Comparison of Manila and Adelaide and The Lessons for Manila

Introduction

The City of Manila has a population of 1.7 million people and is considered as one of the most polluted cities in the world with notorious traffic congestions. The city of Adelaide is, on the other hand, one of the most liveable cities in the world, with a population of 1.2 million and practically no traffic jams at all. This paper compares these two cities in order to establish what Manilla can learn from Adelaide.

Background of a Smart Designed City

Adelaide is a South Australian city with a population that is close to that of Manila at 1.3 million people. Initially, this city suffered from high levels of pollution owing to its large population and the energy sources being used across the city. First, the transport means today are highly effective reducing the traffic jams by 100% and the city is now considered as a ‘twenty-minute city’ owing to the ability to move from one place to another easily (Fajardo, 2011). The reduced traffic jams translate to reduced gas emissions, as do the number of trees planted around schools, churches, parks, reserves, coastlines and transport corridors. These trees have managed to reduce the carbon emissions getting into the atmosphere thus making the city even cleaner. The city is planned very effectively in such a way that the transport systems are effective and diverse comprising of a South Eastern Freeway, Southern Express Way, the Port River Expressway and the Northern Expressway. This arrangement allows for effective transport across the metropolitan area thus making the city accessible without unnecessary congestions. The roads are also mostly very wide with multiple lanes to accommodate the growing number of vehicles in the city.

The city has also cut down its use of fossil fuels in favour of renewable energy with a great inclination on solar energy. They have undertaken numerous campaigns to encourage the citizens to install solar panels on their rooftops, with over 200 schools having to depend on this clean energy for their power needs. As such, the city is slowly turning to solar energy to sustain its energy needs (Henderson, 2002). From its initial planning in the days of the first settlers, the city was designed to have two green rings around the city square thus implementing the green city initiative right from its birth. As a result, they have over 3 million trees within the city and a few parks and squares with a lot of trees as well. The green belt here is so extensive that it is rumored that one can actually feel the fresh air in the city especially if they are from another part of the country or the world. These trees play a big role in keeping the city free of pollution as they mitigate from the effects of the unavoidable carbon emissions.

Suggestions for Future Development and Lose Cost Estimates

In order to reach up to Adelaide’s standards, the city of Manila has to undergo a number of transformations within its layout. First, the city’s roads must be reconstructed to accommodate the traffic and reduce the traffic jams. This may cost as much as $100 billion seeing as there is a need for a complete overhaul in the city’s transport system. For efficiency, subways may also be found necessary especially seeing as Manila is in a developing country and thus the urban population is likely to keep growing.

The green technology in terms of shifting to solar power as a main source of energy must also be considered seeing as the country currently depends on fossil fuels for their energy. This shift should cost the government about $20 million in equipment and education programs about how to use them as well as their maintenance (Townsend, 2013). In doing this, the city will have cut down on pollution seeing as the dependence on fossil fuels is by far the most hazardous human tendency.

As for planting trees and creating a green city, it should be noted that the best trees in Manila can be sourced locally and should thus be relatively cheap. The challenge, however, would be the sensitization of the masses in order to gain their support and cooperation for maintenance of the trees. It can thus be estimated that the local government will need about $5 million for this project and with the cooperation of the citizens and the private sector, the city should qualify for a smart city categorization within approximately 30 years from the implementation date (Townsend, 2013). For this to happen, however, the city’s administration will have to obtain the support and cooperation of the general public and the private sector.

Works Cited

1. Fajardo, B.K. (2011). Filipino crosscurrents. University of Minnesota Press: Minneapolis, MN.
2. Henderson, V . (2002). Urbanization in developing countries. The World Bank Research Observer, 17(1), 89-112.
3. Townsend, M.(2013). Smart cities: big data, civic hackers, and the quest for a new utopia. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.