Ed Baker discusses the ins and outs of our exciting masterplan for New Clark City in the Philippines, covering everything from its size and scope to the principles driving its design.
From former military base to the Philippines' first smart, resilient and green metropolis
New Clark City is a masterplan currently being developed on a former military base in the Philippines. Broadway Malyan is working in conjunction with the BCDA (Bases Conversion and Development Authority), as well as various private sector companies to bring the project to life.
On a site of over 9,000 hectares, the new city will be home to over a million residents, and is expected to be the country’s first smart, resilient and green metropolis.
New Clark City: A quick Q&A
Driven by green communities
Driven by a people-first ethos rather than a typical top-down approach, the New Clark City masterplan aims to address growing environmental problems caused by climate change and establish the city as a global benchmark for sustainable urban planning.
The area is intended to be the “heart” of a vibrant network of connected neighbourhood communities, driven by principles of environmentalism and sustainability.
By prioritising exceptional transport connectivity, facilitating pedestrian movement, and honouring the area’s surrounding ecology through innovative urban planning and design, this project will also serve to enhance health, wellness and quality of life for its residents and the wider community.
Striving to attain leading sustainability credentials will also support the city by rendering it a more attractive prospect to outside investors, in turn bolstering regional economic growth as well as residential and social improvements.
Reinventing the benchmark for resilience
With Manila and its surrounding areas falling within a high-risk seismic zone, another key objective of the masterplan is to give leading edge resilience to a region that has previously been heavily impacted by natural disasters.
New Clark City will also house a new National Government Administrative Centre as part of a wider national programme in the Philippines to centralise all governmental activity, while providing a “back up” HQ in the event of a natural disaster or other large-scale emergency.
“The masterplan will create a vibrant "heart" for New Clark City where the district and urban spaces have been designed for people, embracing the local ecology and creating something that is locally relevant and unique.”Ed Baker, Chair, Broadway Malyan
Live. Work. Play. Learn.
The sprawling cosmopolitan metropolis that is New Clark City offers many places of interests to a broad demographic of visitors, as well as a whole host of rolling events and activities.
New Clark City’s innovation district aims to attract industries from all around the Philippines, specifically in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors, while a university district will provide a new campus for the University of the Philippines while prompting engagement with academic institutions on both a national and international level.
Overall, a rich and varied mix of uses including retail and commercial precincts, office and co-working space, residential developments, amenities, open spaces and hotel and leisure developments will serve to complement the scale of industrial land use across the area.
New Clark City has chiefly been designed around four conceptual “pillars”: Live. Work. Play. Learn.
A hub for business, aviation and tourism
The new development lies within the Central Luzon Region. Approximately 110km north of Manila, this area is distinguishable due to its highly differentiated topography, and unique altitude shifts, which will make New Clark City less prone to flooding, and less vulnerable in the face of earthquakes and other natural hazards.
The city is expected to total 9,450 hectares in size, reaching a population of 1.2 million while providing 800,000 jobs. Plans are in place to transform the zone into an airport-driven urban centre with a significantly improved road network.
A direct train and vehicular route will connect New Clark City to Clark International Airport and eventually all the way south to Subic and Metro Manila, creating a transport corridor that integrates the port, the airport, and a multi-modal transport hub – the resultant standard of connectivity will no doubt further enhance New Clark City’s desirability to investors.
“By combining a strategic geographical location with a focus on progressive and sustainable planning principles, we hope to set a global gold standard for liveability, with the first district providing a blueprint for the rest of New Clark City.”
Monique Suksmaningsih, Practice Principal