City keen on making vision a reality
The city government is moving towards operationalizing its newly adopted vision: “Baguio 2043 – A Creative, Inclusive and Livable City.”
Representatives of the six development sectors have mapped out their vision, mission, goals and objectives en route to establishing their strategies and targets in the series of undertakings aimed at making the vision a reality.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong and City Planning, Development and Sustainability Office Coordinator Arch. Donna Tabangin said the undertakings are in line with the updating of the city’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) 2024-2032 which charts the city’s physical and economic development for the next eight years and the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) 2023-2028, which contains the city’s development programs in the next five years.
The ultimate goal is to come up with and implement programs and strategies that will enable the city to manage its resources, population and tourism industry to raise the city’s carrying capacity, stunt urban decay and cope with climate-induced disasters.
Tabangin presented the outputs for the sectors namely environment, social protection, economic expansion, infrastructure development, resilience building and good governance before city government employees and sectoral representatives during the “User’s Forum: Advocating the City Vision, Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) and Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP)” last January 31, 2024.
The two officials reiterated the urgency to act before urban decay becomes irreversible by 2043 in view of the fact that the city has breached the natural carrying capacity of its environment starting 20 years ago.
The series of undertakings involving the various sectors and stakeholders including health, environment, agriculture, faith-based, senior citizens, indigenous peoples, farmers, cooperatives, women, children, and family, sports, media, youth, professionals, and business and the public in general aimed to explore and come up with the best strategies for population and resources management.
The CPDSO has been undertaking an audit of the city, its people and resources in terms of livability (being a healthy place, food sources, economy, crime safety, accessibility, mobility, essentials, risk management, water and civic spaces), inclusivity (overcoming the four forms of urban poverty: health and environment, education, economic and empowerment) and creativity (having urban rejuvenation, urban planning and placemaking, economic development and institutional support and cultural and social authenticity).
Results of the audit will guide the planning, decision-making and community engagements for new policies, programs, projects and activities to achieve the ultimate aim of arresting urban decay. – Aileen P. Refuerzo
