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Monday, April 25, 2005
Mandaue’s lack of green policy may outweigh industrial assets: study
By ALEDEL G. CUIZON
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
FOR “strengths” that include being a highly urbanized city that has over a thousand hectares for industrial use and a haven of export companies, Mandaue City’s “weaknesses” still lie in its lack of sewerage treatment plans, efficient drainage system and open spaces for recreation.
Despite these weaknesses, the City offers “opportunities” that include international marina and port development at the reclamation area and the use of a coastal highway as an “industrial transport corridor” that will facilitate the delivery of goods and services.
The “threat,” however, is in the low traffic capacity of roads and the population boom, which will “result to social, infrastructure and economic degradation.”
Design, renewal
These strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are listed in a comprehensive study of Palafox Associates, an architecture and urban planning firm based in Manila, whose services were tapped “to guide and develop plans for the urban design and renewal” of Mandaue.
The study states that Mandaue is a “very important passageway” for traffic from the north and Mactan Island to Cebu City.
Mandaue is very accessible to the airport, pier and other economic centers in Cebu City.
Almost 98 percent of the roads are made of asphalt and concrete but most of the city and barangay roads do not have curbs, gutters and sidewalks. These roads are also narrow.
“Roadside activities” also cause traffic congestion.
And because 70 percent of the total land area is “built-up,” there is limited area for expansion, leaving no open spaces for recreational purposes.
Mandaue is an industrial center in the entire province but there are no clear provisions for buffer zones between non-conforming uses, such as industrial-residential areas.
More opportunities
There is no established industrial real estate and there is “haphazard and uncontrolled land use.”
But the City has chances in the introduction of planned unit development and warehousing and warehouse retailing industry.
There are also opportunities in the development of a comprehensive land use plan and zoning ordinance that will be in accordance with regional and national development goals.
The study by Palafox also cited Mandaue’s dependence on neighboring cities and municipalities for agricultural products, social and institutional facilities such as hospitals, colleges, ports and airports.
It also mentioned threats such as the growth of squatter areas, especially those near bodies of water, and insufficient supply of power and water as more industries locate in the city.
(April 25, 2005 issue)
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