All within 15 minutes: Urban planning concept city to rise in Pasay

For the modern urban dweller, 15 minutes is a lot of time.

There are numerous productive activities that can be accomplished within a 15-minute timeframe – such as engaging in a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session, completing a 1.5-kilometer run, managing your email inbox, practicing meditation, staying updated with the news, or whipping up a quick smoothie. However, for commuters navigating Metro Manila, 15 minutes hardly suffices to traverse from one point to another. Particularly during rush hour, it's commonplace to find yourself stationary, having made little to no progress within this timeframe. Have you come across the concept of the 15-minute city? It represents a contemporary approach to urban planning prioritizing both people and the environment. Coined by Carlos Moreno, a Paris-based urbanist and professor at Sorbonne University, the idea proposes that an ideal neighborhood or city should be designed to facilitate easy access to work, food, housing, education, and cultural activities within a 15-minute radius, whether by walking or cycling.

Pasay City, in its forward-looking 360-hectare smart city development, aims to create an innovative tropical 15-minute city for over 300,000 residents.

Situated at the edge of a densely-packed and overpopulated metropolis perpetually in a traffic gridlock, this city will provide respite to its residents and visitors with sustainable, inclusive, safe, and healthy living where all their needs can be accessed within reach.

Among its intended features, the project is envisioned to have low carbon and safe mobility networks with multimodal public transport services and enhanced infrastructure that prioritizes active mobility like walking and biking. There will be parking lots equipped with electric vehicle charging stations, dedicated bike lanes, easily accessible public transport hubs, and unimpeded pedestrian walkways.

This assures lower transportation costs, less carbon emissions, and most importantly, healthier and happier people. No more long and tiring queues at the EDSA bus carousel or sitting hours on end in the middle of EDSA traffic.

After years of meticulous planning and design, the project has finally received the governmental approval to proceed. Notably, Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda has underscored the potential of the Pasay-led initiative to yield billions in real estate assets for the government.

The revenues generated by this endeavor are poised to have a significant multiplier effect on our gross domestic product (GDP), contributing to an estimated creation of 300,000 new jobs from 2027 to 2040. By 2035, it is forecasted to employ 4% of the total workforce in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Dubbed the Pasay 360 Project, this development aims to foster both lives and livelihoods, with the expectation of revitalizing the economy and shaping the next generation of Filipino leaders. It stands as a potential source of national pride as we propel towards the challenges of the 22nd century.