Envisioning a New Manila

Metropolitan Manila, is one of the twenty most populous cities in the world and the capital of the Philippine archipelago. Metro Manila is by far and without question the political, economic, and cultural axis of the Philippines. Metro Manila’s haphazard infrastructure, governance, and identity can be explained by her similarly haphazard history. Having passed from the hands of one colonial regime to another—including the Spanish, the Japanese, the Americans—Manila has been put together and torn apart more times than she cares to remember. And the scars have never healed.
Today, Metro Manila is a third world urban mess facing major problems of poverty, air and water pollution, noise pollution, traffic, unmanageable waste, poor sanitation, inadequate housing and fragmented infrastructure. The city is a dirty, chaotic, inhumane mess.
Already, the people of Metro Manila are suffering. Traffic costs citizens countless hours of lost time, not to mention wasted energy and frustration. Road accidents kill and injure thousands of people every year, making the streets among the most dangerous in Asia.

Source: Envisioning a New Manila by Patricia Faustino, Philippines
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