DHSUD: ‘Smart’ city development in ‘Pambansang Pabahay’

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos’ Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) program supports the development of smart cities, according to the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).

“In the parlance of a government agency such as ours, it can only mean enhancing the quality of life of our fellow Filipinos through innovations and technological solutions in the housing, human settlements and urban development sectors,” Housing Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar said in his keynote speech during the “BusinessWorld x The Freeman“ business forum in Cebu City on Nov. 10.

In “The Prospect of Smart Cities: From a Real Estate Perspective” discussion, Acuzar noted that developing smart cities can be achieved through maximizing land uses, efficiently using valuable resources, delicately balancing and promoting open spaces and connecting them through networks, investing in and adoption of appropriate technological breakthroughs that will translate into realizing the cities’ or housing communities’ purpose for its local inhabitants and the general public.

“It sounds pretty complicated as it is indeed complicated. Establishing smart cities would entail weaving various social, economic, geographical as well as political components into a net of strategies capturing urban development,” he added.

The Digital Cities Index 2022, developed by the Economist Impact and supported by the Nippon Electric Company, considers four key pillars in assessing the extent and impact of digitalization in 30 global cities: digital connectivity, services, culture and sustainability.

The index showed the performance of subject cities in terms of quantitative metrics like internet speed and qualitative factors such as the presence of strategies, policies and plans for technologies like 5G and artificial intelligence.

Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Beijing, London and Seoul ranked as the top-performing cities while Manila dipped to the bottom of the list.

“That is somehow devastating. As a developing country, we are apparently lagging behind. But with recent realizations, thankfully, we are now pursuing the promising track, especially with Pambansang Pabahay,” Acuzar said.

The 4PH Program uses a two-pronged strategy to construct houses while aiming for township development.

The program also evaluates megacities that will provide opportunities for economic growth such as the North-South Development Project, a transit-oriented development initiative that intends to create viable connections of Luzon’s major metropolis.

Early this year, the DHSUD formalized a partnership with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority for housing projects in New Clark City to attract people from adjacent provinces and trigger economic activities.