New World Bank report highlights challenge of Metro Manila's urbanization

By: Rain Castro, InterAksyon.com
January 27, 2015 10:47 AM

InterAksyon.com means BUSINESS

MANILA – Philippine urban areas are among the densest in East Asia, with the concentration of people rising and posing challenges to governance.

In a report, the World Bank said the Philippines suffers from a “missing middle,” with one megacity and a number of much smaller urban areas.

The Washington-based lender said Mega Manila’s size and density present challenges because of the “extreme administrative fragmentation,” citing the area’s 85 local government units (LGUs).

In recent years, Metro Manila has been beset by vehicular traffic, its public transport unable to cope with commuter volume, and its international ports of entry congested.

The National Capital Region (NCR) accounts for more than a third of the Philippines' economic output. Infrastructure however has failed to keep pace with the region's economic growth, which is among the fastest in the country (see chart below).

Source of data: Philippine Statistics Authority

The Bank said the Philippines has the fifth-biggest urban population in the region, increasing from 17 million in 2000 to 23 million in 2010, with its average density – 10,300 people per square kilometer – the second highest after Korea.

Despite this, the Philippines’ urban population – those living in urban areas of more than 100,000 people – amounts to only 25 percent of the total population in 2010, lower than the regional average of 36 percent.

Metro Manila alone is one of the 25 largest urban areas in East Asia, being home to 16.5 million people. The NCR covers more than half of the country’s urban land area and is home to seven out of every 10 urban residents.

Its population density increased from 11,900 people per square kilometer in 2000 to almost 13,000 in 2010.

The World Bank’s new report used satellite imagery and techniques for modeling population distribution in mapping human settlements so urbanization trends – where it is happening, how fast and how population growth relates to land area -- could be better understood.

“Once cities are built, their urban form and land-use patterns are locked in for generations,” Marisela Montoliu Munoz, World Bank director for Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience Global Practice, said.

“Improving the quality of data to understand trends in urban expansion is important, so that policy makers can make better-informed decisions to support sustainable communities in a rapidly changing environment, with access to services, jobs and housing," she said.

According to the World Bank report, urban areas across East Asia are becoming denser, and if well managed, can be good for the environment and can lead to more efficient provision of services to people.

"However, this growth poses a significant challenge due to metropolitan fragmentation, with almost 350 urban areas spilling over local administrative boundaries. In some cases, multiple cities are merging into a single entity while they continue to be administered separately," Munoz said.

All is not lost however, as the report indicates that urbanization has just begun, with less than a percent of East Asia’s land area urbanized and about a third of the population living in urban areas.

In this regard, the World Bank called on governments – both national and local – to ensure that urbanization is sustainable and inclusive.

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