Muntinlupa’s barangays. While in Manila, MIT and UP students attended a series of lectures featuring experts from local academic institutions, organizations, and private sector groups. These lectures dealt with the history and profile of Metro Manila and Muntinlupa; climate change and flooding across the region; the challenge associated with widespread informal settlement; and recent development pressures. Participating institutions and organizations included:

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University of the Philippines (UP)

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Ateneo University

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The World Bank

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The Asian Development Bank

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Manila Observatory

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PGAA Creative Design

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Homeless People’s Federation Philippines, Inc.

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Technical Assistance Movement for People and the Environment, Inc. (TAMPEI)

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Muntinlupa Development Foundation (MDF)

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Bukluran

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Philippine Transmarine Carriers, Inc.

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ACM Landholdings

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Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA)

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Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)

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Urban Poor Affairs Office (UPAO)

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Muntinlupa City Planning and Development Office

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Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA)

INTRODUCTION

Students documented these lectures and field visits through note taking, sketching, and photography. Each day, students were asked to create one emblematic drawing (“graphic meeting minutes”) to illustrate a key takeaway from the day. For the field study, students worked in four groups, each composed of two MIT students and four to five UP students. Each group was assigned to conduct fieldwork in one of four selected barangays in Muntinlupa. Over the course of several site visits, the groups conducted over 40 interviews with local residents to gain an understanding of local life along the shore of Laguna de Bay, including residents’ lifestyles, needs, constraints, and opportunities. These interviews laid the groundwork for a series of community profiles that cataloged predominant movement patterns, modes of travel, and daily routines in relation to places of residence, jobs, and public spaces. Each interviewee was also asked to describe the impact of flooding on their livelihood and their concerns (or lack thereof) about a changing lakeshore environment. Using a participatory community mapping process, students and local residents created maps of each barangay that cataloged community gathering areas, open spaces, commercial sites, key transportation corridors, important ecological sites, major flooding areas, informal evacuation centers, and other locations indicated as either important, problematic, or as an area of opportunity. Students used these maps to create community transects showing the relationship between built environment, ecology, topography, and infrastructure.

THE GROUPS CONDUCTED OVER 40 INTERVIEWS WITH LOCAL RESIDENTS TO GAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF LOCAL LIFE ALONG THE SHORE OF LAGUNA DE BAY.

Photos: Adriana Akers, Shanika Hettige, Mary Anne Ocampo, Dennis Diaz, Arianna Salazar Miranda

Community engagement meeting in Muntinlupa. Photo: Stephen Gray

INTRODUCTION

Sponsor ACM Landholdings visits the MIT studio in Cambridge.

INTRODUCTION

MIT Studio Work Cambridge, February - May 2015 Following the two-week site visit, MIT students returned to Cambridge to deepen their understanding of Muntinlupaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vulnerabilities and opportunities through further analysis and research regarding issues brought up by residents as well as critical mapping of data obtained in Metro Manila. Students began by refining and formalizing their daily graphic meeting minutes into a series of infographics as part of a memo to the World Bank that captured some of the major ideas from the trip. Following this synthesis of the fieldwork, students formed four groups of two to delve further into four key topic areas: environment; economy; mobility and infrastructure; and politics. Teams illustrated the existing conditions of Muntinlupa through one of these four lenses, assessing post-flooding conditions and identifying opportunities for resilient retrofits. This research was conveyed as a series of maps at the national, regional, city, and barangay scales. Each group also considered how these topics interacted with three different vulnerability variables key to ISFs in Muntinlupa: tropical storms, land tenure, and hard infrastructure, including the potential ramifications of a proposed combination dike-expressway project known as the C-6, which was extensively discussed during the field study. Following the analysis phase, students began developing design propositions that could respond to both short-term community needs and provide a longterm vision for resiliency.

Fadi Masoud, Mary Anne Ocampo, and Stephen Gray led the planning and design studio.

DURING FIELDWORK, STUDENTS SYNTHESIZED THE HOLISTIC RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ECOLOGY, ECONOMY, INFRASTRUCTURE AND PUBLIC POLICY IN MUNTINLUPA.

PRINCIPLES AND RECOMMENDATIONS Three Principles of Integrated Urban Development This report tries to capture the voice of all-too-often marginalized communities residing along the waterways of Metro Manila - understanding who they are, how they live, and what they need. It is not intended as a proposal for the restructuring of public policy nor is it attempt to reform existing economic, financial, and governmental institutions. This document compiles urban analysis, stakeholder interviews, planning principles, and conceptual alternatives for the rethinking of development and community resettlement along Muntinlupaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Laguna de Bay shoreline. It includes an analysis of the physical conditions of the waterways and communities adjacent to urban development, a synthesis of lessons learned from recent case studies, and proposals for inventive and sustainable planning and urban design strategies Recommendations formulated throughout the studio represent broadly applicable principles that recognize the competing objectives and prevailing trends of a fastgrowing mega-city. The projects are specific enough to stand as proofs of concept and sufficiently systematic to be applied to similar challenges in other areas. Although the four student teams took on very different challenges, geographies, and forms, there were consistent themes that manifested throughout the projects and corresponding recommendations. The studio recommendations embody three basic principles for achieving a more efficient, equitable, and integrated urban environment.

INTRODUCTION

Photo: Adriana Akers

Socioeconomic: Support a shared economy. Connect formal and informal

The informal economy plays an essential role in the fabric of Muntinlupaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s communities and the livelihoods of its residents. Integrating the formal and informal sectors of the economy - whether in transportation, commercial fishing, retail, or otherwise - has the potential to both legitimize and improve the lives of Muntinlupa residents. By bridging the formal and the informal, Muntinlupa can better integrate the polarized spheres of its economy and society. Building forums for community engagement and tactical infrastructures that can transcend the formal-informal dichotomy is central to sustainable development. Further, it is essential to pay close attention to the structural conditions that shape informal settlements, the livelihoods that give root to their formation (i.e. fisherfolk), and the social capital that is created within them.

INTRODUCTION

Environment: Work with nature, not against it

The fractured ecological state of Laguna de Bay, compounded by the increasing threat of natural disaster, reflects the complex relationship between regional growth, local economy, and natural systems. Environmental degradation must be understood as a social problem as well as a natural process, and its response, therefore, must delicately integrate the ecological with the socioeconomic. By aligning ecological imperatives with economic and social motivations, Muntinlupa can demonstrate the potential for community infrastructures to both mitigate flood risks, improve hydrological conditions, and improve quality of life. New development should strive for a symbiosis between productivity and social benefits, integrating open space systems that also lessen the degree of impact from shoreline flooding; building urban agriculture and evacuation centers on open land; and creating malls and large-scale developments that incorporate natural systems, climate, and environmental vulnerabilities into future land use, zoning, and policymaking.

Development: Break down silos

Effective partnerships between the community, the public sector, and developers are essential to laying the foundation of a successful Citywide Development Approach. Though Metro Manila has undergone rapid economic expansion over the past two decades, this growth has been accompanied by vast inequities in housing and transportation, environmental deterioration, and the expansion of a vast informal economy and housing market. Public incentives should encourage the building of additional affordable housing units and counteract unabated informal settlement growth. New developments must strive to appreciate the nuanced relationship between land use, transportation, informality, and industry, while transcending the siloed processes that characterize contemporary city-building in Muntinlupa and Metro Manila.

Photo: David Vega-Barachowitz

PROJECTS Intelligent Infrastructure: Sharing Resources and Living Local

In the recent past, the primary strategy for reducing vulnerability for informal communities in flood-prone areas has been relocation and resettlement. This approach has been largely unsuccessful because relocation typically disconnects families from social and economic resources, locks people into prohibitively expensive mortgages, and often results in families returning to the urban areas from which they were moved. This strategy proposes in situ shared infrastructure to provide basic services of power, plumbing, refrigeration, and community center amenities. This infrastructure can reduce vulnerability from flooding, while enhancing access to basic services in cost-effective ways. When flood events occur and evacuation is necessary, temporary resettlement happens on privately controlled vacant land within close proximity to the evacuated areas. Private landowners are incentivized to participate and leave areas of their land undeveloped by special allowances for strategic upzoning on other large parcels along major highways, commuter rail lines, and other mobility connections.

Connect and Protect: Cleaning Water and Balancing Benefits

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A recently authorized joint public-private venture will construct a C-6 lakeshore dike expressway and reclaim land as a series of islands along the lakeshore of Muntinlupa. This will not only disconnect water-dependent ISF communities living along the shore from their primary sources of livelihood and food, but will also result in concentrating highly contaminated water in a narrow channel between the inner edge of the dike expressway islands and the shore. Accepting this proposal as a given, the lakeshore and expressway are re-imagined as a new landscape infrastructure system for cleaning polluted water. Considerations for public open space, open air markets, and fishing access capitalize on the existing fishing communities, bridging the fishing industry with new development and connecting ISFs to mutually beneficial opportunities and amenities.

INTRODUCTION

Environmental Zoning: Directing Settlement and Building Capacity

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The number of migrant families moving to Metro Manila increases each year. These families come with limited job skills, often settle as squatters along urban waterways and other undeveloped areas, and have limited access to the formal economy. Building upon the agricultural skills and heritage of rural migrants moving into urban areas, a new land use planning and development framework suggests redirected resettlement of ISFs into dense clusters of mixed housing surrounded by agricultural land. This approach provides a framework for a shared economy around urban agriculture while offering formal employment for ISFs. It also significantly reduces family food expenditures from the current 60% level,1 takes advantage of cheaper land on which to secure tenure, and protects ecologically sensitive areas from blanket suburban residential and mega-mall developments that proliferate in many areas of Metro Manila.

Distinctly Filipino: Local Landmaking and Development

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Privatized and segmented development patterns characterize the present landscape of Metro Manila, contributing to traffic congestion, privatization, and an undemocratic distribution of resources. A 400-year-old colonial past further disconnects Filipinos from traditional development patterns that respond to natural systems and local ways of life. Adapting proven patterns of living with water from generations of local provincial planning, an authentic urbanism can emerge that is uniquely Filipino and reintroduces a sustainable and responsive form of native land-making to expand the physical edge of Muntinlupa. 1 Junio Ragragio (2003) â&#x20AC;?Urban Slums Report: The Case of Manila, Philippinesâ&#x20AC;? in Understanding Slums: case studies for the global report on human settlements 2003, University College London.

02 MUNTINLUPA CITY 18

MUNTINLUPA CITY

Photo: Arianna Salazar Miranda

REGIONAL CONTEXT Muntinlupa is one of three pilot-cities for the World Bank’s Citywide Development Approach Project. According to LGU data, Muntinlupa had over 27,000 ISFs in 241 ISF communities scattered across 9 barangays, approximately 4 percent of the population, in 2007. With increasing rural-to-urban migration in the last decade, it is critical to understand the regional, city, and barangay context to better assess the complexity of informal settlement vulnerabilities.

Geography | The Gateway to Calabarzon

Economic Role | Filinvest Corporate City

Muntinlupa is the southernmost city in Metro Manila on the island of Luzon. The city is part of the Philippine National Capital Region (NCR) and is located approximately 18 km from the major regional Central Business District (CBD) of Makati. The city hosts several large commercial centers as well as luxury gated residential communities, though almost half of the population falls into the urban poor sector.1 Muntinlupa has 11 km of shoreline fronting Laguna de Bay, the largest freshwater lake in the Philippines. It is bounded by Taguig City in the north, Parañaque City in the northwest, Las Piñas City in the west, the Province of Cavite in the southwest, the Province of Laguna in the south, and Laguna de Bay Lake to the east. Due to its geographic location, Muntinlupa is known as the “gateway to Calabarzon,” the adjacent region in southwestern Luzon.

Home to one of the four central business districts (CBD) of the National Capital Region, the City of Muntinlupa plays a central economic role within Metro Manila. The city’s CBD is located in Filinvest Corporate City in Barangay Alabang and hosts both domestic and international businesses. Under the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, Muntinlupa’s Northgate Cyber Zone IT park is part of an economic investment strategy for the Philippines to compete globally in an international market for information technology. Northgate includes several Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Knowledge Processing Outsourcing (KPO) facilities, educational institutions, multimedia companies, call centers, e-commerce businesses, banks, and financial companies.

1 The World Bank. Metro Manila Citywide Development Approach to Informal Settlement Upgrading Project. October 2014.

MUNTINLUPA CITY

CENTRAL LUZON

Metro Manila

Manila Bay

Muntinlupa

Laguna de Bay

Taal Volcano

CALABARZON Source: Google Maps

CITY CONTEXT A City of Barangays Muntinlupa City has a land area of 3,975 hectares, ranking as the 7th largest Local Government Unit in the National Capital Region.1 The city is composed of nine barangays—the smallest official administrative division used in the Philippines, and the native Filipino term for neighborhood, district, or ward. In 2010, the city population was approximately 459,941. By 2015, the City Government of Muntinlupa estimates that the population had grown to 506,569 people, an increase of over 10% in just five years.2

Muntinlupa is politically divided into two legislative districts. District 1 is comprised of four barangays in the south: Bayanan, Putatan, Poblacion, and Tunasan. District 2 is comprised of five barangays in the north: Alabang, Ayala-Alabang, Cupang, Buli, and Sucat. The city’s seat of government is located in Barangay Putatan.

1 Philippines National Statistics Office (NSO). 2 “Development Outlook: City of Muntinlupa.” Presentation by Muntinlupa City Planning and Development Office. January 2015.

Sucat

< 50

Population Density

Buli

51 - 100

Cupang

101 - 150

Ayala Alabang

151 - 199

Alabang

200 - 249

Bayanan

> 250

Putatan Poblacion Tunasan

9 Barangays

MUNTINLUPA CITY

Population Density

Source: Google Maps

Civic

Barangay Hall

Industrial

School

Residential

Police Station

Commercial

Hospital

Recreation

Fire Station

Land Use

Civic Amenities

The majority of Muntinlupa’s land area is used for residential purposes. The city’s major commercial corridors run north to south in parallel to the shoreline, with a major commercial node in the vicinity of Filinvest City, the city’s CBD. Industrial uses cluster in the northern area of Muntinlupa, while the southwest remains largely undeveloped.

There are a variety of public facilities in Muntinlupa, including Barangay Halls, schools, police stations, hospitals, and fire stations.

MUNTINLUPA CITY

Railway

Rivers

Station and 5-minute walk radius

Topography

Major Road Local Road

Transportation

Hydrology

Several major highways, notably the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx), run through Muntinlupa. Parallel to the SLEx is the Philippine National Railway (PNR), which has stops in Sucat, Alabang, and Poblacion.

Rivers and streams flow to Laguna de Bay from areas throughout Muntinlupa. The rivers are notorious for water pollution, and contribute to the deteriorated quality of the water in the lake along the Muntinlupa shoreline. Among the most polluted sections of the lake, this area is classified by the Laguna Lake Development Authority as having â&#x20AC;&#x153;Worse than Class Dâ&#x20AC;? water quality, unsuitable for agriculture, irrigation, livestock watering, and industrial water supply.

INFORMALITY INFORMAL SETTLER FAMILIES OFTEN OCCUPY THE MOST VULNERABLE AND LEAST DESIRABLE LAND. There is a notable and intrinsic relationship between vulnerability and informality in Muntinlupa. Estuarial easements, earthquake fault lines, and flood zones considered inappropriate for formal construction often bear witness to the highest concentrations of informal settlement. Informality clings to the crevices between formal development, building tight-knit communities into steep slopes, rail lines, and riverbeds.

The following types of informal settlement are prevalent in Muntinlupa.

While there is no direct translation for the term slum in Tagalog, there are several typical types of informal settlement that can be observed throughout the region. The term iskwater refers to squatters living in semi-permanent dwellings, while other terms such as estero (estuary, creek), looban (tightly-packed inner blocks invisible from the street), dagat-dagatan (flood prone land), and eskinita (narrow lane) are often used in reference to ISFs.1

2. Esteros and Riverbank Settlements

1 Junio M. Ragragio. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Case of Metro Manila, Philippinesâ&#x20AC;? in Urban Slums Reports: Case Studies for the UN Report on Human Settlements (University College London: Development Planning Unit, 2003), 7.

1. Coastal or Lakeshore Settlements Coastal and lakeshore settlers often rely on the water for their livelihood, either as fisherfolk, rice farmers, or fish harvesters. These settlements are a frequent presence in Muntinlupa and are often subject to the most intense flooding.

Informal settlements along esteros (estuaries or creeks) and riverbanks are common throughout Metro Manila. Easements along publicly accessible waterways have over time given way to large numbers of ISFs, constraining the capacity of these channels to deal with floodwaters during heavy rains and storms. 3. Vacant Land and Railway Settlements Many informal settlements colonize land that is held either by absentee landlords or earmarked for future development. In some cases, such as the Philippines National Railway right-of-way, this land can be quite narrow and insecure for settlement. Others, such as the informal dwellings in the Christo El Salvador Cemetery, encroach upon space already designated for other uses. 4. Looban or Inner Block Settlements In the densest sections of Metro Manila, such as Intramuros and parts of Alabang, informal settlements are crowded in the inner courtyards of urban blocks. These settlements may be invisible from the street and are often only accessible through narrow lanes and passageways known to those that are part of the community.

MUNTINLUPA CITY

INFORMAL SETTLER FAMILIES AND VULNERABILITIES Informal Settlement West Valley Fault Rivers Hurricane Ondoy Flooding

INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS INHABIT IN THE CREVICES BETWEEN FORMAL COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT.

Commercial

Industrial

Commercial land uses concentrate along highways and at major interchanges.

Industrial land uses are prevalent in northern Muntinlupa and have been a key contributor to the Lakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pollution.

MUNTINLUPA CITY

MANY ISFS LIVE ALONG VULNERABLE WATERWAYS OR UNSTABLE SHORELINES WHERE THEY ARE ADVERSELY IMPACTED BY FLOODS.

Waterways

Informality

Land uses along waterways include informal dwellings, mall run-off areas, and industrial uses.

Informal settlements cover a significant portion of the Muntinlupa lakeshore and inland waterways, as well as spaces in between formal development.

AVAILABLE VACANT LAND Open Land in Muntinlupa In spite of its density, approximately 23 percent of Muntinlupa City remains vacant or unbuilt. The amount of vacant land in the city, a vestige of when the city lay at the fringe of the Metro Manila region, offers significant opportunities for resettlement and future development. Vacant land has the potential to serve multiple goals, including new housing for ISFs, parks and recreation, agriculture, and water storage and treatment. Recent developments in Muntinlupa have been characterized by either low-density suburban style residential dwellings; isolated, high density resettlement housing; or large footprint commercial developments with high rates of vacancy and open land. The present landscape indicates a need for more efficient land use integrated with environmental planning, affordable housing construction, and transportation infrastructure.

18% LIVE INFORMALLY IN LIVE INFORMALLY METRO MANILA AND ARE AT RISK

51% LIVE INFORMALLY IN MUNTINLUPA

IN SPITE OF ITS DENSITY, APPROXIMATELY 23 PERCENT OF MUNTINLUPA CITY REMAINS VACANT OR UNBUILT.

23%

MUNTINLUPA CITY

33% LIVE INFORMALLY AT RISK OF FLOOD

OF LAND IN MUNTINLUPA IS CURRENTLY VACANT

Filinvest City (above), the Central Business District of Muntinlupa, is characterized by large, undeveloped parcels, which are used informally as space for recreation.

25%

18% 18%

LIVE INFORMALLY IN LIVE INFORMALLY LIVE INFORMALLY METRO MANILA IN LIVE ANDINFORMALLY ARE AT RISK METRO MANILA AND ARE AT RISK

51% 51% LIVE INFORMALLY LIVE INFORMALLY IN MUNTINLUPA IN MUNTINLUPA

33% 33% LIVE INFORMALLY LIVE INFORMALLY AT RISK OF FLOOD AT RISK OF FLOOD

VACANT LAND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SERVE MULTIPLE GOALS, INCLUDING NEW HOUSING FOR ISFS, PARKS AND RECREATION, AGRICULTURE, AND WATER STORAGE AND TREATMENT.

BARANGAY CONTEXT Sucat, Buli, Cupang, and Alabang were the four barangays studied that have a high density of informal settlements.

Buli

Makati Cupang

Alabang

Philippine National Railway

MUNTINLUPA CITY

Sucat

Laguna de Bay

Photo: Victor Eskinazi

Source: Google Maps

MUNTINLUPA CITY

SUCAT The northernmost barangay of Muntinlupa, Sucat has almost 600 ISFs living in danger zones, more than half of which are clustered along the lakeshore.1 Area: 4.1 sq. km. Population: 63,354 Population Density: 15,593/ sq. km. 1 “Community Fieldwork Information Sheet.” 3rd Community Architects Network Regional Meeting and Workshop Information Handbook (Metro Manila, Philippines, 16-23 June 2015), 1.

Source: Google Maps

MUNTINLUPA CITY

BULI The smallest Barangay in Muntinlupa, Buli is characterized by a mixture of industrial and residential land uses. It has 162 ISFs, roughly half of which live along the estuaries and the other half of which live along the shoreline. Area: 0.437 sq. km. Population: 10,375 Population Density: 23, 741/ sq. km.

Source: Google Maps

MUNTINLUPA CITY

CUPANG Cupang, the largest of the four barangays investigated in terms of population, has a mixture of densely inhabited informal dwellings along the lakeshore and middle-to-high income subdivisions further inland along the edges of Filinvest City. Area: 4.8 sq. km. Population: 76,681 Population Density: 15, 942/ sq. km.

Source: Google Maps

MUNTINLUPA CITY

ALABANG Alabang has the largest area of the barangays studied, as well as its most significant contrasts. Prior to the development of Filinvest Corporate City in the 1990s, the area was dotted by farms. Today it contains Muntinlupaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s central business district, as well as one of its largest concentrations of informal settlers. Area: 8.06 sq. km. Population: 68,412 Population Density: 15,386/ sq. km. 41

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COMMUNITY MEMBERS EMPHASIZED THE BENEFITS AND IMPORTANCE OF CONVENIENCE, INCLUDING WALKING DISTANCE TO SCHOOLS, FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND JOBS. Direct engagement and interviews with current residents of four barangays provided the foundation for analysis and design. Field research consisted of a combination of interviews, community resource mapping, and direct observations made through sketching and photography. These field interviews and observations contributed to the students’ cross-sectional understanding of various stakeholders of different employment types, ages, genders, and housing/household conditions.

•

Environment / Natural Resources (ecology, environment, vegetation, climate)

•

Transportation (modes, patterns, informal transport)

•

Communications infrastructure

•

Economy (livelihood and skills)

•

Daily routines

Each group interviewed (at least)10 people using a standard questionnaire dealing with a variety of topics, including inquiries related to transportation, housing, and the environment. Interviews each lasted approximately 10-20 minutes. In many cases, UP students served as translators for MIT students.

•

Water cycles (daily / seasonal / quality)

•

Building typologies (material, uses, densities, vernacular)

•

Energy (source, consumption, grid, centralized/ decentralized)

Based on the interview data, students found several consistent themes:

•

Public / Private / Common Spaces

•

Community Networks - Key Institutions / Players

•

Disaster Response - short/ long term evacuation

•

History / morphology, evolution of the shoreline / urban development

•

Key actors / figures / institutions

•

Interviews touched upon the following themes:

Convenience: Community members emphasized the benefits and importance of convenience, including walking distance to schools, friends, family, and jobs.

•

Flooding as secondary concern: Few interview subjects cited flooding as a primary concern. Many viewed flooding as an inconvenience, but elevated other issues, such as housing, family, and employment.

•

Importance of family unit: Extended families play a central role in the social lives of informal settlers, many of whom discussed their origins in the provinces and their journey to Muntinlupa in search of opportunity.

MUNTINLUPA CITY

QUESTIONS WE ASKED

Photos: Arianna Salazar Miranda

STUDENTS SYNTHESIZED RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SETTLEMENT TYPOLOGIES, PHYSICAL AND LEGAL BOUNDARIES, AND RESIDENT FEEDBACK ON THEIR DAILY ROUTINES AND COMMUNITIES. Design Charrette Following the fieldwork and a series of presentations by local subject area experts, World Bank representatives, and policymakers, student teams composed of both UP and MIT students participated in a multi-day charrette aimed at digesting each groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s initial impressions and observations of their barangay. The charrette encouraged student groups to synthesize their observations, mappings, and meeting minutes and to suggest potential avenues for design intervention over the coming semester.

above: MIT-UP Charrette photo: Arianna Salazar Miranda right: standard interview questionnaire

MUNTINLUPA CITY

Each of the groups was asked to present a transect of their site, showing relationships between different settlement typologies, physical and legal boundaries, open spaces, landmarks, and other pieces of information drawn from the community mapping exercise. These initial impressions were combined with photographs, sketches, and community profiles from the field visits, including direct quotes from residents. Students presented the information at a final meeting of sponsors and clients near the conclusion of the two-week site visit.

CONVENIENCE, PROXIMITY, AND TIGHT-KNIT SOCIAL NETWORKS EMERGED AS THE MAIN THEME OF THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EXERCISE. SUCAT 262.3 Hectares

a. b.

BULI

43.3 Hectares d.

MAIN THEMES

e. f.

CUPANG

537 Hectares

h. i. j. 0

ALABANG 806.4 Hectares IMPORTANCE

100

MUNTINLUPA CITY

Low Priority

I am safe from flooding

I can walk, bike, or take transit to important destinations I can build a house wherever I want

My children are close to their schools My cost of living is low

I can buy goods and food near my home There is a park near my house

I can live in a diverse community

I live near my parents, siblings, children, etc My community is exactly the way it is today

5 High Priority

THOUGH CITED, FLOODING WAS OFTEN EXPRESSED AS A SECONDARY CONCERN AFTER FAMILY, LIVELIHOOD, AND COMMUNITY.

VISUALIZING VULNERABILITIES

Photo: Dennis Diaz

Photo: Adriana Akers

VISUALIZING VULNERABILITIES

ENVIRONMENTAL VULNERABILITIES SYSTEMS THINKING, NATURAL HAZARDS, AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT Metro Manilaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s environmental vulnerabilities present significant challenges for an archipelago confronting climate change and storm events of increasing frequency and severity. A systematic approach to mapping and analyzing current natural hazards (including flood zones, volcanic activity, and fault lines) has emerged as part of a larger national study with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the federal government. It is crucial that the City of Muntinlupa take a similar approach to local planning efforts. For Muntinlupa, systems thinking entails an understanding of the interdependent relationships between natural systems and urban development. In its policies and practices, the city and the region at large must embrace a dialogue between different disciplinary vantage points, institutional bodies, and methods of analysis. The World Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Citywide Development Approach (CDA), for instance, which seeks replicable solutions for a new shelter development plan, should be cross-referenced with an analytical investigation of natural systems and climate change adaptation needs. Given the intrinsic relationship between vulnerability and informality, climate change adaptation in Metro Manila must be considered in the context of socioeconomic challenges. Since ISFs tend to colonize buffer zones and no-build easements, such as fault lines and steep slopes, any effort to rehabilitate a threatened coastline or waterway demands a parallel strategy for resettling or retrofitting the informal settlers that inhabit these areas.

National Road Historic Floods In 1958, 1972 and 1976, lake waters reached the national road, shown here in blue..

Flood Lines Fault

Vulnerable Populations There are 4,000 informal settler families living along the coast of Laguna de Bay in Muntinlupa.

AVERAGE RAINFALL, MUNTINLUPA (2000 - 2012)

Average Rainfall Days

NATURAL HAZARDS

Landslides West Valley Fault Line Lakeshore Flood Line

Muntinlupa is extremely vulnerable to various natural hazards. Areas near the lakeshore are subject to frequent and sometimes severe bouts of flooding. Slightly further inland, settlements sprawl across the West Valley Fault Line. The steep topography on the western side of Muntinlupa makes the city vulnerable to landslides.

NORMAL RAIN EVENTS The rainy season in Muntinlupa runs from June through September. During this time, residents report that they experience slight flooding, particularly along the roadside. This flooding is suspected to be the product of channelized waterways, capacity reductions in the trashclogged estuaries, and land subsidence.

EXTREME RAIN EVENTS An average of twenty typhoons touch down in the Philippines each year, 11-20% of which pass over Metro Manila. Depending on the severity of the storm, flooding ranges from an inconvenience to a serious concern, resulting in health issues, structural damages, and loss of income. Muntinlupa experienced severe flooding in 1958, 1972, and 1976, when water levels rose as high as the national road, which runs directly through the heart of Muntinlupa.

AVERAGE RAINFALL DAYS PRECIPITATION (MM)

Precipitation (MM)

C L I M AT E C H A N G E SCENARIOS PROJECT T H AT F L O O D I N G COULD AFFECT 42% MORE LAND IN 2050, AFFECTING AN ADDITIONAL 2.5 MILLION P E O P L E . L O W LY I N G COMMUNITIES LIKE M U N T I N L U PA A R E E S P E C I A L LY AT R I S K . Source: ADB, JICA and World Bank (2010) Climate Change and Adaptation in Asian Coastal Megacities. Washington: The International Bank for Reconstruction, The World Bank. Photo: Dennis Diaz

Photo: Adriana Akers

VISUALIZING VULNERABILITIES

MANMADE HAZARDS With a watershed that spans five provinces, 49 municipalities, and 12 cities, Laguna de Bay is the largest lake in the Philippines and an important site of livelihood, cultural practices, and recreation for millions of people. The lake also presents vulnerabilities for local populations. Residents of Muntinlupa and other lakeshore cities deal with flooding on a regular basis, and many families have implemented structural adaptations that help them live with coastal realities. Extreme flooding events occur every few years. Families usually return to their homes before the waters recede and sometimes live with up to a foot of water for as long as three months—a necessary practice that contributes to waterborne disease outbreaks.1 These ongoing floods already disrupt local economies and cause public health issues. If the path of a major typhoon veers toward Muntinlupa’s shores, the results could be much more catastrophic. Water pollution is another serious issue facing Laguna de Bay, which is seen as vital to the fresh water security of the nation. Only 15% of sewage in Metro Manila is treated, and the region does not have a comprehensive solid waste management system.2 A large amount of this waste runs off into rivers and other waterways, eventually filtering through to the lake. Industrial and agricultural runoffs also present threats, and the conversion of natural shorelines and forestland to urban development means that less and less natural filtration occurs every year. According to the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), the interior of the lake is currently classified as Class C water quality, meaning that it can be used for fisheries, but not for direct human consumption or agriculture. The water around Muntinlupa’s inland waterways and coast is especially polluted, rated at “Worse than Class D”, or unsuitable for agriculture, irrigation, livestock watering, and industrial water supply.3

1 “Muntinlupa, Las Piñas warn of disease outbreaks.” The Philippine Star. Manila, Philippines: August, 11, 2012. 2 Marife M. Ballesteros.“Linking Poverty and the Environment: Evidence from Slums in the Philippines.” Philippine Institute for Development Studies Discussion Paper Series #2010-33. December 2010. 3 http://www.llda.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_ content&view=article&id=537&Itemid=627

Laguna de Bay plays a vital role in local livelihoods, including that of the many fisherfolk in Muntinlupa. Fisheries currently represent the dominant use of the lake. However, increasing water pollution has put extreme stress on local ecosystems, and Laguna de Bay has seen alarming declines in both the biodiversity of its fish population and the absolute number of caught fish.4 Other factors have also contributed to the fisheries’ decline, including illegal dredging, overfishing, algal blooms, river damming, and the introduction of invasive fish species. Flooding, pollution, and the declining fish catch are interrelated. When flooding occurs, the rising waters bring trash, runoff, and other forms of pollution back into the lake when they subside. Meanwhile, trash-clogged rivers and estuaries exacerbate already severe flooding. Although pollution is one of the major reasons that the fish industry is being threatened, flooding can also introduce invasive species into the lake, such as the knife fish, which has been wreaking havoc on local fisheries since Typhoon Ondoy in 2009.5 In a business-as-usual scenario, two factors would make these situations even more precarious. First, scientists project that climate change will increase the severity and frequency of storms worldwide.6 The Philippines is already considered the third most vulnerable country to extreme weather events, and estimates indicate that the area affected by flooding in Metro Manila could increase by 42% in the future.7 Second, while the planned C-6 dike expressway, running along the western edge of Laguna de Bay, is designed to protect against flooding, if it proceeds as planned, the project will physically cut off fisherfolk from their livelihoods, threaten security of tenure for informal settlers, increase runoff and water pollution, and could actually increase inland flood damage in the event of a breach of the dike. 4 “Indigenous Fish Species in Laguna de Bay now Extinct.” Tempo: News in a Flash. September 1, 2012. <http://www.tempo.com.ph/2012/09/01/17-indigenousfish-species-in-laguna-de-bay-now-extinct/> 5 “Finding a sustainable use for Knife Fish in the Philippines.” The Fish Site. August 8, 2013. <http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/20916/ finding-a-sustainable-use-for-knife-fish-in-the-philippines> 6 http://www.epa.gov/climate/climatechange/science/ indicators/weather-climate/index.html. 7 Ballesteros.

VISUALIZING VULNERABILITIES

THE PHILIPPINES IS ALREADY CONSIDERED THE THIRD MOST VULNERABLE COUNTRY TO EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS, AND ESTIMATES INDICATE THAT THE AREA AFFECTED BY FLOODING IN METRO MANILA COULD INCREASE BY 42% IN THE FUTURE.

LAND CONVERSION

WATER POLLUTION

The conversion of forests, agricultural land, and wetlands to residential and industrial areas increases erosion and siltation. This has resulted in the lake getting shallower over time. In the 1970s, the average depth was 3 meters. In the 2000s, the average depth was 2.5 meters.

Water pollution from industry and agriculture is a huge culprit in the declining fish population of Laguna de Bay. Many rivers are considered ecologically dead and unable to support any life. Thirty percent of the pollution in the lake is due to industrial development.

INVASIVE SPECIES

ALGAL BLOOMS

Predatory fish species, most famously the Knife and Janitor Fish, have been introduced into the lake through floods and other means and have caused a sharp decline in native fish species.

Seasonal algal blooms often become quite heavy and coat large areas of the lakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surface. Sometimes a sudden die-off of these blooms occurs, causing rapid bacterial decay that depletes oxygen and results in fishkills.

OVERFISHING

RIVER DAMMING

Overfishing prevents fish populations from achieving natural replacement. Fish pens occupy at least 60,000 hectares, or over half of the lake surface. By law only 10% (9,000 hectares) of the lake is allowed to be occupied by fish pens.

Damming of rivers prevents salt water from entering the lake. Salt water clears the lake of turbidity, which promotes the growth of natural fish food.

DREDGING Dredging occurs on almost all of Laguna de Bayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shores, in part due to illegal fishing practices. The resulting lake bed destruction is a primary cause of the declining fish population.

ORIGIN OF SOLID WASTE AND DUMPSITE LOCATION

Dump Site

Tons Per Day

CITY

Dump Sites without circles are inactive.

WATER QUALITY IN LAGUNA DE BAY

RED BLUE YELLOW BLACK

OF THE ORIGINAL 23 FISH SPECIES IN LAGUNA DE BAY, ONLY 6 REMAIN

VISUALIZING VULNERABILITIES

LAKE CONTAMINATION Laguna de Bay has a “Class C” water quality designation, meaning that the water is safe for fisheries, boating, and some industrial uses. Class C Waterways are not safe for consumption or for primary contact recreation. Some areas of the lake have better quality water while others, like the water surrounding Muntinlupa, are evaluated as “Worse than Class D.” Forty-eight percent of lake pollution is attributed to domestic sources, 37% to agricultural sources, and 15% to industrial sources.1 These percentages exclude discharge and leachate from the numerous landfills located within the lake’s sub-basin. Even if domestic, agricultural, and industrial sources of pollution were stopped today, these landfills would still negatively impact the lake water for centuries to come. Unfortunately, the factors impacting water quality extend far beyond pollution. The lake is also threatened by overfishing, invasive species, and decreased salination levels from water damming. It is also important to note that some strategies for improving lake quality are not without impact. For instance, lake dredging reduces the amount of trash in the water, but stirs up silt, hurting fish populations.

DREDGING

OVERFISHING

WATER POLLUTION

RIVER DAMMING

LAND CONVERSION

INVASIVE SPECIES

ALGAL BLOOMS

1 Laguna Lake Development Authority. “Laguna de Bay: The Water Mondriann.” http://www.llda.gov.ph/index. php?option=com_content&view=article&id=537&Itemid=627.

63 25,000 METERS

POLLUTION AND FLOODING INLAND, ON THE COAST, AND IN THE LAKE

PROBLEM: FLOODING

Pollution enters Laguna de Bay through industrial, domestic, and agricultural runoff along the shore; via polluted rivers and other inland waterways; and from the contamination of groundwater sources. Apart from ensuring that pollutants do not enter water sources in the future, it is necessary to consider how to filter existing silt and clean pollution that is already in the lake. Strategies to solve Laguna de Bayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pollution problem must thus manage pollutants at their source, catching them before they run off into the lake or contaminate rivers and groundwater, while also treating those pollutants already in the water. There are two major sources of flooding in Laguna de Bay. First, during severe storms an enormous amount of rain falls on the region. Not all of this water is absorbed by the ground and inland waterways, especially those that are clogged with trash. This can create inland flooding and increase the water level of the lake. Second, highspeed winds during storm events can cause storm surge, pushing waves from the lake to the shore and causing further coastal flooding.

GROUNDWATER POLLUTANT INFILTRATION

NO PLACE FOR TRASH: LANDFILL CLOSURES AND ACCELERATING WASTE PRODUCTION

CATMON PAYATAS SMOKEY MOUNTAIN

BAGUMBONG MUNICIPAL

BEFORE 1980 VISUALIZING VULNERABILITIES

1985

SMOKEY MOUNTAIN FORCED

1990

INTENSE RAINFALL DURING STORM EVENTS

STORM SURGE

INDUSTRIAL, DOMESTIC, AND AGRICULTURAL RUNOFF

SILTATION AND EXISTING POLLUTANTS

Clean Air Act (1998)

Solid Waste Act (2001)

While the Clear Air Act works to improve air pollution, the prohibition of solid waste incineration worsens the waste crisis.

Clean Water Act (2004)

CLARK (UNKNOWN) TANZA PULANG LUPA RODRIGUEZ

PIER 18

DUMPING DIMINISHES

LINGUNAN C4 DUMPSITE

C4 FORCED TO SUSPEND

BAGUMBONG PRIVATE

BAGUMBONG PRIVATE FORCED TO SUSPEND

LUPANG ARENDA DUMPING DONA PETRA CARMONA

CARMONA FORCED TO SUSPEND PALANYAG FORCED TO SUSPEND

PALANYAG SAN MATEO

SAN MATEO FORCED TO SUSPEND

PAYATAS LANDSLIDE KILLS 200; DUMP CLOSES

PAYATAS REOPENS

D TO SUSPEND

2006 1995

2000

Waste Report Published; No further information available (2003)

2005 65

LAGUNA DE BAY HAS SEEN ALARMING DECLINES IN BOTH THE ABSOLUTE NUMBER OF CAUGHT FISH AND THE BIODIVERSITY OF THE FISH POPULATION— OF ITS 23 ORIGINAL SPECIES, ONLY SIX REMAIN.

LAGUNA DE BAY’S FISHERIES ARE IN DANGER Laguna de Bay plays a vital role in local livelihoods, including the many fisherfolk in Muntinlupa. Fisheries are currently the dominant use of the lake. However, increasing water pollution has put extreme stresses on local ecosystems, and Laguna de Bay has seen alarming declines in both the absolute number of caught fish and the biodiversity of the fish population—of its 23 original species, only six remain.1 In 1984 the Laguna de Bay fish catch was 117 million metric tons. By 2000, this figure had decreased to just 18 million metric tons.2 Other factors have also contributed to the fisheries’ decline, including illegal dredging, overfishing, algal blooms, river damming, and the introduction of invasive fish species. 1 “Indigenous Fish Species in Laguna de Bay now Extinct.” Tempo: News in a Flash. September 1, 2012. 2 Laguna de Bay Experience and Lessons Learned Brief

VISUALIZING VULNERABILITIES

FLOODING POLLUTION LIVELIHOODS

Photos: Adriana Akers, Shanika Hettige, Mary Anne Ocampo, Dennis Diaz 67

BETWEEN 2006 AND 2010, THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES LIVING IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS INCREASED BY AN E S T I M AT E D 6 2 . 5 % PEOPLE. Source: The World Bank. Welcome Message from the World Bank for the CAN Regional Workshop. June 2015.

VISUALIZING VULNERABILITIES

SOCIOECONOMIC DISCONNECTS INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS AND RELOCATION Building inclusive cities requires a comprehensive understanding of the socioeconomic forces that stratify the population. As Metro Manila continues to rapidly urbanize, poverty in the region is deepening and the gap between rich and poor growing wider. In general, rural migrants move to the city in pursuit of jobs and a better life. Unfortunately, Metro Manila lacks the physical and economic infrastructure to accommodate the enormous influx of migrants who arrive in the city every day. Many migrants are unable to find work or can only secure low-paying jobs, and as a result are unable to afford and maintain a decent home. Informal Settler Families (ISFs) are defined in Metro Manila as â&#x20AC;&#x153;families living on land they do not possess legal claim on.â&#x20AC;?1 Due to the fact that they lack land tenure, ISFs are also constantly threatened by the possibility of eviction. Informal settlements are extremely densely populated and usually have limited access to basic needs and services, such as water and sewers. This pervasive condition of urban poverty is further exacerbated by the fact that many of these informal communities are exposed to natural hazards, particularly in the form of frequent flooding. The government estimates that there are over 1.5 million ISFs across the Philippines, with 40% of these families concentrated in Metro Manila.2 According to the World Bank, one out of every four people in Metro Manila lives in an informal settlement. The number of ISFs has been increasing rapidly in recent years. Between 2006 and 2010, the number of families living in informal settlements increased by an estimated 62.5% in the metropolitan area.3 1 The World Bank. Metro Manila Citywide Development Approach to Informal Settlement Upgrading Project. October 2014. 2 The World Bank. Welcome Message from the World Bank for the CAN Regional Workshop. June 2015. 3 Ibid.

Photo: Mary Anne Ocampo

INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS Informal settlements are scattered throughout Muntinlupa and are most commonly located along the shore of Laguna de Bay, next to rivers, and near the rail corridor.

Informal Settlement Rail Line River

VISUALIZING VULNERABILITIES

MANY INFORMAL COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN GRADUALLY UPGRADED WITH NEW INFRASTRUCTURE, ELECTRICITY, AND OTHER INVESTMENTS.

Concrete Armatures When lobbied for, community leaders of informal settlements can achieve the provision of services such as electricity and infrastructural upgrades such as the conversion of bamboo walks to concrete.

Multiple Uses Though often zoned residential, informal settlements, such as Sitio Playa (left), contain a rich mixture of productive activities, community gathering spaces, and small, sari-sari (convenience) stores.

Local Economies Wet markets selling local fish and produce on local streets serve as both a livelihood as well as an affordable community resource. Many depend on income from these informal markets for survival and their presence is a hallmark of Manila street life.

125 dwelling units/Ha 700m2 building footprint 2% open space 8m road widths

HOUSING SERVICES +

HOUSING TYPE

Muntinlupa is characterized by INFRASTRUCTURE three major housing types: private subdivisions; social or resettlement housing; and informal housing. Older areas of the city have traditional low-rise bungalows along the older streets of the city.

WASTEWATER

SOUR munic

ADEQUACY both water sources and sanitation systems are robust in private developments

UT HV

Private Subdivision | Ayala Alabang Village

ILL

| RE SE

Subdivisions use municipal water sources 150 liters of water per capita per day. Wast community sewer system or septic tank

SOUR wells

130 dwelling units/Ha 30m2 parcel size avg. 20m2 building footprint avg. 5% open space 1% community facilities 6m road widths

ADEQUACY Sanitation facilties are a significantly improved by relocation to socialized housing settlements

Social Housing | Southville 3 Resettlement

Social housing developments use municip wells and are regulated for150 liters of wate Waste water flows to septic tanks.

SOUR dug w impro

Private Subdivisions Socialized Housing Sites Informal Settlements

INF OR MA L

VISUALIZING VULNERABILITIES

ADEQUACY Lack of sanitary facilities has a negative impact on public health, flood intensity, well water contamination, and quality of life.

Informal Housing | Alabang Barangay

With no formal infrastructure provided, infor shared or private pit latrines and typically

llage

ment

WASTEWATER

STORMWATER

SOURCE: municipal water system

ELECTRICITY

TOPOGRAPHY/PERMEABILITY high ground inland site - heavily paved

HOUSEHOLD USES high consumption appliances

ADEQUACY both water sources and sanitation systems are robust in private developments

VULNERABILITY limited drainage or flooding problems even during worst events

RELIABILITY a centralized system leaves residents vulnerable to outtages during extreme storm events

Subdivisions use municipal water sources and are regulated for 150 liters of water per capita per day. Waste water flows to the community sewer system or septic tanks

Subdivision code dictates that underground drainage systems use reinforced concrete pipes, catch basin manholes, inlets, and cross drain.

Each individual household is connected to a primary source of power. Street lights are located every 50 m and residents enjoy applicances such as TVs, refridgerators,

SOURCE: wells + municipal system

TOPOGRAPHY/PERMEABILITY high ground adjacent to agricultural land

HOUSEHOLD USES common domestic appliances

ADEQUACY Sanitation facilties are a significantly improved by relocation to socialized housing settlements

VULNERABILITY nearby open space relieves impact and severity of flooding

RELIABILITY a centralized system leaves residents vulnerable to outtages during extreme storm events

Social housing developments use municipal water sources or dug wells and are regulated for150 liters of water per capita per day. Waste water flows to septic tanks.

Social housing drainage systems are comprised of concrete lined canals with load bearing covers, although many become exposed over time..

Households are connected to power sources if the development contains a high enough number of users as determined by the power company.

SOURCE: dug wells + hand pumps improvised hose systems

HOUSEHOLD USES basic needs + handheld devices

TOPOGRAPHY/PERMEABILITY along lake front and stilted over water

ADEQUACY Lack of sanitary facilities has a negative impact on public health, flood intensity, well water contamination, and quality of life.

VULNERABILITY lack of adequate drainage and clogging due to garbage disposal exacerbates flooding impact and duration

With no formal infrastructure provided, informal settlements use shared or private pit latrines and typically dump grey water on site.

Informal settlements improvise drainage systems, such as canals or pipes that drain into the lake, to handle stormwater.

RELIABILITY Multiple sources of power and the informal network system is easy to repair after storm events

Informal settlements are often connected to the power system from connection nodes that become the branch for a whole cluster or homes.

THE INFORMAL ECONOMY Today, nearly half of Muntinlupa’s 460,000 residents belong to the urban poor sector.1 In 2007, LGU data revealed that Muntinlupa had over 27,000 ISFs in 241 communities within the city. Informal communities are incredibly densely populated: one report found that in 2002, 52% of Muntinlupa residents lived in informal settlements, even though these settlements covered just a small fraction of the city’s total land area.2 The informal economy represents a critical part of ISF income, and only half of the population of informal settlements in Metro Manila is employed in the formal sector. Mean monthly wages are near US $500,3 though these wages can be unpredictable and may fluctuate greatly depending on seasonal climatic shocks and socio-political events. Fishing, farming, and unskilled labor account for a majority of occupations in the informal economy.4 These occupation categories are fluid, however, and most families piece together income from a variety of activities. Remittances also represent a large component of overall income for 28% of ISFs in Metro Manila.5 According to a 2002 survey, depressed settlements in Metro Manila have an average unemployment rate of 40%, more than three times the Metro Manila and Philippines averages. On average, ISFs spend nearly two thirds of the household income on food. Transportation, water, school, and electricity collectively account for 25% of spending, while only 1% of income is spent on rent.6 Informal housing is disproportionately located along waterways, shorelines, and other areas that are highly susceptible to flooding. Approximately 33% of Muntinlupa’s ISFs are exposed to flooding, with 5,000 ISFs living along waterways and 4,000 ISFs residing along the shore of Laguna de Bay Lake.

4% 4% 60%

14%

EXPENDITURES

34% 30%

30% EMPLOYMENT

10%

. 1 The World Bank. Metro Manila Citywide Development Approach to Informal Settlement Upgrading Project. October 2014. 2 University College London (UCL), (2003) Understanding Slums: Case Studies for the Global Report on Human Settlements 2003 3 UCL 2003.

80%

4 UCL 2003. 5 UCL 2003. 6 UCL 2003.

VISUALIZING VULNERABILITIES

SOURCE OF INCOME

THECHALLENGE CHALLENGE THE OF RESETTLEMENT OF RESETTLEMENT

THE PHILIPPINES FORMAL ECONOMY I S H E AV I LY R E L I A N T ON SERVICES, WHICH MAKE UP 57% OF GDP A N D E M P LOY 53% O F WORKERS. Source: GSMA Intelligence. “Country Overview: Philippines Growth through Innovation.” December 2014.

VISUALIZING VULNERABILITIES

Photo: David Vega-Barachowitz

Photo: Dennis Diaz

VISUALIZING VULNERABILITIES

DEVELOPMENT SILOS FORMAL DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE BUILDING

A real estate boom in the 1990s caused shifts in land use and development across Metro Manila. During this time, industrial and low-density residential areas were converted to commercial uses, and agricultural land and open spaces were depleted. This trend continues in Muntinlupa today, as idle lands are converted and the city posts a 39% growth rate in commercial land use.1 The country’s formal economy is heavily reliant on services, which make up 57% of GDP and employ 53% of workers.2 This pattern is evident in Muntinlupa, where commercial land use is dominated by shopping malls. The mall has become the nexus of Filipino society, functioning as retail center, status symbol, landmark, and public space. The prevailing development paradigm in Metro Manila lacks sufficient sensitivity to the local environmental and economic context. Megamalls, which have proliferated throughout the region over the past two decades, are often constructed with little attention to natural systems. The mall’s big box form requires large, impermeable footprints with paved parking lots that contribute to runoff and flooding problems. Malls such as Alabang Town Center can push local rivers underground, rather than making use of this natural and recreational resource, while also exacerbating vulnerability to floods. Large-scale developments typically rely on independent private infrastructure systems for water, drainage, and sewage, protecting the development from storm events while leaving others exposed. Large-scale developments such as these miss the opportunity to take advantage of the local informal economy and workforce. While mall developments may be desired by communities, they can also have the unintended consequence of driving small and medium enterprises out of business. As much as 70% of Muntinlupa’s economy is informal, yet new large-scale projects often fail to adequately serve informal settlers. As large-scale development has superseded open spaces, which make up only 2.8% of Muntinlupa’s land area,3 low-income residents have largely missed out on the public amenities and community functions that these new projects play in society for those with access to mainstream financial resources. 1 “Muntinlupa Development Outlook.” Presentation by the Muntinlupa Planning and Development Division. January 2015. 2 GSMA Intelligence. “Country Overview: Philippines Growth through Innovation.” December 2014. https://gsmaintelligence. com/research/?file=141201-philippines.pdf&download 3 “Muntinlupa Development Outlook.” Presentation by the Muntinlupa Planning and Development Division. January 2015.

EXISTING DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS Development in Muntinlupa is characterized by a complex interplay between formal, often large scale development, informal settlement, and environmental degradation. High footprint development, such as megamalls, sit directly adjacent to informal areas straddling estuarine easements. Together, the formal and informal exacerbate environmental hazards, increasing the total impact of severe storm events.

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VISUALIZING VULNERABILITIES

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S RK E + M WO ET OLU N GE FV INA -OF N RA | D D RU G E S DIN RA REA D G INC AN

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S ING E + GG LUM LO E C F VO G F INA N-O RA | D D RU ION ASE S RO RE K E INC AN

CONTRIBUTIONS TO FLOODING + ASSOCIATED DEVELOPMENT TYPES The divide between large-scale development and the informal sector is apparent in Muntinlupa’s water system. Large projects disproportionately contribute to runoff and flooding, protecting their own buildings while permitting damage to move downstream to the informal settlements.

DRAINAGE | INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS 55% OF WATERWAYS ARE NOT ACCESSIBLE DUE TO GARBAGE AND ENCROACHMENT

LEF

SURFACES | INDUSTRIAL, LARGE COMMERCIAL 10% OF MUNTINLUPA’S LAND USE IS ROADS, NOT INCLUDING THE CITY’S 34 LARGE PARKING LOTS NEXT PAGE CASE STUDY

FOOTPRINT | INDUSTRIAL, LARGE COMMERCIAL 70% SALABLE LAND FOR NEW COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT, 30% OPEN SPACE

OPEN SPACE | OVER DEVELOPMENT DRAINAGE BLOCKS FOOTPRINT/IMPERMEABLE LIMITED OPEN SPACE REPORTED FLOODING RIVERS

2.8% OF MUNTINLUPA’S LAND USE IS OPEN SPACE / PARKS, WITH PROJECTS FOR ONLY 4% IN FUTURE

FORMAL DEVELOPMENT CASE STUDY: FILINVEST CORPORATE CITY The vast Filinvest Corporate City, a commercial and business center developed in the 1990s, stands in stark contrast to the dense informal settlements of Alabang.

Esteros Esteros, informally settled estuaries and small rivers connecting to Laguna de Bay, are often blamed for the failure of existing flood management systems and pumping stations due to over crowding and pollution.

Open Space 60% of Filinvest City remains unbuilt or unoccupied. Land is currently utilized mainly for recreation due to the lack of open space in the area.

VISUALIZING VULNERABILITIES

Highways While the SLEx tollway is the fastest route from Muntinlupa to the Makati CBD and Metro Manila, much of the population cannot afford the toll and use jeepneys along its service roads.

Malls & Runoff Malls, however, have been found to contribute heavily to the flooding problems, creating major chokepoints for floodwaters at key channels.

FORMAL VS. INFORMAL

WATER + WASTE

ENERGY

ECONOMY

SOCIAL

network intensity | formal

FORMAL NETWORKS

VISUALIZING VULNERABILITIES

INFORMAL NETWORKS

WATER + WASTE

ENERGY

ECONOMY

SOCIAL

network intensity | informal

37 km

Tollways 895 km

National Roads 2,366 km

City/Barangay Roads 1,639 km

Private/Subdivision Roads

VISUALIZING VULNERABILITIES

NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION ROAD NETWORK PRIMARY ROADS PRIVATE ROADS LOCAL ROADS

MAJOR INTERCHANGECOMMERCIAL NODES IN METRO MANILA

The privatization of road infrastructure (shown in light orange) reduces mobility options and contributes to incredible traffic congestion along primary public roads (shown in red). A simplified hierarchy of primary, local, and private roads reveals the extent of infrastructure privatization at critical development nodes and highway interchanges.

SUCAT

FILINVEST CITY ALABANG

47%

PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE Though the federal government has invested substantially in toll roads to ensure access to Muntinlupa and Calabarzon, much of the local population relies on Jeepneys and Tricycles for transportation.

Only 47% of Filipino households have access to a car.

SLEx/Skyway PNR Railways

Manuel Quezon Road

LAND RECLAMATION AND DISPLACEMENT THE LAGUNA LAKESHORE EXPRESSWAY

SEVEN ISLANDS OF PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT ON RECLAIMED LAND WILL FINANCE THE PROJECT. The national government has begun planning for the Laguna Lakeshore Expressway Dike (LLED), a proposed extension of the C-6 ring road around Metro Manila, which would extend from Taguig, Metro Manila to Los Baños, Laguna province. The project would build a sixlane combined dike and highway along a 47-kilometer stretch of Laguna de Bay, which would be financed by a series of reclaimed land development islands in the northern section of the lake. The stated goals of the project are to address Metro Manila’s traffic problem, protect the western shore of the lake from flooding, create economically productive land, and leverage the private sector’s expertise and financial means.1 Although the project is intended to protect coastal communities, the C6 could increase vulnerability in Muntinlupa and other cities along the lake in several ways. First, the development islands and dike could cut off communities from the majority of the lake’s fisheries, which could destroy one of the region’s major economies and ruin the livelihoods of thousands of people. Second, the high-density, high-value development islands and the highway would likely increase land values along the lake’s shore, particularly in Muntinlupa, which will have five of the seven reclaimed islands. This could displace Muntinlupa’s already vulnerable coastal communities. Third, the new developments and highway would increase runoff of pollutants into the lake, which is already experiencing severe declines in water quality and biodiversity. Finally, in the event of a breach of the dike, the project could actually increase flooding vulnerability for coastal communities, creating a bathtub effect and increasing the time that it takes for the water to recede. 1 “Laguna Lakeshore Expressway-Dike Project.” Presentation to UK Transport Solutions, September 18, 2014. <https://www. gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/ file/362691/UK-Transport-Solutions_DPWH-__Presentation_ to_UK_Transport_Solutions_September_18.pdf>

VISUALIZING VULNERABILITIES

The C-6 Expressway-Dike is planned to cover the entire western edge of the Laguna de Bay. To finance the dike, a public-private partnership is planned. Under this partnership, a private partner would finance the construction of the dike and be given development rights on a series of man-made islands along the shore. Five of seven of these islands are planned along the city boundaries of Muntinlupa. The project would cut off the coast from the majority of Laguna de Bay’s fisheries, the lake’s main economy. The extent of the fishing nets are shown in the maps above.

THE LAGUNA LAKESHORE EXPRESSWAY (THE C6) IS LAGUNA THE FINAL PROPOSED PROJECTISOF MANILA IS CURRENTLY THE LAKESHORE EXPRESSWAY MANILAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEW HIGHWAY NETWORK. IMPLEMENTING A NEW HIGHWAY NETWORK THE FINAL PROPOSED PROJECT NUMBER OF LINES UNDER CONSTRUCTION

APPROVED

FEASIBILITY STUDY

AUG 2015

CONCESSIONAIRE CHOSEN

APPROVALS

SEP 2015

ENGINEERING & DESIGN

RFQ RELEASED

DEC 2015

CONSTRUCTION BEGINS

DEC 2022

PROJECT COMPLETE

PROJECT GOALS

PROPOSED

J U LY 2 0 1 5 BIDS DUE

PROTECT FROM FLOODING

CREATE PRODUCTIVE

FACILITATE TRAFFIC

LEVERAG PRIVATE SEC

RENDERING OF PROJECT UNDER POSTED DIMENSIONS

STUDENT PROJECTS

Photo: David Vega-Barachowitz

2 4

STUDENT PROJECTS

1 2 3 4 96

I NTELLIGENT INFRASTRUCTURE CONNECT AND PROTECT ENVIRONMENTAL ZONING DISTINCTLY FILIPINO

STUDENT PROJECTS

Photo: Arianna Salazar Miranda

SITE SELECTION ADDRESSING INFORMALITY Following field studies and analysis of the Metro Manila and Muntinlupa context, student pairs proposed design strategies and physical recommendations aimed at addressing the challenge of resettlement in the context of a changing environment and growing ISF population. Though each pair had originally studied an individual barangay, proposals dealt with multiple contexts, physical scenarios, and timeframes, ranging from individual parcels of vacant land to the entirety of the reclaimed land area for the C-6 expressway. Ultimately, each project sought a paradigmatic and replicable response to conditions prevalent not only in Muntinlupa but across the entire regional landscape, in keeping with the goals of the Community Development Approach (CDA). Over the course of three months, students proposed the following projects: •

Intelligent Infrastructure: Sharing Resources and Living Local

•

Connect and Protect: Cleaning Water and Balancing Benefits

•

Environmental Zoning: Directing Settlement and Building Capacity

•

Distinctly Filipino: Local Landmaking and Development

Site selection for the studio was driven by the individual interests of each student pair. Two of the teams selected individual sites (two per pair) within their originally assigned barangay as case studies meant to illustrate larger principles. The other two teams chose to consider the implications of the planned C-6 expressway dike, envisioning a series of alternative proposals reflective of a more integrated and sustainable approach to future development across the region. These projects together strove to propose projective and creative solutions to pressing questions in the Metro Manila region. All of the students were encouraged to craft solutions outside of the conventional development paradigm, while creatively integrating policy and design measures within their projects.

INTELLIGENT INFRASTRUCTURE: SHARING RESOURCES AND LIVING LOCAL OZ JOHNSON AND HALEY JORDAHL A third of Metro Manilaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population lives in informal settlements, a figure that is expected to double by 2050. Rather than seek to eliminate informality through relocation and redevelopment, urban planners must learn to embrace the informal as a legitimate form of settlement and understand how to better serve it. The sustainable and just solution to informal settlement in Muntinlupa is not relocation, but rather the development of mechanisms that offer access to services and mitigation of vulnerabilities needed to sustain well-being. This proposal shifts the conversation away from a dichotomy between formal and informal and toward the question of how best to ensure a healthy and fulfilling future for all residents. The first part of this strategy is the deployment of infrastructural armatures to support existing informal settlements. In addition to offering flood protection and access to critical utilities such as drinking water and electricity, these armatures can provide shared kitchen facilities, bathrooms, and daycare centers that support community and social life in informal settlements. These infrastructural armatures enable informal settlers to access the amenities they need without sinking much-needed capital into houses that they might need to leave tomorrow in the face of encroaching development, job loss, or flooding. The second part of this strategy proposes the development of flood evacuation sites for informal settlers that also provide space for recreation and industrial activity. Today, one third of informal settlers in the City reside adjacent to waterways or along the shoreline of Laguna de Bay. They frequently risk losing homes and livelihood due to flooding. During periods of environmental hazard, it is necessary to offer alternative shelter, particularly to those settlers most at risk. During typhoons and other extreme weather events, these sites serve as spaces for community evacuation and essential support services. Year-round, they can provide temporary residences for seasonal workers and new migrants to Muntinlupa.

“THIS NEIGHBORHOOD IS EVERYTHING TO ME. MY FRIENDS AND EXTENDED FAMILY ALL LIVE NEARBY.”

Melvin Silvestre Age 38 Melvin works as a tricycle driver in Alabang. He walks a mere 20 meters to get to his vehicle and takes passengers around Muntinlupa from dusk to dawn. He lives and works in this area because this is what he knows. He was born a few blocks away and depends upon his family and friends for help if there is a flood.

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STUDENT PROJECTS

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STUDENT PROJECTS

Adelina Iliw-Iliw Age 36 Adelina Iliw-Iliw is an Informal settler who lives in a narrow space at the edge of the Philippines National Railways track. Her husband runs a railroad cart for a living. They returned to the area after being relocated several years ago. Given the opportunity, she would want a better life for her family.

“MY HUSBAND’S LIVELIHOOD IS ALONG THE RAILROAD TRACKS. AFTER WE WERE RELOCATED WE HAD TO COME BACK – THIS IS HIS WORK” 103

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STUDENT PROJECTS

Mark Antony Paulme Age 29 Necessity sometimes leads to innovation. Mark Antony pushes a homemade rail car between heavily populated areas along the railway in Muntinlupa. His mode of transportation works only in the window between trains but provides an important mode of transportation for pedestrians who need a more direct route to their destination.

“I DRIVE A RAIL TROLLEY BECAUSE THERE IS NO CHEAP, DIRECT TRANSPORTATION THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY. BUT, WHEN IT FLOODS, EVERYTHING STOPS AND I HAVE NO WAY TO MAKE MONEY.” 105

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STUDENT PROJECTS

Fey Silvestre Age 46 Fey moved to Buli when she was 19. She and her husband used to live in a self-built house, but they have since upgraded to a formal, three-story home. This house is raised and rarely floods. When it does, it is because waters drain down from the highlands. For this reason, Fey largely experiences flooding as a financial loss. She and her husband run two businesses (an Internet café and school bus company), both of which they are unable to operate during storms.

“EVEN THOUGH OUR HOME IS SAFE, WHEN FLOODING HAPPENS WE LOSE OUR SOURCE OF INCOME SINCE WE CAN’T WORK.”

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Lucy Geremillo Age Unknown “I was born here; this carinderia is in my mother’s house. My husband was a policeman, but he is retired now. Our four children are all married—the oldest is 40—but they still live here. The Geremillos are one of the oldest family names in Cupang. This barangay used to not be so busy, but it is crowded and chaotic now. Flooding is not bad in here, no more than a foot, so we have never had to evacuate. In fact, everyone seeks refuge in the school across the street, and we sell them food. Flooding is much worse near the bridge, but it only floods every seven years.”

“FLOODING IS NOT BAD HERE, NO MORE THAN A FOOT, SO WE HAVE NEVER HAD TO EVACUATE. IN FACT, EVERYONE COMES HERE TO EAT DURING TYPHOONS.” 108

STUDENT PROJECTS

110

STUDENT PROJECTS

Susan Age 60+ Susan has served as the President of the Sucat’s Sitio Playa informal settlement for the last seven years. As President, she has lobbied for funds to convert some of the worn bamboo pathways into concrete near the roadside entrances of Sitio Playa. When new settlers attempt to build houses and join the community overnight, she is in charge of asking them to register with the Barangay Home Owners Association.

“AFTER THE FLOODS OF TYPHOON ONDOY, WE DECIDED AS A COMMUNITY TO REBUILD OUR HOUSES HIGHER.”

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Jay Tyrone Age 18 Jay has lived in Cupang his entire life. He values living close to his family and enjoys having multiple transportation options to his job at a law office, which is a 30-minute Jeepney ride away. During severe flooding, water in his home stays around a foot high for nearly a month. Jay and his family stay in their houses during this time and, despite the water, experiences only slight disruptions in water and electricity. Jay is not afraid of flooding.

“I’M HAPPY HERE. I DON’T SEE ANY REASON TO GET AWAY.”

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STUDENT PROJECTS

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Aileen Francisco Age 38 Aileen Francisco is a sari-sari (convenience store) owner in Cupang.

“WE MOVED HERE BECAUSE OF THE FLOOD; IT WENT UP TO OUR NECKS! EVENTUALLY I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE SOMEWHERE WITHOUT FLOODING.”

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STUDENT PROJECTS

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INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS, 2003 INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS, 2015

INFRASTRUCTURE FOR INFORMALITY ‘Formalizing’ housing by uprooting residents and relocating them to mortgaged houses on vacant land is extremely expensive for the Philippines government and damaging to the livelihoods and social stability of residents. Mortgage obligations can hinder economic mobility and job-related relocation. Maximizing the welfare of informal residents requires supporting their mobility, not obstructing it.

Weather Events: How would the infrastructure be installed in a flood- and wind-prone area? How would it be moved and/or secured during a typhoon or other weather event? How would it assist residents in evacuation when the need arises, and protect their belongings while they are gone? How would this infrastructure be restored and reopened once the threat subsides?

Still, conditions in Muntinlupa’s informal settlements are far from ideal, with widespread pollution and a lack of access to basic amenities such as clean water, flush toilets, and kitchens. This project proposes a series of infrastructural armatures that can improve these conditions in a cost-effective manner by bringing lowcost water filters, self-maintaining toilets, electricity, and other needed amenities into informal settlements using portable modules that can be constructed, rearranged, and moved as conditions change.

Demographic Changes: How would the infrastructure be installed in a low-density informal settlement? How would it be scaled as the settlement densifies? What would happen if the population’s average income rises—how would the infrastructure be upgraded or removed in response? What would happen if permanent housing developments sprout up among the informal settlements? How can the infrastructure reshape itself around this condition?

To understand how this adaptable infrastructure would evolve over time, this project visualizes the community lifecycle at a selected site in Barangay Cupang, Muntinlupa in the context of three different dynamic scenarios:

Economic Opportunities: How would these armatures be installed in an area of anticipated but currently nonexistent informality, such as a new construction site or factory? How can it support this temporary inmigration of workers, many of whom are separated from their families, and their unique social and economic needs? How would the infrastructure react as the need for temporary workers diminishes?

5,000 Meters

Amenities and Infrastructure: Needs and Opportunities in Informal Settlements Informal settlements lack key infrastructure and amenities needed to support healthy, connected, and enjoyable lives. Pictures of the existing condition highlight problems ranging from unwieldy electric cables to polluted water.

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Trash fills the Alabang River at a railroad crossing.

Electric lines abound, though costs are above market rate, according to interviews.

A computer monitor and purchased water tank are visible in this ISF house, perched entirely over Laguna de Bay.

Laundry dries in a narrow alleyway.

STUDENT PROJECTS

70%

CD/DVD player

85%

49%

Flush Toilet

26%

Computer

94%

21%

Trash collection

Landline

88%

91%

96%

Electricity

69%

Television

38%

Cellphone

45%

Stereo

Radio

Washing Machine

57%

Refrigerator

Tap water

48%

Stove

Percentage of Muntinlupa Residents with Household Amenities | 2011 Based on conservative 2011 Philippine census figures for Muntinlupa City, at least half of Muntinlupans lack refrigerators, stoves, clean water, and other basic household amenities. The poorest 15% of residents also lack flush toilets and receive inadequate trash collection.

Given their low incomes and unstable employment (and thus unstable residency), purchasing these amenities is infeasible for many Muntinlupans - creative solutions are needed.

Communal amenities (floating)

Bamboo stilt housing and aquatic walkways on Laguna de Bay

Main road

appx. 60 households Electric appx. 80 households

Water Basketball court and plaza Public facilities (shoreline)

Example site: Alabang @ Laguna de Bay

Existing

appx. 50 households

Wastewater treatment pond

Public dock

Proposed

appx. 120 households

Armatures deployed on four largest informal lake settlements in Muntinlupa

Proposed Armature Installation | Barangay Alabang. Infrastructural armatures could offer residents access to clean water, flush toilets, shared kitchens, electricity, internet, garbage collection, and other essential services. The above diagram depicts a potential installation along a lakeshore informal settlement in Barangay Alabang,

with nodes extending from the existing basketball court to a dock area. The armature could be replicated in other informal settlements throughout Muntinlupa, and can evolve and adapt to changing demographic, economic, and climatic conditions.

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installation and flood response ties

Utili

Innovative yet inexpensive construction techniques can keep houses stable but able to adjust to rising water levels.

Pub

Concrete columns for stability

Floating mechanism for mobility

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STUDENT PROJECTS

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• EXTREME AFFORDABILITY - Relocated residents are often coerced into paying 240,000 peso mortgages on houses in inaccessible, undesirable locations. How can residents be provided with needed amenities without them (or the government) being saddled with debt? • DISASTER RESILIENCE - Informal settlers along Muntinlupa’s coast are battered by typhoons - but relocation sites are often just as vulnerable. How can informal settlements be reinforced instead so that they can cope with flooding, and evacuate safely when the need arises?

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• COMMUNITY LED DESIGN - Informal settlements are entirely community designed and managed. Rather than eviscerate this communal culture, how can design support co-operation and democratic selfdetermination? • EMPLOYMENT FOCUS - Housing needs to be designed with proximity to employment in mind; this is not only a critical factor in economic development but a pertinent way to prevent squatting. • METABOLIC INFRASTRUCTURE - Manila receives 30,000 residents a year, and these populations are in flux, constantly moving for new employment or in response to development pressure. How can design allow for flexibility to cater to constant demographic change? • SELF-SUSTAINING ECOSYSTEM - Given Manila’s pollution and often unreliable utilities, the safest, cheapest, and most eco-friendly solution is the provision of infrastructure, utilities, and wastemanagement systems that are self-maintaining, untethered to the grid.

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FOR LESS THAN 100 USD PER PERSON, THIS PROPOSAL UPGRADES EXISTING INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS. Informal settlers in Muntinlupa have adapted creatively to the lack of space for laundry, the absence of running water and kitchens, and the informal nature of utility systems. The Philippines spends $224 million USD each year on relocation efforts, only to be thwarted by the influx of 30,000 new Manila residents. This design proposal focused on an informal settlement site in Barangay Alabang. The intention, spirit, and principles guiding the design are scalable and replicable throughout the region, including more formal areas that might be threatened by development pressure. For less than $100 USD per person, the proposal includes a more coordinated - though equally adaptable - system of creative solutions to meet residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs while also protecting the environment, cleaning the lake, and offering new community amenities: Water and sewage: Powered by solar panels, a centrifugal jet pump pushes lake water into a slow sand filter tank, which cleans the water for storage in a second tank until use in the kitchens, bathrooms, and showers. Wastewater is then filtered through a vertical flow constructed wetland.

EXISTING

Waste: 100 trash cans and recycling bins are located throughout the site, emptied by residents into a trash and recycling dumpster located at the edge of the central plaza. Food and sanitation: Five communal kitchens, 27 flush toilets, 9 showers, and 35 clean water taps are installed along a new elevated walkway connecting the 11 stilt paths. Anchored programs: Large community rooms anchored at the end of the walkways can contain communal living rooms, game rooms, child care centers, libraries, or other programming chosen by the community.

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Floating programs: Tethered to the anchored community rooms by floating docks, these modules could include aquaponic ponds, laundry platforms, fishing docks, and more.

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flo

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d be

INFRASTRUCTURE

25 METERS

122

STUDENT PROJECTS

pro

ati

eta

l flo

ica

rt Ve

ble

nst

ble

ya Gre

alk

lt w

Sti

bla

bin

Tra

PROGRAMS AND SYSTEMS floating programs Aquaponic ponds Laundry platforms Fishing docks Solar stations Rainwater collection tanks

7 ponds 7 platforms 7 docks 3 stations 4 tanks

5x5m 5x5m 5x5m 5x5m 5x5m

2 rooms 2 rooms 2 centers 1 library

8x8m 8x8m 8x8m 8x8m

anchored programs Communal living rooms Recreation rooms Child care centers Libraries

food and sanitation system Communal kitchens Flush toilets Showers Clean water taps

5 kitchens 27 toilets 9 showers 35 taps

35 sq m 2x2m 2x2m

50 cans 50 bins 1 dumpster 1 dumpster

30 liters 30 liters 4x2x1m 4x2x1m

waste system Trash cans Recycling bins Trash dumpster Recycling dumpster

water and sewage system Solar panels Centrifugal jet pump Slow sand filter tank Water storage tank Potable water pipes Grey and blackwater pipes Vertical flow constructed wetland Vegetable garden

7 panels 1 pump 1 tank 1 tank 1 system 2 systems 1 wetland 1 garden

2x1m 100,000 l/day 50,000 liters 50,000 liters 600 m 600 m 25 x 25 m 25 x 25 m

housing Stilt houses

120 units

5,000 sq m

11 paths

1,000 sq m

circulation Stilt walkways

complete installation 550 people 54 babies and toddlers 156 children 156 adult men 166 adult women 18 seniors (above 65)

$42K USD/1.8M PHP $76 USD/3.3K PHP per person ~70% capacity

123

THIS PROPOSAL ENABLES THE COMMUNITY TO STAY IN PLACE WHILE ALSO RESTORING THE LAKE, PROVIDING SANITATION FACILITIES, AND OFFERING FLOOD PROTECTION. The lakeshore informal settlement in Alabang is vibrant and resilient. Children gleefully run up and down the narrow lanes. Adults routinely adapt their households to changes in employment and economic circumstance, looking after one anotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family members when necessary. Working-age residents often spend weeks at a time employed at temporary, off-site jobs. The community meets its needs with those resources that are readily available: laundry is hung from bamboo poles; the lake serves as trash receptacle and toilet; men fish from the ends of the docks. Many of these practices are not ideal, from either an environmental or a public health perspective, but the problems posed by this lifestyle are also not intractable. This proposal enables the community to stay in place while also restoring the lake, providing sanitation facilities, and offering flood protection. The project proposes the construction of an elevated pathway to join the eleven existing stilt paths, with bathroom and shower facilities along this main walkway. Water for these facilities is pumped from the lake and filtered, with the wastewater ultimately treated in a constructed wetland before being filtered through a vegetable garden and reentering the lake. This wetland and garden are depicted at a scale necessary to support 550 residents, but could be expanded as populations grow. Along the water, this project proposes that a series of floating modules be installed, with amenities such as docks, clotheslines, mini-parks, and aquaponics nets, attached to stationary recreation rooms; built and positioned in a manner that allows them to move up and down with the water level, protect the community during typhoons, and limit community sprawl. The floating modules can be whisked away in a flood. Their quantities, locations, and functions would be selected by the community members. The programs explained on the following page are intended only as inspiration and suggestion.

124

STUDENT PROJECTS

Site Plan A toolkit of informality-supporting infrastructure and objects is applied to the site, a 550-resident stilt housing community at the northern edge of Barangay Alabang in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila. A road leading to the main basketball plaza, indicated in black, offers the main point of access to the community. Eleven stilt pathways, hidden behind homes on the shoreline, extend into the water, abutting approximately 120 housing units.

125

SECTION: ARMATURE

basketball pl

aza filtered lake

water pipe

kitchen mod

ules

SECTION: FIVE METER FLOOD shower and

3 bathroom

rafts stored

in commun

ity kitchen

SECTION: CONSTRUCTED WETLAND rooftops tra

kitchen attic

nsform into

s offer water

3. Dirty water 2. Solar pane

ls power the

1. Fresh, grey

, and black

126

STUDENT PROJECTS

water pipes

move from

flow of gray

water lake to

is cleaned as

tight, secure

and black w

kitchens to

ssessions

trient-rich w

n through la

ater exits th ew

yers of sedi

ater from ba th

bathrooms

storage for po

4. Safe but nu

it filters dow

walk

etland into a

rooms into th

ment and ve

e vertical flo

getation

w wetland

community

aquaponics

recreation ro

pond

fishing dock laundry plat

form

kways

community dock ramp

becomes ev

tugboat mov es floating pr ogram to sa

fe harbor

room accom

acuation pl

modates m

ax. 5 m flood

atform

5. Clean, nu trient-balan ced water re a vegetable -enters the la garden ke

127

VACANT LAND

DENSITY OF COMMERCIAL AREAS

DENSITY OF SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

LOCAL ROADS

VACANT LAND & TEMPORARY EVACUATION Today, 25 percent of land in Muntinlupa lies vacant and undeveloped.1 While some of that land is privately owned - such as the open land of Filinvest Corporate City - the bulk of the land falls under public jurisdiction. Not all of that open land is ripe for development. Some of it lies within the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s flood boundaries, along waterways, or adjacent to large-scale manufacturing clusters.

INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORK

Vacant land can be developed for residential and commercial use and offers an opportunity to build with the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s informal settler communities in mind. Demand for housing is high, while In-migration and a growing middle class have placed pressure on the housing market. New housing can help to satisfy that unmet need. Vacant land has the potential to support informal settler families evacuated during periods of flooding. As waters rise, communities can move inland toward dedicated temporary evacuation centers proximate to their homes. Ideal sites, denoted in red, seek to minimize the interruption to daily life as much as possible. These sites are proposed near dense commercial centers and along transportation spines, far removed from environmental hazard.

5,000 Meters

ENVISIONING EVACUATION CENTERS

Tem

a por

va ry E

TEM PO RAR Y

cue

e Ho

usin

Sec u Sto re rag e

Lau

ndr

m e Fa -Ris s Mid tment r Apa y

Day Car e

en Kitch

Tem por ary

Com

ing post Com ilet to

Com mu nal

Fac ilitie s

und Gro es red Sha r Servic o Flo

Hea Clin lth ic

ile Mob Saris Sari-

& Trash cling Recy

nity

ily

Plaz

TEMPORARY HOUSING CAN INTRODUCE NEW MODULAR BUILDING TECHNIQUES AND READILY DEPLOYABLE TECHNOLOGIES ON NEARBY VACANT LAND.

/ Em ing ctur Hub nufa

ploy

men

PER MA NEN T

GLOBAL PRECEDENTS DENSITY

Post-typhoon tent housing, Tanauan.

Post-hurricane housing proposal, Brooklyn.

130

STUDENT PROJECTS

TEMPORALITY

Temporary housing prototype, Concrete Canvas.

Construction worker housing, China.

PURPOSE

Ikea flat-pack disaster relief housing.

Temporary education center, China.

Weathering the Storm

Flooded evacuation center after Tropical Storm Trami (Reuters).

Families in Pasig City evacuate to nearby school (Luis Liwang).

Evacuees occupy school during Tropical Storm Trami (AP Photo).

EACH SITE SHOULD ENSURE ACCESS TO COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC RESOURCES, SUCH AS HEALTH CARE, WATER, AND SANITATION.

In 2014, in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, policymakers in Metro Manila began to advocate for a change in the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approach to disaster response and for the construction of permanent evacuation centers to house those displaced by severe weather events. Evacuation is a reality typically faced by Muntinlupans following annual storms, particularly for the informal shoreline communities most vulnerable to rising waters, heavy rain, and strong winds. When communities leave their homes, however, they often go to locations that are no more resilient than their houses and which disrupt their daily routines and livelihoods. The construction of dedicated evacuation centers allows for the development of disaster-resistant buildings, the intentional provision of community resources, and the inclusion of spaces and services integral to everyday life, both during and following disaster. Globally, numerous precedents exist for housing that specifically serves those displaced by storm events. As the climate shifts, and the frequency of severe weather events increases, localities have begun to examine and commission housing for evacuees. The design of that housing, and the sites upon which it is situated, is largely dependent on context. A low-density area susceptible to frequent, irregular displacement, such as Tanuan, has prompted the development of tented housing, while policymakers in high-density New York City are experimenting with modular, mid-rise temporary shelter. In Muntinlupa, the development of dedicated evacuation centers should be guided by both need and context. Sites developed to host permanent evacuation centers can serve a variety of needs: during and following storms, they can house the displaced, and more frequently, can offer shelter to temporary and migrant workers. Understanding that the displaced will be temporarily disconnected from local community resources, each site should include infrastructure necessary to sustain well-being: health centers, educational facilities, water and sanitation services. Sites should also ensure an uninterrupted economy, and therefore provide space for enterprise and employment. Ultimately, the development of temporary and permanent evacuation centers can help Muntinlupa, and particularly, its informal settler communities, to better weather the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s storms.

131

EMPHASIZING INFORMAL LIVELIHOODS Muntinlupa’s ample vacant land provides an opportunity for mixed-use development. To ensure that any development acknowledges, supports, and ameliorates the needs of the urban poor, however, it is essential that programming includes the city’s informal residents. In the proposed plan for development, mixed-use housing offers market-rate and low-cost residences; on-site industry provides employment opportunities for informal settlers; and a community center anchors the site and provides resources to the urban poor.

Given the city’s tight housing markets, now is an appropriate time for Muntinlupa, and the multilateral institutions with which it partners, to emphasize that such an approach be included in any development. By exerting leverage over new projects, the City can ensure the inclusion of affordable housing units, the incorporation of employment mandates for new firms, and the establishment of community benefits agreements that include the urban poor in any new construction and development process.

Redesignating vacant land for mixed use development creates an opportunity for mixed-income housing, environmental resilience, and job creation.

132

STUDENT PROJECTS

51%

33%

MUNTINLUPA CANLIVE LEVERAGE NEW DEVELOPMENT TO INCREASE INFORMALLY LIVE INFORMALLY IN MUNTINLUPA AT RISK OF FLOOD THE SUPPLY OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS AND OTHER COMMUNITY BENEFITS. IMPACT OF RELOCATION: PROXIMITY TO INFRASTRUCTURE DISTANCE FROM FLOODLINE DENSITY OF COMMERCIAL AREAS DENSITY OF INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS DENSITY OF SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

8% 6%

OF LAND IN MUNTINLUPA IS CURRENTLY VACANT

23%

4% 2%

a in

ng Ho

ap ng

or e

ay sia

Th a

ila

a di bo

Ca m

do In

comparative rental yields

2014

2013

2010

in a

GDP per capita growth

or e ap

ay sia al

Si ng

nd ila Th a

di a bo

Ca m

pi ne

sia

2000 Ph ilip

Ph i

lip

sia

HOUSING IN METRO MANILA2

cyclical economics 2014

2013 1

Per land use data provided by World Bank, circa 2003.

Source: Global Property Guide

2010

2000

133

SITE LOCATION AND CONTEXT

PROTOTYPICAL SITE

This proposal takes a prototypical site for mixed-use development in the barangay of Cupang in northwest Muntinlupa. The site sits between two primary infrastructure routes and modes of transit: the SLEx highway and the PNR railway. The elevation of the site removes it from risk of flooding; it is highly connected to the surrounding city; and it lies adjacent to industrial and residential uses.

Land use: industrial & residential borders.

industrial vehicular unbroken blocks

mobility

Proposed on-site development responds to the site’s immediate context. This proposal argues for development that fits seamlessly with the character with the surrounding city, and is structured to intentionally includes those living informally today. A revised road network creates connectivity between the highway and rail, and bridges the gap between residents living beyond the rail and industry adjacent to the highway. New housing development borders the City’s residential nodes, and industry aligns with Muntinlupa’s existing industrial corridor. At the center of the site, a public plaza meets existing open space needs and is anchored by a community center, which provides social services yearround and is augmented during periods of storms.

Road network: mixed vehicular & pedestrian paths.

residential pedestrian human-scale grid

PROPOSED ADAPTATIONS Land use

134

STUDENT PROJECTS

Open space

Road network

YEAR-ROUND CONDITION

industry: training & employment manufacturing offers employment to informal settlers; ground-floor retail allows goods produced to remain local.

mixed use housing housing for workers, low-income Muntinlupans, and market-rate renters mitigates local housing demand.

community center focal building anchors site and serves as source of critical social services.

mixed use housing housing for workers, low-income Muntinlupans, and market-rate renters mitigates local housing demand.

public plaza & civic space a flexible park provides space for community life and play year-round; during periods of typhoon, it couples as an evacuation site.

STORM EVENT

135

FORMAL AND INFORMAL GROWTH When fully developed, the reused vacant land meets the needs of permanent residents as well as of those evacuated from their communities during storm events. Underlying the site’s programming, however, is a spatial construction that emphasizes, supports, and provides a pathway to greater stability for the city’s informal settler population. The provision of temporary housing allows for those living informally to remain in their existing housing on a permanent basis, if desired. The inclusion of affordable units into new construction, meanwhile, grows the capacity for more stable housing available to the urban poor. Adjacent industry offers stable and longterm employment, as well as job training that supports a transition towards formal sector employment. Lastly, the integration of a plaza and community center ensures that support services are available to all residents, and that needs for civic and communal spaces are met. Ultimately, this proposal calls for the provision of housing and employment for the urban poor; more fundamentally, however, it demands a reorientation of existing development to foster the needs of both the markets and the city’s most vulnerable population.

BY REUSING A VACANT PARCEL, THE CITY CAN MEET THE NEEDS OF BOTH PERMANENT RESIDENTS AND THOSE EVACUATED FROM THEIR COMMUNITIES DURING STORM EVENTS.

136

STUDENT PROJECTS

YEAR-ROUND CONDITION

STORM EVENT

137

THE SITE IS CHARACTERIZED BY ITS PROGRAMMATIC AND CLIMATIC FLEXIBILITY IN THE FACE OF DISASTER AS WELL AS PROXIMITY TO MOBILITY OPTIONS. Embracing informality demands an understanding of the vulnerability, mobility, and capability of the urban poor: 1. Vulnerability: Informal settler communities, more so than their formal counterparts, are subject to unaffordable housing, limited urban employment opportunities, and intermittent environmental disasters. 2. Mobility: As a result of their vulnerability, informal settlers must be able and willing to move toward improved economic circumstances and in the aftermath of environmental shocks. 3. Capability: The capacity to move, and to remain in the face of vulnerability, exemplifies the resilience of informal communities. Development must acknowledge, embrace, and support dwelling in the face of uncertainty. This proposal seeks to acknowledge the capacity of informal settler communities and to convey opportunities to provide the resources necessary to mitigate persistent economic, residential, and environmental vulnerability. By capitalizing on high rates of land vacancy in Muntinlupa, this proposal argues for the development of mixed-use sites that offer year-round residence for the city’s formal residents, security during periods of environmental turbulence for all Muntinlupans, and a pathway toward economic stability for the urban poor.

138

STUDENT PROJECTS

1. Year-round: To support holistic livelihoods within Muntinlupa’s formal and informal sector, this proposal argues for the development of permanent housing, industry, and community space on-site. 2. Adaptation During Typhoon: When those along Muntinlupa’s coast must evacuate due to storm, the site’s public plaza becomes home to temporary housing. Existing community facilities provide support services and local industry offers work. Fundamentally, this proposal is grounded in the vulnerability of Muntinlupa’s urban poor. It seeks to acknowledge the economic, residential, and environmental realities of informality and bolster existing livelihoods while providing a pathway toward greater stability.

STRATEGY 2 Weathering the Storm

140

STUDENT PROJECTS

STRATEGY 1 Infrastructure for Informality

NEAR-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS OBSERVATIONS •

ISFs in Metro Manila are growing in number annually as they continue to migrate from provincial areas to the city for economic opportunities.

•

Most ISFs lack basic household amenities including running water, refrigeration, electricity, and phone/ internet.

•

Waste-management and sanitation deficiencies contribute to poor health and the spreading of disease, especially among children.

•

Relocating of ISFs to areas far from urban centers creates separation from work, family, and community networks; dramatic increases in commute times and transfers; and often requires mortgages predicated on pre-existing connections to the formal economy. In many cases, families are broken up as breadwinners work for weeks at a time while living apart from the family, or families return to areas from which they were moved.

OPPORTUNITIES

142

•

Shared streets, paths, and other community spaces can host social and economic activities - children playing, vegetable gardens, shared chores, or local commerce. These communal spaces can be reinforced by an agile and cost-effective toolkit to support existing ISF communities with infrastructure and amenities tailored to contextual issues, while sharing the cost burden across the entire community.

•

Investment in existing communities can provide healthier and more resilient neighborhoods with improved infrastructure, waste-management systems, and flood mitigation in the near term.

STUDENT PROJECTS

•

Integrating local and citywide environmental systems can help restore the lake, provide sanitation facilities, and offer flood protection with relatively low costs and high benefits in the long term.

RECOMMENDATIONS •

Engage ISFs in a community planning process to evaluate their challenges, needs, and socioeconomic realities, as well as to identify the primary areas of shared community use and explore solutions that allow ISFs to remain in place while reducing their vulnerability.

•

Deploy tactical infrastructure upgrades in shared community spaces to improve access to basic services with targeted, shared, and cost-effective investment

•

Identify nearby upland areas for short-term evacuation during emergency events as well as opportunity sites for potential strategic long-term resettlement.

•

Prioritize short term evacuation sites based on proximity to employment, public transportation, and existing social networks.

•

Consider existing ISF livelihoods associated with Laguna de Bay (fisheries and aquaculture) in all new urban developments, exploring the impacts of new infrastructure and development on the communities.

LONG-TERM RECOMMENDATIONS OBSERVATIONS

RECOMMENDATIONS

•

Flood evacuation plans and temporary shelter strategies are uncoordinated and do not adequately consider ISFs’ livelihoods.

•

Create an evacuation strategy for at-risk ISFs to safe sites based on proximity to their existing location, mobility access, and needed services and goods.

• •

Economic, physical, and social divisions among formal and informal developments lead to infrastructural redundancies, uneven cost burdens, and a general lack of urban cohesion. This contributes to traffic congestion, fragmented development, and other inefficiencies.

Evaluate vacant land within Muntinlupa City to assess their best use based on ownership, land use, hazards and risks, infrastructure, and context.

•

Explore public incentives for developers to include affordable housing units, incorporate employment mandates, and establish community resources for the urban poor in any new construction and development process. This includes but is not limited to zoning changes and height bonuses for “inclusionary zoning.”

•

Develop partnerships among private developers, government officials, NGOs, and POs to encourage mutually beneficial and integrated development approaches. Identify a mix of uses for sites that provide industry for employment, various types of housing, educational facilities, and community functions that offer resources for the urban poor.

•

Integrate evacuation strategies for emergency and year-round use of evacuation areas on public and private sites as part of the city’s development framework.

•

Limited, large-scale, publicly controlled parcels in urban areas make permanent housing strategies difficult without private sector collaboration.

OPPORTUNITIES •

Privately owned vacant land can offer safe and secure evacuation and temporary housing for ISFs during flooding events.

•

City zoning controls can be used to incentivize private sector collaboration in the production of affordable, through inclusionary housing bonuses and strategic upzoning.

•

Large parcels provide opportunities for informal and formal sectors to interact and have the potential to become mixed-use, mixed-income sites.

•

With evacuation shelters, permanent housing options, and educational facilities, a holistic approach to supporting ISFs can be integrated into a city-wide strategy for improved livelihoods and economic stability.

143

CONNECT AND PROTECT: CLEANING WATER AND BALANCING BENEFITS ADRIANA AKERS + LILY PERKINS-HIGH Flooding and the continued degradation of the water quality in Laguna de Bay present two key challenges for Muntinlupa. This project, entitled Martiniko Island, responds to these concerns by reimagining existing and proposed flood infrastructure, especially the C-6 expressway dike, understanding these systems as tools which can be used to improve water quality and benefit local communities rather than providing a singular, static function.

144

STUDENT PROJECTS

145

146

STUDENT PROJECTS

Eric & Anican Punay Ages 36 & 14 Eric is a cellphone technician originally from Sucat. His father was a fisherman. He remembers when the landscape in the area was completely different, with far less pollution. Eric’s son, Anican, attends a private school in Cupang and likes to spend time with his friends and family in the Sucat People’s Park.

“AS A BOY, I USED TO WADE KNEE DEEP IN THE WATER TO COLLECT SHELLFISH TO SELL. THE WATER LEVEL IN LAGUNA DE BAY IS MUCH HIGHER TODAY” 147

148

STUDENT PROJECTS

Tiangco Hermigildo Age 28 “When I was a kid, the water was so clean: I could drink it, and collect mussels and snails. We used to do more subsistence fishing and watercress farming, but there are now fish pens everywhere. However, the watercress still grows. Now, I’m a traffic enforcer; I work the night shift at the airport. It’s a one hour journey by two jeepneys, but I can’t move because my councilor nephew got me this job. Plus, it’s only 20 minutes usually, there is just construction traffic right now. When it floods, we all go to the school for refuge. The last time, it took four months to subside. I would like to move to the Baguio highlands, not just because of the flood, but because there is less traffic and it is cleaner and calmer.”

“WHEN I WAS A KID, THE WATER WAS SO CLEAN; I COULD DRINK IT AND COLLECT MUSSELS AND SNAILS.”

149

Carlos Ibabao Age 57 Carlos works along Laguna de Bay. He is a fisherman, and spends his days catching fish and repairing watches to make ends meet. His livelihood and shelter is extremely vulnerable to flooding. His home is made of weak materials that could easily be swept away. He does not see many other options to survive in the city, and looks forward to a day when he will be able to earn more and be less vulnerable to rising waters.

“THE FLOODING CAME ALL OF A SUDDEN, BUT DIDN’T SUBSIDE FOR SIX MONTHS.”

150

STUDENT PROJECTS

151

Ferdinand Obejas Age 46 Ferdinand Obejas is a tricycle driver. In between rides, he rests at the main tricycle hub in Muntinlupa, which is located near the railroad track between Don Juan Bayview subdivision and Dona Rosario Bayview subdivision.

“WHEN IT FLOODS, I MOVE TO THE SECOND FLOOR OF MY HOUSE. SOMETIMES, IT CAN BE MONTHS BEFORE THE WATER COMPLETELY SUBSIDES.” 152

STUDENT PROJECTS

153

Trinidad Tolentino Age Unknown “My friends and I all work as street-sweepers employed by the local government. We all have several children at home, and some of us are single mothers. I (Trinidad) live nearby in Cupang, but some of us come from further away: Bonoy Avenue in Manila, Luzon, four miles from here. Although we live in different neighborhoods, we’ve all been impacted by the flooding. For me, the effects were not too bad, just one or two feet of flooding that subsided quickly. To prevent flooding during the next storm, I believe that the government should be more strict when it comes to trash disposal and collection. Clogged canals cause and worsen the flooding. Although it floods, I’m not interested in moving. I’m satisfied with what I’m earning, and really just grateful to have a job, one that I stick with because of the wages. I’d even work further away, if it meant a higher wage.”

“TO PREVENT FLOODING DURING THE NEXT STORM, I BELIEVE THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE MORE STRICT WHEN IT COMES TO TRASH DISPOSAL AND COLLECTION.” 154

STUDENT PROJECTS

155

156

STUDENT PROJECTS

Concepcion Lato Age 35 Concepcion and her family have been fortunate enough to upgrade their house from bamboo and wood to cinderblock. Their home is only a few meters from the water and is susceptible to flooding. With their material upgrades, they do not have to worry about damages as much some of their neighbors. They work outside of their community and have planned for their future to be able to invest in their child’s education and their family’s health.

“WE ARE USED TO FLOODING, BUT I WORRY ABOUT MY FAMILY’S HEALTH WHEN THE WATERS DON’T GO DOWN.”

157

158

STUDENT PROJECTS

Renato Bautista Age 35 Childcare, employment and hope for the future have created a unique situation for Renato and his family. With two children and a wife that works, Renato heads the household. He does laundry, takes care of a sick child, and makes sure his children have a brighter future.

“I WAS JOBLESS IN QUEZON PROVINCE. WE MOVED HERE WHEN MY WIFE FOUND A JOB IN MUNTINLUPA. I STAY HOME WITH THE KIDS.”

159

Eddie Boy Age 55 “I’ve lived along the railroad tracks for a long time, more than ten years. About ten years ago, the tracks were filled with houses, but most were demolished to make way for railroad improvements. My house was not, so I stayed. For day-to-day work, I drive a cart along the railroad tracks between Alabang and Cupang, taking people to market, to their homes, and to school. On off days, I rent the cart out to other drivers for a rate of 40 pesos; sometimes I’ll also take work in construction when it’s available. To eat, my family also grows bananas and cassava. The flooding isn’t terrible in my area; we’ve only really been impacted once, in 2009. Then, the flooding came up to our knees, but subsided after a few weeks.”

“TEN YEARS AGO, THE TRACKS WERE FILLED WITH HOUSES, BUT MOST WERE DEMOLISHED. MINE WAS NOT, SO I STAYED.” 160

STUDENT PROJECTS

161

162

STUDENT PROJECTS

Renato Sanchez Age 52 Renato has lived along the railroad tracks in Buli for 20 years. This area is located on higher ground and is generally not affected by flooding. Instead, Renato is concerned about the safety of the children who play along the rail line. He hopes for more public space in the future so the neighborhood kids can have a safe place to play. Renato works as a luggage porter at the Airport. He has a one-hour commute.

“BECAUSE WE LIVE ON HIGHER GROUND, OUR HOME IS USUALLY NOT AFFECTED BY FLOODING. WHAT WE REALLY NEED IS A SAFE PLACE FOR OUR CHILDREN TO PLAY.”

163

Alejandro Clemens Age 55 “I was born in Bikol, son of an American father, but have lived here in Cupang for 31 years. I’m the father to 6 children. The youngest is 23 and works at a Jollibee at the fringe of the city, and the eldest is 36 and lives at home. Typically, I work as a bookbinder in the Muntinlupa City Hall, but I have work off today because of the pope’s visit. On days like this, I go fishing with my friends for tilapia and milkfish. I live nearby, at the border of Alabang and Cupang. During times of flooding (like 2009, when flooding was bad and didn’t subside for 5 months), I go to my brother’s house, who lives nearby but in a higher place. Because I work in government, my income isn’t affected by the storms and I’m satisfied with the work that I am doing. To get to work, I take one trike and one jeepney, for around 30 minutes. Because I know the people here, I wouldn’t move, even for a better paying job. Many of my neighbors have moved since the last storm, though, including a friend who moved to the province, only to be hit by Hurricane Yolanda. In the end, I believe that this place can be cleaned up, and that it’s the responsibility of the MMDA to do so.”

“IN THE END, I BELIEVE THAT THIS PLACE CAN BE CLEANED UP.” 164

STUDENT PROJECTS

165

MARTINIKO ISLAND OYSTER FARMS CAN PROVIDE LIVELIHOODS AND CLEAN LAKE WATER, WHILE SOFT EDGES ALL AROUND THE ISLAND SYSTEM WILL FILTER AND CLEAN URBAN RUNOFF, PREVENTING LAKE CONTAMINATION, WHILE CONNECTING OPEN SPACES. The shoreline of Muntinlupa is comprised of densely settled informal and other poor communities along the coast, including a large number of fisherfolk. The area suffers from severe water pollution issues, particularly where the polluted rivers meet the lake. If the current plans for the C-6 Dike Expressway go forward, the dike will cut off the coast and fisherfolk from the lake and the majority of its fisheries; high-density urban development will generate runoff that together with the highway runoff will exacerbate existing water pollution issues; and infrequent connections to the coast will ensure that any public services and other benefits provided by the island development will remain inaccessible to existing lowincome coastal communities. This alternative proposal counters these issues, with design principles rooted in strengthening and celebrating the fishing industry, cleaning the water, and providing benefits to existing communities. The island still incorporates high-value opportunities that will be attractive to developers, such as high-density residential development with incredible views of the lake, a continuation of the existing on-land commercial corridor onto the island, and luxury canal housing on the southern portion of the site. The proposal also incorporates shared services that can benefit lowincome coastal inhabitants, including the remediation of the lakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s damaged ecology, and a strengthening of the aquaculture industry in the lake as a whole.

166

STUDENT PROJECTS

To clean the lake water and revive its natural beauty for current and future inhabitants, several measures will be taken that both clean water and provide sources of livelihood and recreation. Wetlands may be introduced to clean the polluted urban river water before it enters the lake. Paths constructed along the wetlands allow for a new coastal open space system. Oyster farms can provide livelihoods and clean lake water, while soft edges all around the island system will filter and clean urban runoff, preventing lake contamination, while connecting open spaces. Mangroves along the C-6 berm may clean vehicle runoff before it enters Laguna de Bay, while also providing habitat for natural species. Frequent pedestrian connections to the coast help ensure that existing residents can access open spaces on the island, an amenity lacking in the densely settled coastal communities at present. Shared community amenities should thus be concentrated along the edge of the island closer to the coast. These might include employment opportunities in a large fish market and retail center; educational opportunities such as a fishery training center; and large open spaces, including playing fields and other recreational opportunities.

CURRENT CONDITIONS

I UN

M M N O LC TO E A N ST DE TUR A N L CO PE CU E D UA AQ

TY S ND UP A O RS GR E E L TT OM E S NC AL W-I M O OR R L F IN HE OT

E ER TIO V U SE LL O P

THE C-6 DIKE EXPRESSWAY PROPOSAL: A CRITIQUE DIKE = HARD INFRASTRUCTURE, INCREASES RUNOFF CUTS OFF COAST FROM LAKE AND FISHERIES ISLANDS HAVE UNIFORM HIGH-DENSITY DEVELOPMENT LAND RECLAMATION, URBANIZATION TO EXACERBATE ALREADY SEVERE WATER POLLUTION

INFREQUENT CONNECTIONS TO COAST AND EXISTING COMMUNITY NO BENEFITS TO INFORMAL SETTLERS AND OTHER LOWINCOME COASTAL COMMUNITIES

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STRENGTHENING LAGUNA DE BAY’S AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY

While pollution reduces the total output and economic value of Laguna de Bay’s fisheries, there are several other problems with the lake’s aquaculture industry, best summarized by the 2007 Philippine Institute for Development Studies Report, “The Current State of Aquaculture in Laguna de Bay.”1 First, the industry is highly decentralized, with fry being sourced from outside the Metro Manila region, raised to fingerlings in a separate location, and then transported to Laguna de Bay fish pens and farms for full grow-out. Middlemen at each stage of this process cut profits and efficiency in the fishing economy. For example, half the variable costs for milkfish raising in Laguna de Bay go towards the purchase of fingerlings. Transportation of fry and fingerlings represents another significant cost burden. The decentralization of the industry also sometimes leads to the unavailability of fry and fingerlings, which can lead to late and low stocking, further compromising economic output. Second, 75% of Laguna de Bay fisherfolk lack any formal training in their industry. Finally, the region misses a key income generation opportunity by producing a very low level of raw material, such as processing raw fish materials into more valuable fish balls or fish sticks. 1 Danilo C. Israel, The Current State of Aquaculture in Laguna de Bay, Philippine Institute for Development Studies, Discussion Paper Series #2007-20, December 2007 <http://dirp4.pids.gov.ph/ris/dps/ pidsdps0720.pdf>.

CURRENT AQUACULTURE PROCESS LOCAL FRY GATHERERS

LOCAL HATCHERIES

FOREIGN PRODUCERS

LOCAL FRY

HATCHERY FRY

FOREIGN FRY

CONCESSIONAIRES

MIDDLEMEN

IMPORTERS

NURSERIES

FINGERLINGS

MIDDLEMEN

FISH PEN & CAGE OPERATORS

MARTINIKO ISLAND COULD COMBINE THE INDUSTRIAL, COMMERCIAL, AND CULTURAL ASPECTS OF FISHING IN LAGUNA DE BAY TO CELEBRATE AND STRENGTHEN THE INDUSTRY.

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STUDENT PROJECTS

SITE SELECTION: AQUACULTURE LIVELIHOOD CENTER To address these deficiencies in the existing aquaculture industry as well as the new industry that will be created in the C-6 channel, one of the proposed development islands should set aside space for a new aquaculture livelihood center. The island could combine the industrial, commercial, and cultural aspects of fishing in Laguna de Bay to celebrate and strengthen the industry. As a place where the industry will be consolidated, the island should be located in one of the planned highway interchanges for better access to markets in

the Metro Manila region and beyond. The map below shows the ideal site, located at the intersection of the existing commercial and industrial hubs of Muntinlupa. By combining the industrial (warehousing, processing, distribution) and commercial (wholesale, markets, restaurants and food tourism) elements of Laguna de Bay aquaculture, the island will be a natural outgrowth of these current mainland land uses.

L G IN RIA T T IS S EX DU A TO D I N U P N L IO L AN TIN T R C IA UN FO NE RC M N S E N CO MM RS I GE N CO NTE HA ETS C E K R C TE AR N M I TO T TO S ES POR C S AC AN TR

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A C-6 THAT WORKS

Rice Terraces, Yuanyang County

Salinas Cadiz, Spain

THIS PROPOSAL STRUCTURES LAND RECLAMATION BASED ON EXISTING NATURAL CONDITIONS AND COASTAL LAND USES. The current C-6 development plan both fails to account for the residents of Muntinlupa, and has questionable merit from a financial standpoint. As proposed, the C-6 may trap highly contaminated runoff water, which will slowly stagnate, producing undesirable odors and low water quality, which will in turn decrease the value of high-end development. Furthermore, all of the proposed island development will be extremely vulnerable to flood events; a breach of the dike, likely given climate change projections, could result in massive property damage. For this reason, development should not proceed as planned. This proposal instead aims to correct these errors while amplifying benefits to citizens of Muntinlupa. This goal can be achieved within guidelines set forth by the Philippines government; namely a six-lane dike expressway with eight highway interchanges, 16 pumping stations, and 700 hectares of reclaimed land, separated from the existing shore by a channel. The design has three key elements:

1. TERRACED TREATMENT NETWORK Minghu Wetland Park

A terraced treatment network situated along the existing coastline will work to clean water, restore lost livelihoods, and provide much needed public space.

2. EXPANDED CHANNEL Under the current proposal, the C-6 Expressway will be constructed 500 meters off Muntinlupaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coast. This is not enough room for effective water treatment. This proposal double the width of the channel.

3. REFORMED ISLANDS Rather than breaking up the islands in a uniform pattern, the proposal structures land reclamation according to existing natural conditions and coastal land uses. Above: examples of terraced development.

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STUDENT PROJECTS

USING THE RAINY SEASON

Terrace Structure Water becomes progressively cleaner as it moves outwards from the shore.

Rainy Season (May - November) Wetlands and fish ponds work to clean water throughout the rainy season, during which the floodgates remain closed. Polluted waters are unable to contaminate the rest of the lake.

Dry Season (December - April) Flood gates open during dry season, allowing newly clean water to flow into the lake.

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PROTECT AGAINST FLOODING Key Strategies 1. Create sufficient room for water flow 2. Construct a protected terraced 3. Expand the channel between the coast and development islands 4. Landscape soft, floodable edges that trap runoff before it enters the lake

In addition to elevating the C-6 Expressway to the 500 Year Flood Line, the proposal strives to reduce the severity of a dike breach in case one does occur. First, water is allowed to flow; islands break apart at stream mouths and the C-6 Channel is expanded from 500 meters in width to 1000 meters. Filtration terraces also provide an extra layer of fortification as flood waters must breach each terrace level before reaching the homes of Muntinlupa’s residents. By cleaning water, these systems also reduce the risk of waterborne illness. Finally, floodable edges along the coast of the development islands reduce damage costs.

FILTRATION TERRACES PROVIDE AN EXTRA LAYER OF FORTIFICATION AS FLOOD WATERS MUST BREACH EACH TERRACE LEVEL BEFORE REACHING THE HOMES OF MUNTINLUPA’S RESIDENTS.

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STUDENT PROJECTS

Islands break apart at river mouths. Each channel has a minimum width of 150 meters.

C-6 Highway sits 1000 meters off the shoreline - twice the proposed distance.

COAST

TERRACES

Each island has a 15 meter wetland edge.

Flood waters must breach each terrace.

CHANNEL

500 Year Floodline 100 Year Floodline

LAKE

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CLEAN THE WATER While the entire western coast of Laguna de Bay has water classified as “Worse Than Class D,” pollutant concentrations entering this area do vary. Concentrations are highest at river mouths and towards the north of Muntinlupa where greater quantities of developed land and higher amounts of precipitation produce more runoff. Our proposal responds to these conditions through the installation of a coastal terraced treatment network consisting of pocket wetlands deployed at stream mouths, and wastewater aquaculture ponds. Development islands also work to treat water. Island edges consist of mangroves and wetlands which help improve water quality as it flows through the channel. Islands are smaller in areas with higher pollution to maximize surface area for this treatment to occur.

Muntinlupa lakeshore edge, Sucat. Photo: David Vega-Barachowitz

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STUDENT PROJECTS

ISLAND EDGES CONSIST OF MANGROVES AND WETLANDS, WHICH HELP IMPROVE WATER QUALITY AS IT FLOWS THROUGH THE CHANNEL.

More Pollution

Less Pollution

Key Strategies 1. Treatment zones

Less Pollution

2. Terraced filtration 3. Edges that treat water

Wetland

Water becomes progressively cleaner.

Fish Pond Wetland

COAST

TERRACES

CHANNEL

DEVELOPMENT ISLAND

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CONNECT AND CREATE VALUE The current C-6 proposal makes no attempt to respond to the existing context in Muntinlupa. This risks the creation of a dysfunctional, placeless development that will further widen the social and economic gaps visible today. To prevent this outcome, this proposal suggests increasing the total number of island bridges (both vehicular and pedestrian) and the alignment of these structures with existing road networks. Defining land uses that are contextually sensitive is equally important. The proposal suggests the creation of a new commercial hub on the island across from Muntinlupaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CBD. Current Barangay boundaries serve as a guide for the provision of amenities, including open spaces, bridges, and docks.

Key Strategies 1. Connect the development islands to existing road networks 2. Define land uses contextually 3. Establish barangay-level amenities for all residents

Manuel L. Quezon (National Road), Barangay Sucat. Photo: David Vega-Barachowitz

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STUDENT PROJECTS

SUCAT

BULI

CUPANG

2 ALABANG

BAYANAN

PUTATAN

POBLACION

TUNASAN

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ALLOCATION OF PROGRAM This proposal features three programmatic elements: treatment wetlands; community amenities; and fish and oyster farms. These uses will be installed in this order, and in response to coastal conditions.

Treatment Wetlands Allocated: As needed. Sizing: 0.5 - 5 Acres Place wetlands in zones of high pollution. Expand terrace edge to allow for additional treatment area.

Amenities Allocated: Per Barangay Sizing: 0.25 - 1 Acre Each barangay should have access to a public open space, connection to nearby islands, and a port to dock fishing boats.

Fish And Oyster Farms Allocated: Everywhere else Sizing: 0.25 - 10 Acres Place fish and oyster farms in the buffer zones between treatment wetlands and development islands.

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STUDENT PROJECTS

WETLANDS TYPOLOGY

Wetlands are stationed at stream mouths and in other areas of high runoff. During rain events, wetland terrace overflows, releasing newly cleaned water into open channels.

Pocket wetlands are stationed in areas of particularly high contamination. Runoff waters are captured in this area, treated through a series of natural processes, and eventually released into the larger flood channel. Once in the channel, smaller wetlands and mangroves work to further improve quality.

WASTEWATER AQUACULTURE TYPOLOGY

Terrace edges, 10 feet in width, become occupiable spaces. Edges intertwine to provide connection.

Fish size increases from the coastal edge to the channel. This configuration allows large fish to be released into the lake once the flood gates open in the dry season.

The C-6 will cut fisherfolk off from the lake. To remedy this issue, a substantial amount of area in the treatment network has been allocated for the production of fish and oysters. In addition to its economic benefits, this system will also work to improve water quality.

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LIVING WITH WATER TOOLKIT Strategies for Improving Water Quality, Increasing Storm Resilience and Fighting the Declining Fish Population

Given the increasing severity of interrelated issues of flooding, pollution, and failing fisheries, a toolkit was developed to directly respond to these problems in the Laguna de Bay watershed. The toolkit emphasized those solutions that work with water and nature and range from micro-scale solutions, such as green roofs and rain gardens, to macro-scale ones, such as mangrove forests and floating islands.

AQUACULTURE

FISH STOCKING

AQUAPONICS

CONTROL INVASIVE SPECIES

LIVING MACHINES

PREVENT ILLEGAL DREDGING

MANGROVES

P S

OYSTER FARMS

INFILTRATION TRENCH

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STUDENT PROJECTS

RAIN BARRELS

WETLANDS

HYDROPONICS