24/07/2025
URBAN PLANNING TOO LATE?
By Mark Sison
Every time floodwaters rise across Philippine cities, so does a tide of frustration. Streets turn into rivers, homes become waterlogged ruins, and the same question resurfaces: is urban planning still relevant, or have we already lost control of our cities? With back-to-back typhoons and relentless monsoon rains, what we’re witnessing isn’t merely a climate emergency—it’s a full-on reckoning with decades of poor planning, unchecked development, and policy failure.
While land use plans and zoning regulations exist, they’re often treated as optional guidelines rather than enforceable frameworks. Malls and subdivisions are built on floodplains, esteros are reclaimed or choked by garbage, and informal settlements are left vulnerable in hazard-prone areas. According to a 2021 report by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), less than 50% of local government units have updated and climate-responsive Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUPs). The rest operate blindly—reacting to disasters rather than planning to prevent them.
Solid waste mismanagement is another major contributor to this crisis. The failure to fully implement the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (Republic Act 9003) has led to clogged drainage systems, polluted rivers, and mountains of plastic waste that worsen flooding during storms. Local governments often resort to short-term cleanups instead of investing in sustainable systems such as waste segregation at source, composting, materials recovery facilities (MRFs), and strict regulation of single-use plastics. Urban planning must go hand in hand with comprehensive solid waste management—because flood control will always fail in cities that treat their waterways like trash bins.
To move forward, we must bring real experts into the center of public discourse. The insights of licensed urban planners, emergency architects, environmental engineers, and climate scientists are not optional—they are essential. Professional groups such as the Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners (PIEP), the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP), and the National Resilience Council have long raised red flags and proposed solutions. Even published studies from the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de Manila University have detailed how urban sprawl, poor drainage design, and unmanaged waste have made Metro Manila and many other areas sitting ducks for climate-induced flooding.
What we need now is not just infrastructure, but systems thinking. Restoring natural waterways, implementing nature-based flood mitigation, relocating high-risk communities with dignity, enforcing waste management laws, and rethinking land conversion practices must be prioritized. It’s not just about building flood control projects—it’s about making cities livable, inclusive, and resilient. But these require bold political will, inter-agency cooperation, and long-term commitment—something often drowned out by election cycles and business interests.
The truth is sobering: we are not simply drowning in water—we’re drowning in the consequences of ignoring the science, the warnings, and the need for inclusive planning. Urban planning shouldn’t begin after the floodwaters subside. And while it may not be too late yet, we are dangerously close to the point where even the best plans can no longer save what’s already sinking.
BAP NEWS MARK SISON BapNews Mark Sison CLMA Pampanga Chapter MAS Channel: Media, Affairs & Stories
