MANILA – As part of its 35th-anniversary celebration and continuous advocacy toward sustainable, resilient, and inclusive communities and cities, PALAFOX is excited to announce the launch of the architecture, design, and planning advocacy principle — “Philippines 2050: A First-World Country, A First-World Economy.”
The advocacy aims to engage the government, the private sector, environmental advocates, civil society, and the Filipino people to collectively push and position the Philippines as a competitive country with a robust economy. It is a bold and transformative blueprint for the nation’s future. PALAFOX hopes the advocacy will inspire a collective movement by and for the Filipino people to enjoin a shared mindset of protecting and sustaining communities, a journey toward and beyond 2050.
For nearly 35 years, PALAFOX has been a pioneer in sustainable architecture, planning, design, and development, contributing to the progress and enhanced quality of life in communities and cities across the Philippines. The multi-disciplinary consultancy has partnered with over 200 towns, cities, and provinces in crafting their comprehensive development plans. They have also worked with communities, landowners, and developers across the country in the master plan of both new and established cities, townships, and precincts and in the architecture and design of well-loved public places, schools, places of worship, residences, and offices, among others.
Founder Felino “Jun” Palafox, Jr., is also marking 52 years as an architect and 50 years as an urban planner this year. As PALAFOX celebrates its 35th anniversary, the firm is looking toward the future with the launch of the “Philippines 2050” campaign.
This initiative stems from HSBC and Goldman Sachs’ Projection that the Philippines will be the Top 16th economy by 2050. The Philippines shows significant potential for development. The country’s abundant natural and human capital resources — from leading in marine biodiversity and voice call centers to holding a demographic sweet spot with an average age of 26 — position it to become a first-world country by 2050.
However, to reach first-world status, the Philippines must address several challenges.
As of 2020, the Philippine Statistics Authority indicated that 54% of the 109.03 million Filipinos already reside in urban areas. The World Bank projects that by 2050, over 100 million Filipinos will live in cities. To accommodate and sustain its rapidly growing population, the Philippines needs 100 new sustainable, smart, resilient, and livable cities by 2050. Failure to do so could result in existing cities becoming as problematic, if not worse, than Metro Manila.
To be a first-world country and first-world economy heavily relies on the following:
Good governance, transparency, and the implementation of effective measures to address criminality and ensure peace and order. Combating climate change involves protecting and enhancing the environment, reducing carbon footprint, mitigating sea level rise, and transforming communities to achieve sustainability and disaster resilience. Addressing inequality requires fair wealth distribution while enhancing infrastructure involves seamless connectivity and disaster-proof design.
Strong collaboration between the government, the private sector, and citizens is essential to reach the following milestones toward 2050:
Achieve most of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
The United Nations’ 17 SDGs represent an urgent call to action for all nations, both developed and developing, through a global partnership. These goals acknowledge that eradicating poverty and other hardships must be accompanied by strategies that enhance health and education, reduce inequality, and stimulate economic growth — all while addressing climate change and striving to protect our oceans and forests.
Join the list of first-world countries by 2040
This encompasses various aspects of development and well-being that contribute to the overall quality of life for all Filipinos, such as an extensive job market, high-quality healthcare, a robust education system, affordable and safe housing, and progressive infrastructure development, among others.
Rank as one of the top 20 economies in the world by 2050
Moreover, “Philippines 2050” underscores professional excellence in architecture, urban planning and design, environmental management, interior and urban design, and responsible property development to promote inclusivity and create healthier communities, towns, cities, provinces, and regions in the Philippines.
For almost 35 years, as one of the most trusted development advisers in the country, PALAFOX has collaborated and continues to work closely with various local government units, national government agencies, and stakeholders in developing and establishing design and planning solutions to transform communities and cities across the country.
The “Philippines 2050” campaign is an affirmation of PALAFOX’s commitment to creating a more sustainable future for all Filipinos. As early as now, PALAFOX is urging today’s and tomorrow’s generations of leaders, developers, architects, planners, engineers, and designers to work together to develop more sustainable and resilient communities and cities for the future.
