DAVAO City is undeniably a booming city with economic growth consistently snowballing for the past few years, major infrastructures on the upsurge, the growing population, the annual increase of tourists, and the list goes on.
In highly-urbanized cities, the real estate industry thrives with the increase in demand for residential and commercial properties. The city from few years back has changed a lot. More real estate developments now are being constructed and more are still eyeing the city as a location for their development projects.
But for Interface Development Interventions (IDIS) managing trustee Mary Ann Fuertes, she said there should still be a limitation on this kind of development.
“We should not just allow all real estate projects to enter the city because we have a limited capacity. It is actually better to take this slowly because compliance on the environmental policies of the city is not enough to protect our environment. Especially that there are areas in the city that are not ideal for residential sites,” Fuentes said.
She added that going high-rise to address densification, or the increasing density of people living in urban areas, in the city is not even enough as more problems may appear later. She also said there is a need instead to ensure that high-rise buildings must be green or environment-friendly, must have stable foundation, and must be located far from fault lines and other geologic hazards.
To be considered a “green” development, Fuertes said a building should be energy-efficient from the lighting up to its ventilation; uses permeable pavement and parking space; and integrates use of rainwater.
The city government, however, remain conscious on environmental concerns saying that along with the development is the strong implementation of environmental policies.
City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) head Ivan Cortez said the city has been trying to find the right balance in every development and its environment.
New real estate development projects in the city may be a good indication of a booming economy, but it will also lead to densification which the environment may soon suffer.
Cortez said the city is now moving towards crafting policies that will improve density patterns and have other considerations such as governance and growth, urban development and infrastructure, environment and natural resources, and society and community.
The Office of the City Building Official (OCBO), meanwhile, continues to remind real estate developers to observe the policies of the city especially on the Green Building Ordinance to ensure environmental sustainability of buildings and reduce its negative impact to health and environment.
The ordinance stated that green building is the practice of adopting sustainable features and measures in the design, construction, and operation of buildings. Among the regulations included are energy efficiency, water efficiency, materials and waste management, site sustainability, and indoor environmental quality.
OCBO head Cirinia Grace Catubig told SunStar Davao that for as long as the real estate developments are complying with the regulations, there will be no problem for the environment.