UK FCDO and UN-Habitat join the DHSUD Housing Forum

In late November 2021, representatives from Cebu City and New Clark City (NCC) Global Future Cities Programme technical teams were invited to present and share knowledge at a housing forum organised by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).  

The event aimed to address the diverse housing challenges currently faced in the Philippines by leveraging upon the expertise of various stakeholders working in these areas and strengthening stakeholder alignment with the national housing policy currently being developed by DHSUD. Roy Brockman, the Housing Expert for the Global Future Cities Programme, presented the local housing strategies for Cebu City and New Clark City together with the technical team members for both cities, including Atty. Jade Ponce from Cebu City Local Housing Board, Darryl Garcia from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), and Chris Rollo from UN-Habitat.

^{Screen capture of the participants at the virtual DHSUD Housing Forum}

In Cebu City, the challenges that were identified by Atty. Jade Ponce included the housing of informal settlers and the short term (three-year term) of the administration, which hindered the implementation of the projects.

In NCC, Darryl Garcia shared that their current planning priorities which includes the design of better mobility and access, including general roads, designing for cyclists, commuters, and the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, as well as the expansion of parking lots at the Clark International Airport to NCC and Central Terminal.

The forum also discussed the unlocking of land for affordable housing, incorporation of transit-oriented development (TOD) principles in the future, using nature-based solutions and climate-resilient housing, and implementation of estate management for better government housing projects, strengthening of the Local Housing Board, and other general issues related to housing and urban development.