The Philippines is at a critical juncture in its urbanization process with the number of people living in cities projected to increase by approximately 20 million over the next 20 years. Decisions made now will affect how that urbanization takes place, how cities grow, how vibrant they are, and the extent to which they contribute to improving the lives of tens of millions of residents. Bold policy reforms are needed at both the national and local level too leverage enormous opportunities for growth, job creation and poverty reduction and to avoid the risk of congestion, slums, pollution, inequality and crime.
This report presents a set of priority recommendations for fostering more competitive, sustainable and inclusive cities through policy reform. The top priorities fall into 5 broad categories: managing urbanization for eiciency and growth; improving city competitiveness for local economic development and job creation; promoting inclusive growth by creating opportunities for the urban poor; strengthening institutions for urban development; and improving land administration management. The latter two are likely to have the biggest impact given the extent to which effective urban governance and land issues constrain urban development in the Philippines today.
The report is structured as follows: Chapter one provides an introduction to urbanization in the Philippines; Chapter two covers analysis of urbanization and growth in the Philippines; Chapter three focuses on city competitiveness for economic development and job creation; Chapter four provides an analysis of urban poverty with a particularly focus on informal settler families (ISFs) in Metro Manila; Chapter five outlines the key binding constraints related to institutions for urban development and metropolitan governance; and Chapter six covers constraints related to land administration and management in urban areas. Each chapter includes a framework for analysis, identification and assessment of key issues, and provides recommendations for the Government of the Philippines to consider.