Horizon Manila City It is the name of the ambitious project that aims to integrate the urban fabric of the Philippine capital with an entirely sustainable and new generation Smart City. The project was conceived by Manila Goldcoast Development Corporation (MGDC)and was presented to the public in 2021. The most important phase of execution of the project involves performing one terrestrial reclamation on a large area of 419 hectares. The goal is to create a Smart City on three islands with very low emissions but, as we will see, the project is not free of criticism, linked above all to the potential environmental impact during the realization of the work.
The Horizon Manila City project in the Philippines
As anticipated, the Manila Horizon City will occupy an area of 419 hectares And the idea at the base is to give life to a smart city, within which the environmental impact it should be almost zero and in which many of the services and infrastructures will be governed byIa. This maxi project bears the signature of the architecture studio FHDA and each island will contain 29 districtseach characterized by its own functional identity, with areas dedicated to mainly commercial activities, up to residential areas. The idea is to create a self -sufficient city within the metropolis, going to integrate the pre -existing urban agglomeration of the city of Manila. Ecology, environmental protection and the limitation of the environmental impact were the cornerstones that the designers wanted to respect and had to respect since the initial stages of the project. To achieve this important result, energy efficiency systems will be integrated into the constructions, such as systems for recovery and management of rainwater and solar panels.
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Mobility within Horizon City
One of the interesting aspects of Horizon City is the one linked to mobilitysince the city is conceived to be entirely pedestrian. The entire transport infrastructure system will be integrated by an infrastructure of “People move“How electric trams, ferries, Aquatic taxi e cycle paths. The plan also provides for the realization of a “Waterfront City Walk“And linear parks along the waterways.
Most of the space on which the project will rise, will be dedicated to open spaces, As public parks and avenues, since the primary objective is to integrate an organic lack of green spaces within the city of Manila – significantly improving its quality of the air. The design provides that the islands are high To protect them from the rising of sea level and from the impacts of the typhones, an growing concern in this region.
Criticisms of the project and disputes
A first element of strong criticism of the Horizon City project was that relating to alleged sustainability of the project. Despite the promises, in fact, the project has raised concerns from environmentalists and local associations. The main fear concerns theImpact on marine life in the Bay of Manilaalready threatened, and the risk of alter natural water flowsaggravating the floods in some parts of the city.
Other problems could arise from a very high competitiveness between different projects that will arise on the surrounding areas. In fact, Horizon Manila is not the only reclamation project in progress in the bay: other projects like “Manila Waterfront City” And “Manila Solar City“They are in development, creating a race to redefine the Bay of Manila.
