Creating a new urban development frontier
(As released) As the COVID-19 pandemic gives rise to new urban challenges, designing cities to be safer, more efficient and less decongested becomes more crucial more than ever.
Given the lack of developable areas in most cities and the pitfalls of relocating thousands of citizens, local governments are faced with the prospect of extending their territories upon which to build synergistic communities.
Reclaiming land has become a feasible option for some of these cities for a more efficient, economically viable and higher-quality living environment for its constituents.
Modeling after global cities
Take for instance the 360-hectare Marina Bay in Singapore, which juts out of the country’s existing Central Business District toward the South. The vision of Marina Bay was not only to extend the business function of a typical CBD but complement it by becoming a thriving live-work-play locale, as well as an environmentally friendly tourist and leisure destination.
Marina Bay was carefully planned by the government to be developed in phases. To manage the risk of over-congestion, it set up regional centers as well as a cluster of sub-regional and fringe centers.
The integrated resort is equipped with an innovative infrastructure supported by both public and private sectors, which consist of a comprehensive power and utilities network located underground, saving 1.6 hectares of land. It also boasts of road and rail transportation, and overall transport connectivity.
With its iconic structures—the Merlion Park, Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay—Marina Bay has further enhanced Singapore’s position as a leading global city, attracting millions of visitors since its inception in 2015.
Marina Bay is also envisioned to be environmentally sustainable and in tune with its natural environs with the adoption of a water-sensitive urban design that has a self-sustaining water cleansing system; as well as a solar energy park through the Marina Barrage, Singapore’s first reservoir with over 400 panels that provide electricity. Green living is achieved through well-designed eco parks, while flood protection for low lying areas is offered through the Marina Barrage reservoir, serving as a hedge against sea-level rise during storms.
Also in Singapore, the 9.57-square-kilometer Punggol New Town (Punggol 21) is a high-quality waterfront residential town envisioned to become a self-sufficient town with alternative mobility and public transport, central waterway, new generation smart homes and a comprehensive range of amenities.
Business for life
In South Korea, the US$40-billion, 600-hectare Songdo International Business District (IBD) built on reclaimed land along Incheon’s City’s waterfront is considered one of the largest public-private real estate ventures in the world.
The Songdo IBD is part of the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) and is one of the first leading global smart cities. It is a model for sustainable city-scale development as one of Asia’s largest green developments.
Songdo is touted as a “living laboratory” where both multinational corporations and pioneering smaller companies can plug in, test and develop new technologies. It is home to more than 1,300 retail and hospital businesses, and numerous international corporations and non-governmental organizations.
The IBD also incorporated state-of-the-art features—sensors are available to monitor and regulate everything from temperature to energy consumption and traffic.
As human lives are being redefined in the wake of the pandemic, expert planners are exploring new systems and technologies to make cities more responsive to the challenges of sustainable urban living.
In highly congested areas like the contiguous cities of Metro Manila, the demands are even greater. Out-of-the-box thinking, global best practices in urban development and collaboration among experts with various skills and resources will all be required to make it happen.
