San Miguel Corp. (SMC), through its partnership with architect Palafox Associates, plans to build an airport and aerocity project in Bulakan, Bulacan that will be a pacesetter for green cities to help boost tourism and create more jobs, the company said in statement yesterday..
SMC and Palafox had come up with a masterplan for the airport plus city concept or “aerocity” development — where SMC’s massive P740-billion airport project, the New Manila International Airport, will be located.
Ramon Ang, SMC president and chief operating officer, said this will be a legacy project, not just of him and Palafox, but of the present generation to future generations of Filipinos.
“I want to emphasize to our countrymen that what we are building is more than just an international gateway with four runways, with an infrastructure network to connect it directly to Metro Manila and many other points in Luzon. The airport is just one component — what we’re building is the Philippines’ first truly green city of the future,” Ang said in a statement.
Top urban planner and green architect Felino “Jun” Palafox Jr. outlined some of the major features that he and Ang envision for the much-anticipated development in Bulacan.
Comparing the Bulacan project to environment-enhancing developments in Dubai and other parts of the world, Palafox said the development will integrate the best practices in green, sustainable and disaster-resilient architecture that he has advocated and implemented in some 1,700 projects in about 45 countries worldwide.
For the development itself, Ang said he and Palafox look to integrate concepts such as the adoption of green architectural and green urbanism guidelines over and above the country’s building and zoning codes, which Palafox said no longer follow international standards.
The project will also follow the structural codes of other countries, specifically those situated in similar earthquake zones as the Philippines.
An “innovation hub” will be created where both learning institutions and technology-driven global companies can thrive. As such, Palafox has put forth a “town and gown” or university town concept, where learning institutions and the community partner together, such as in Cambridge and Boston in the United States, where Harvard University is. SMC is also looking to put up a medical and research facility along with the school.
The aerocity project will be equipped with the latest in digital infrastructure, to enable people to work and conduct business anywhere.
Likewise, the development will have lots of open spaces, as these are the “lungs” of a city.
Palafox cited that Metro Manila went from green to gridlock because many parks and open spaces were reclassified into sellable and buildable properties. As the population grew, the parks and open spaces started disappearing.
Public transport will also be easily accessible. One of the things being considered is a bicycle highway connected to the train system.
“Airport cities around the world generate a significant amount of jobs, and that is ultimately what we want to do. We need jobs and opportunities for our countrymen today, but more importantly, for the next generation in the coming years, especially since we are trying to recover from a pandemic,” Ang said.
“The jobs we will generate will not be limited to the airport city, or Bulacan province alone, but will extend to neighboring provinces, the rest of Luzon, and many other parts of the country which will benefit from increased tourism, increased investments because of better accessibility,” he added.
The Department of Transportation earlier said the formal groundbreaking of SMC’s new international airport in Bulacan is expected within the second half of the year.
