New Clark City (Philippines) Masterplan
Core idea
Polycentric greenfield city in Clark Special Economic Zone
Why it matters
Disaster-resilient alternative growth pole
Description
New Clark City is a large greenfield city planned from 2016 by the Philippines' Bases Conversion and Development Authority, with AECOM among its masterplanners, on former military lands within the Clark Special Economic Zone north of Manila. Conceived as a polycentric, disaster-resilient city on higher ground away from Manila Bay's flood and earthquake exposure, its first phase delivered a national government administrative centre and the sports facilities used for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
Significance
The project is a leading Southeast Asian example of state-led new-town building justified by disaster resilience and decongestion of a primate capital, echoing earlier growth-pole strategies in the region. It features in debates about whether backup capitals and greenfield smart cities divert investment from fixing existing metropolitan problems, and about displacement of indigenous Aeta communities from the site. Its measured build-out makes it a test of the durability of megaproject urbanism across Philippine political cycles.
What shaped it
- The master plan (early 20th c.)
- Shenzhen Special Economic Zone (1980)
- Urban resilience (2013)
- China's Belt and Road Initiative (2013)
Sources
- https://publications.aecom.com/social-infrastructure/projects/new-clark-city/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Clark_City