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China to Build South-
east Asia’s First Smart
City in the Philippines
Called the New Manila Bay – City of
Pearl, the smart city is ‘beyond any inter-
national standards today.’
The Manila Bay will never be the same again as a
consortium of Filipino-Chinese developers, UAA
Kinming, will start a 407-hectare reclamation project
in the area starting this August until the next four
years. An extraordinary project will be built there – its
designers call it as the first smart city in Southeast
Asia.
The New Manila Bay – City of Pearl has a league of its
own in the region. It was designed to be Manila’s most
progressive integrated central business district, which
is connected directly to the Roxas Boulevard and
situated only 20 minutes from the airport.
“None in Asia has this scale of development in such
a prime location with such a visionary approach,”
said Nicholas Ho, deputy managing director of Ho
& Partners Architects, the Hong Kong-based lead
designer of the project.
“There are many townships in Asia but those
townships are in the middle of nowhere. This township
is extremely prime in terms of its location. This one is
right smack in the middle of town, with 360-degree
ocean views.” Source: Ho & Partners Architects
Envisioned to be a city within a city, the New Manila
Bay – City of Pearl is complete with commercial,
residential, convention, healthcare, education, tourism,
and sports hubs. Its inner ring features the central
park and golf course, with its outer ring lined with
a 10-kilometer promenade which looks out into a
breathtaking panoramic ocean view.
It has a well-planned transportation system that
promotes walkability. But the people could use the
loop road network and an advanced driverless railway
system which can be accessed in key points in the
entire district. There are water taxis too which connect
the north and south island to other areas in the
Philippine capital.
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Construction Leaders • May 2017