Community spaces, central places

The test of any good community, district, or township, is if you can identify its center. That center must be a special place and used by all. A community without a center, is a community without a heart. You will find the most livable places are those with communal open spaces and structures residents love to use and be in. This engenders a quality of life that makes those places attractive.

Attractiveness itself is a requisite of settings for social interaction and shared experiences. Attractive community spaces also adds value not just to the lives of people living around it but to the actual economic value of all the properties within its reach.

One property developer has evolved its models of community building based on a platform of central community areas and spaces that ensure long-term values. Ayala Land Inc., or ALI, has had twenty five years of experience in perfecting this template. The company’s success is itself based on another three decades years of property development before that, starting from the 1950s tranformation of Makati.

I sat down and spoke recently with ALI executives Mel Ignacio,  Ayala Land AVP; Manny Blas, Ayala Land VP and Head of Commercial Operations Bonifacio Global City and Jun Bisnar, Ayala Land VP and GM of NUVALI  to talk about how the company was applying and evolving this platform for Makati CBD, Bonifacio Global City and Nuvali respectively.

Making it in Makati

That pioneering central business district (CBD) and its surrounding residential enclaves have grown and improved to make Makati the country’s leading city for business, lifestyle and culture. Not standing on its laurels, improvements continue with current initiatvies to consolidate Makati’s modern urban fabric into six exciting districts, four of which have been launched.

First is the Makati CBD, which has expanded and matured with a mix of uses and vibrant life 24/7. The district has improved both its accommodations for vehicular access and parking but most importantly, it has improved its walkability over the last fifteen years. Wide, tree-shaded and robust sidewalks, commodious and clean underground and elevated walkways have made it a pedestrian-friendly paradise bar-none in the country.

The Ayala Triangle Gardens, is the CBD’s green gem. It is an oasis in an already green district gifted with landscaped park grounds, a distinctive restaurant row with lots of al-fresco options, all organized around an expansive central piazza, site of seaonal signature events like the Christmas Lights and Sounds Show and Independence Day. Also anchoring the gardens is the historic Neilson Tower, which is now being transformed into a destination gourmet restaurant.

Complementing the two districts is another landmark site, the Ayala Center. From the  1960s it has evolved from the classic suburban shopping complex into an intergrated community of premier residential buildings, innovative malls, iconic hotels, contemporary office towers, all linked by a continuous pedestrian walkway system.

The main lifestyle hotspots Glorietta and Greenbelt offer cinemas, unique shopping and dining experiences—all organized around large indoor and outdoor spaces filled with engaging activity and lush greenery repectively. Ayala Center also offers culture with the popular Ayala Museum, which now houses the Filipinas Heritage Library.

Circuit Makati is the fourth district, but it too is distinctive in that the 21-hectare mixed-use development is being shaped into Makati’s urban entertainment district.  Entertainment is seen to be the central theme that will bind ALI’s various development brands—Alveo residences, Ayala Malls and Ayala Land hotels.

The former Sta Ana Race Track is seen to be a choice venue for multi-faceted, forms of entertainment and events. Three main entertainment venues  will be built—a 1,200 seat Circuit Theater for concerts, an interactive central walk called Circuit Walk with a canal running down its center and a ‘Black Box’ facility that can host performances,cocktail parties and an art gallery, and a 2,000 square meter Tent Canopy indoor events venue.

Interim uses for Circuit Makati’s huge grounds will contain Active Sports Zones with a 2,000 square meter skate park, a FIFA-sized blue football pitch and an urban karting racecourse. Circuit Makati already been up and running, having hosted two international events—Wanderland, an outdoor international music and arts festival, and Circuit Fest, a music and skate fest with nine international performers. Both were held at the newly-opened Globe Circuit Events ground. CircuitFest was hosted by Glee’s Mark Salling.

Global City of cool and culture

Just east of Makati’s CBD district is Bonifacio Global City, the 240-hectare former military camp that is fleshing out its own urban indentity, using the distinctive template of ALI that incorporates community spaces as central to its strategy of adding value.

BGC’s essential value lies in its strategic location and a live-work-play mix of developments woven with dining, shopping, entertainment, fitness, rest and recreation choices; all situated in choice central spaces.

This centrality is built on the backbone of BGC’s popular Bonifacio High Street. The kilometer-long, 40 meter-wide linear park and retail main street has matured as a green lifestyle spine that connects BGC from north to south, spanning Serendra to Third Avenue.

More than a third of BGC is dedicated to open landscape parks and playgrounds that are simply missing in most other corners of the metropolis. This is one place where you will see more people using the outdoors for walking, running, biking and other forms of recreation than any other place in Metro Manila.

This people-centered vibrancy is also generated by BGC’s culture, art and science initiatives. The Mind Museum is now on everyone’s must-visit list. The district has a public arts program that enhances the open spaces all through BGC. The Bonifacio Arts Foundation also programs art events and other related activities. Buskers, or impromptu perfromances are to be found in public spaces. More formal performances will be staged in the near future via a large performace art center with a green roof.

BGC has new parks too in the Terra 28th and Track 30th play and fitness parks while the whole district is planted lushly to shady street trees and spreading green lawns. This makes the district a de facto park and preferred venue for bikathons, marathons and fun runs. With Turf BGC, the district has its own football pitch.

Clearly little is needed to pitch BGC as a cool destination and place to be, to be seen in, to be fit in, to be passionate about.

A NUVALI beckons

Further south of BGC and Makati is an even larger new development taking the lessons of both BGC and modern Makati, but still maintaining its own character. The 2,290 NUVALI township is twice the size of the entire Makati, spanning the cities of Sta Rosa and Calamba, along with the town of Cabuyao.

ALI’s template is applied with large but with even more opportunities for community spaces and ecological sustainability. Over a dozen subdivisions are already up and running with over 3,000 families making NUVALI their home.

Makati, Bonifacio Global City and NUVALI are signature communities developed by Ayala Land that has community spaces and venues that enhance the quality of life index.These three engage their local stakeholders and engender a sense of community and communal stewardship. The award-winning master plan for the development ensures top-grade residential, commercial, business, institutional as well as recreational components all linked by encellent road infrastructure along with a privately-run transport facility. Transport terminals also provide alternative modes like electric jeeps, commuter vehicles and compliments community bike stations.

The vehicle for value-creation is NUVALI’s own commerical district—Lakeside Evozone, a 46-hectare development that is PEZA-registered as well as green. Two of the largest BPO companies in the country are located in this district along with ancillary buildings and a Seda hotel all organized around a picturesque 4-hectare lake and park. Nearby too are two shopping and dining centers — Solenad 1 and 2.

Water is one of the gifts of NUVALI with the Republic Wakepark using that amenity, while nearby, the Monochrome events place sits ready for people to celebrate in. More active celebration can be held in NUVALI with its three football fields, two baseball diamonds and three beach volleyball courts. Nature-based activity is not forgotten with amenities around the NUVALI lake; the Wildlife and Bird sanctuary, the Greens & Patches tree nursery and demo farm, approximately 30kms running and biking trails plus the upcoming outdoor challenge and camping area dubbed as Camp N.

Other reasons to move to NUVALI are elements complimentary to the central and open community spaces mentioned. Two established educational intitutions have built or are building campuses—Xavier School and Miriam College. Medical facilities are also a stimulus with the rise of a private orthopedic and rehabilitation center—UPMC, which will soon provide outpatient services.

Makati , Bonifacio Global City  and NUVALI have signature community spaces and venues that enhance the quality of life index. All three have this common signature but with distinctive characters shaped by the needs of their residents and visitors, along with aspects of each’s special built and natural settings.Finally, all three engage local stakeholders and engender a sense of community and communal stewardship. This is done by providing the best settings for social interaction, the conduct of business and work, the enjoyment of the outdoors, nature and the company of others with aspirations for a good life.