MyTown, a part of SM’s property portfolio, has found that its residents put into practice and appreciate the benefits of the 15-minute city lifestyle — where everything one needs to live comfortably in a city is reachable within 15 minutes, ideally by walking.
In a recent in-house survey conducted by MyTown on transportation and commuting arrangements among its residents, almost half of the respondents said that their preferred mode of mobility was walking.
The survey said a segment either take motorcycle ride- hailing apps or public transport. Others even take more creative modes of transport like e-scooters and bicycles.
Asked how long the typical commute to work or school took, 36 percent said that it takes them 10 to 15 minutes to get to work or school, and 19 percent said it takes them 15 to 20 minutes.
The survey showed 17 percent of respondents said it takes them less than 10 minutes to commute.
MyTown is thus an example of the urban development concept of the 15-minute city in practice.
“All the major offices, leisure and entertainment establishments are within reasonable distance from our dormitories. A good number of our residents are able to go to their offices or the nearby malls within 15 minutes,” said Jogee Arellano, chief executive officer of MyTown.
MyTown is a network of 14 dorms strategically located near Taguig’s Bonifacio Global City (BGC) and the Makati central business district (CBD) addressing the live-where-you-work setup for its citizens called Townees.
The movement towards creating the 15-minute city complements with SM’s push to build the integrated lifestyle city as seen in developments like the Mall of Asia complex and SM Clark where condominiums, office buildings, MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) facilities, and even a school (National University) are built around SM malls that function as the modern community center.
The 15-minute city urban planning addresses the worsening traffic congestion in the CBDs of Makati and Bonifacio Global City.
MyTown cited recent data from the TomTom traffic index which said Metro Manila had the worst traffic congestion among metro areas in the world, and the worst gridlock among major cities in Southeast Asia, beating out Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
The index also revealed a Filipino commuter spends on average 25 minutes and 30 seconds to traverse a 10-kilometer route, similar to the distance from Cubao to Makati. Commuters lost up to 117 hours per year due to congestion in 2023, equivalent to four days and 21 hours. This is 12 hours and 51 minutes more than the average time lost in 2022.
MyTown also cited a study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency which estimated that the Philippines loses P3.5 billion daily due the traffic congestion in Metro Manila, or P1.27 trillion annually. The economic loss was staggering that the Management Association of the Philippines warned that the city’s gridlock already merited the declaration of a state of calamity.
“The cost of commuting to work has become quite expensive. If one considers time as money, then the economic loss is not only felt in the pocket, but on your well-being as well. These days, a two-hour commute during rush hour is almost normal even for people living in nearby cities within Metro Manila. In this scenario, living near your workplace truly becomes a viable option,” Arellano said.
