ALLIANCE CITIES ALLIANCE CITIES ACTION IN ACTION IN New Urban Planning Strategies for the Philippines 73460 The Philippines ranks among the most rapidly urbanising countries in the world. Currently, more than 60 per cent of Project: City Development Strategies for the Philippines its population lives in cities and this figure is expected to rise to 70 per cent by 2020. While such rapid urbanisation Partners: Cities Alliance, League of Cities of the creates new economic opportunities for cities and their Philippines (LCP), the World Bank, UN-Habitat, residents, it is also characterised by rising poverty, housing Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), constraints, environmental degradation and Asian Development Bank (ADB) unemployment. There is immense pressure on Local Duration 1999 – 2008 Government Units (LGUs), who often lack the institutional and technical capacity to adopt a sustainable Cities Alliance Financing USD 1,171,100 and strategic urban planning approach. For more than a decade, the Cities Alliance has supported unique challenges and development opportunities. Every the Philippines’ City Development Strategy programme in city has its own long-term vision statement and a concrete three phases, in partnership with the League of Cities of plan of action against which progress is closely monitored. the Philippines (LCP). At every stage, stakeholders (including civil society, businesses, academia, local government officials and city residents) interact and exchange information and Helping Cities Help Themselves knowledge, making the CDS a truly participatory process. City of San Fernando, La Union: Botanical Garden City, a Healthy City, and a Springboard for Regional Progress Beyond the Halfway Mark – and Counting Iliolo City: The Growth Centre for Sustainable Business, Across the Philippines, response to the CDS has been Industry, Tourism, Social and Human Development... extraordinary. To date, more than half of its cities have These are just two of 63 vision statements formulated and voluntarily participated in the programme , and the implemented by as many cities across the Philippines as demand continues. Few countries in the world have seen part of a strategic approach to urban planning and such a high rate of participation in the CDS as the management, the City Development Strategy (CDS). In Philippines. 1998, CDS 1: Preparatory Activities for the Expansion of CDS Programme in the Philippines was piloted in seven This enthusiasm arises from the potential benefits cities across the Philippines. Three years later, 31 new associated with the programme. For instance, participating cities joined phase 2 of the programme, the CDS 2: cities are seen as attractive financial destinations by Upscaling Poverty-Focused CDS in the Philippines. By international donor agencies and private investors. Also, 2006, another 15 cities took part in phase 3, CDS 3: An CDS cities are encouraged to be efficient and resourceful in Enabling Platform for Good Governance and Improving Service Delivery. Today, the CDS is widely recognised as one of the most “While CDS taught us to compete, we effective tools for strategic urban planning in the also learned to share.� Philippines. Its flexible nature allows each city to identify Mary Jane Ortega, Former Mayor - City of San Fernando, La Union, The Philippines www.citiesalliance.org Lessons Learned from the CDS Success Story The scale at which the CDS programme operates in the Philippines is a testimony to its success. From the outset, the active participation and commitment of mayors and city officials have proved critical. Constant efforts are required to ensure their continued support. In particular, new mayors must be engaged and oriented with the CDS so that political support for it continues despite regime change. Led by mayors who serve as ‘champions’, many cities in the Philippines have locally institutionalised the programme to an extent that it works harmoniously with existing planning frameworks such as the Comprehensive The City of Puerto Princesa received several awards for environmental Development Plan (CDP) and Comprehensive Land Use management and protection following its participation in the CDS. Plan (CLUP). However, the CDS has not yet been incorporated in national policy-making. This must be fundraising and allocation. This is critical since funding for addressed in order for the CDS projects to be aligned with the CDS in the Philippines is thinly distributed among a the development priorities of both, city and country. large number of cities i. The fiscal prudence of CDS cities has other advantages as well. Congressman Mel Sarmiento, Finally, CDS cities in the Philippines can benefit from a former Mayor of Calbayog City, explains: “CDS cities robust mechanisms to monitor socio-economic progress as stand out in terms of their design and programmes. The a result of the programme. This has implications for transformation, but more importantly the project monitoring and evaluation and contributes to the institutionalisation of this transformation, is evidenced by ability of the Cities Alliance and LCP’ to identify and the fact that CDS cities are those who are often recognised support CDS cities which need further attention. by award-giving bodies like the Galing Pook Award and National Competitiveness Council.� i With so many cities participating in the Philippines CDS programme, The CDS programme has also led to knowledge sharing there is a resource dilution. For instance, under CDS 2 and 3, each CDS city received approximately USD 24,000 from the Cities Alliance. This is through online platforms, workshops, city-to-city tours in stark comparison to the Vietnam CDS programme, in which each of and other activities for city mayors and staff. For instance, the two participating cities received USD 125,000. based on information gathered from other CDS cities, Iliolo City implemented a house-numbering system which was not initially part of its CDS. Mary Jane Ortega, former The CDS in the Philippines contributes to the Mayor of City of San Fernando, La Union says, “While long-term objectives of the Cities Alliance by: CDS taught cities to compete it also taught us to share. This sharing tightened the bond between cities.� Ortega • Enabling cities to design and implement their also highlights that this knowledge sharing has led to a own strategic development plans replication of the CDS programme beyond the city level. She says, “Our city shared the CDS process at the barangay • Encouraging all city stakeholders to participate in project planning, (village) and municipality level in our province.� This implementation and monitoring replication has occurred in other provinces as well. • Promoting knowledge sharing among cities at the national and international level www.citiesalliance.org