Last December 2, 2025, Liveable Cities Philippine held its 7th and last Lab of the year, “From Plans to Outcomes: Delivering Resilient Cities”, in partnership with the Delivery Associates, a global advisory firm working with governments and social impact organizations to help inform and guide public policy and large scale humanitarian projects.
The Lab was opened by Chairman Guillermo "Bill" Luz and featured a keynote from Delivery Associates' Laurel Blatchford, providing critical insights into bridging the gap between resilience planning and tangible, on-the-ground results, all under the overarching theme of "Sustain+Ability." Sector-specific presentations from Jayme Maniti of Globe Telecom, Miguel Fernandez of ACEN, Director Felino "Ninoy" Castro V of Department of Education, and Reginald James Lorico of Borongan City translated principles into actionable strategies for connectivity, power, education, and governance.
Building local competitiveness is essential in boosting long-term national competitiveness. Cities are the primary movers of economic growth and innovation. They are hubs of consumption, resource use, and waste. They are also as generators of wealth, production, and development. However, in this increasingly urban world, today’s cities are facing new challenges. They have become the center of society’s most pressing economic, social, and environmental issues. They face issues on disaster preparedness, traffic congestion, lack of mobility and logistics options, delivery of public goods and services, and low global competitiveness.
For these reasons, we need to plan them better. The Philippines, which is a nation of islands, needs to establish multiple economic hubs—the cities—spread throughout the regions so that we can disperse inclusive growth, opportunities, and development.
The Philippines has had a spotty record of urban planning. What started out as beautifully master-planned cities generations ago have ended up as cities characterized by congestion and traffic, little or poor access to mass transit, few open spaces, parks, and public spaces, and many blighted and derelict sections. And yet we’ve also seen some areas beautifully-planned and built out in different parts of the country. Whether by design or accident, the parts that have become “liveable” are thriving, booming, and driving growth.
Great cities are not built overnight. But we can get started. Through the Liveable Cities Design Challenge, we help mayors and key local officials develop comprehensive, replicable, and implementable solutions to improve the liveability of their cities, while strengthening local communities in the process. The Challenge’s vision is an accelerated trend towards designing, building, and developing competitive, sustainable, and resilient Philippine cities.
Bayan E-Hub is a forward-thinking platform created to be a central hub for knowledge and resources focused on sustainable urban development in the Philippines. It brings together critical data from various sectors, offering a clear and organized way to understand and improve the quality of life in cities and communities. By compiling and presenting information on population, health, disaster preparedness, education, transportation, connectivity, energy, water, and sanitation, Bayan E-Hub equips individuals, organizations, and leaders with the tools to make intelligent, more impactful decisions.
