After “Build, Build, Build” and “Jobs, Jobs, Jobs” comes “Green, Green, Green.”
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Wednesday launched Green, Green, Green, a unique assistance program that aims to make the country’s 145 cities more livable and sustainable through the development of public open spaces.
A component of the Duterte administration’s national infrastructure development program Build, Build, Build, Green, Green, Green will support city governments in creating open spaces through the establishment of forest parks and botanical gardens, upgrading streets and waterfronts and revitalizing plazas.
According to Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, P2.5 billion has been appropriated for this in the 2018 budget.
The Green, Green, Green program aims to improve the connectivity and accessibility of spaces through construction of eco-friendly bike lanes and walkways.
Sustainability of spaces will also be enhanced through the construction of green infrastructure like bioswales and pervious surfaces, which can aid during rainy season and flooding.
Green, Green, Green is also expected to improve livability of urban areas through various activities and methods, such as landscaping, turfing and tree planting; and transform streetscapes through installation of eco-friendly street furniture, fixtures and shading.
With the rising urban density in the country, creating more challenges for the local government units (LGUs) and citizens, overcrowding and traffic congestion, as well as lack of open spaces where people can socialize and practice an active lifestyle, are now daily obstacles to urban dwellers.
These conditions significantly make cities less livable and less sustainable, and also make communities more vulnerable against natural and man-made disasters.
With these intensifying issues, there is a pressing need for LGUs and citizens to find ways to manage urban evolution to steer their cities toward sustainable development.
According to a World Health Organization report, successful cities provide a minimum of 9 square meters of green space per citizen. Thus, by acknowledging and building on the great potential of public open spaces in cities and urban zones, governments and citizens can improve the overall quality of life.
DBM Assistance to Cities Program Manager Julia Nebrija said they also plan to reclaim the spaces in Metro Manila.
“There are many unutilized spaces we can repurpose. In New York and other congested cities, they were able to find ways to establish open areas,” Nebrija said.
DBM Director Leila Rivera of the Local Government and Regional Coordination added there will be conditions for participation of city government.
“City governments have to submit an expression of interest and conceptual design of proposed projects,” she said, adding that a circular will be released to specify the funding guidelines.
Nebrija and Rivera are also set to lead the technical workshop on Green, Green, Green, which will begin on March 15.
The workshop, to be attended by city mayors and two officers from each local government, will focus on discussions on the importance of establishing and maintaining well-designed public open spaces in an urban area, as well as the best practices and lessons on designing public open spaces in the Philippines.
Award-winning landscape architect and urban planner, Paulo Alcazaren, and landscape architect and University of the Philippines College of Architecture lecturer, Faith Dumaligan will be the resource speakers for the workshop.
Image credits: Alysa Salen