Urban Planning and Design for Climate Resilience: A Reference Tool for Local Governments and Planning Actors in the Philippines

Building resilience must be at the core of planning and designing our cities. Aligned with the Philippine New Urban Agenda vision “Better, Greener, Smarter Cities in an Inclusive Philippines”, this guide provides a platform to equip users with concepts and technical information on urban planning and design for climate resilience. It aims to deliver guidance for national government agencies, local government units, and other stakeholders in pursuing resilient and sustainable development. This guide also presents tools and examples that may be used in analysis and decision-making when developing actions for climate change resilience through urban planning and design.

With years of joint expertise from various organizations, this guide has been developed through collaboration of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, Climate Change Commission, Department of Interior and Local Governance, National Economic Development Authority, and League of Cities of the Philippines. This was made possible through the Building Climate Resilience through Urban Plans and Designs (BCRUPD), a project implemented by UN-Habitat Philippines and supported by the International Climate Initiative of the German government.

Approaches for urban planning and design must urgently pursue climate action in preparation for a dynamic urban future. These approaches must consider the vulnerable populations, unpredictable and potential crises, and the country’s looming climate hazards – all these are carefully considered in this guide while promoting evidence and data driven planning solutions.

Using the concepts and tools in this guide, our aspiration is to see more pronounced local actions of resilient urban planning and design. We see this as a perpetual opportunity to address urban and climate challenges while promoting resilient and sustainable cities and communities in the Philippines.