Why First World?

I used the words "First World CBD'' to describe Manila's CBD's and apparently that elicited some unexpected reaction.

If you've bothered to read impressions on Manila by Europeans (at least, no personal nationalistic agendas), one thing stands out: the post-WWII CBD's of Manila seemed out of place in the city, that though the city is clearly Third World, it's CBD's belong to the First World. Which they really are because they were constructed following the blueprints used by American developments which have become vogue in the developed world since the last century. That modern buildings, mostly skyscrapers, were actually built is another big puzzle: where in the Third World did they get the money to fill up a bunch of 50 to 150 hectare developments all composed of buildings & just slivers of park? Well, not a puzzle but a scandal (to leftists, mainly): there really is money, just tells you just how rich the rich are amidst the poverty. But I choose to see it on a more positive note: it also tells you things are not really hopeless, that given the right push, everything there could be First World.

While most cities in Southeast Asia developed out of their old downtowns (leading to gap-tooth developments in downtowns where skyscrapers are beside houses, warehouses and other ramshackle structures), Manila, after the war, developed vacant tracts of lands outside the old ring roads of the city. A CBD like Makati was created from a former airport and, after decades, the subdivision was filled up with the sleek buildings that we see today. You only have to enter its warren of buildings to realize that there are only two cities in Southeast Asia where you can experience walking in such a modern environment, Singapore & Manila CBD's: walking for blocks, in the main road or into the interior streets, all will be wall-to-wall sleek buildings and virtually no ramshackle old structure loitering around. In a Manila skyline picture, you can be sure no straggler patch of houses or warehouses are lurking on the ground behind the buildings. No Potemkin wall of buildings behind which are lurking the old unwanted secrets: in Makati, no make-up tricks are needed.

Makati: you see here that the buildings are delineated in their own place, while the houses have theirs.

I have posts in this blog on Makati & Eastwood (Makati here and Eastwood here), we'll feature another filled-up CBD like Ortigas later.

To see how a CBD develops,  below is Fort Bonifacio, a 250 hectare development which was started in 1995. See how skyscrapers are starting to sprout on vacant lands. The roads and drainage are first-class, all the utility wires are buried underground. And NOTE, not just any building is allowed, they have to pass a defined set of standards. Please refer to the Skyscrapercity page on Taguig (Fort Bonifacio) and you'll see there are already projects that will fill up the  CBD shortly.

Yes, they just don't build buildings in a Manila CBD, they plan everything beforehand and they have a standard on what kind of building will appear there

FORT BONIFACIO, THE BIRTH OF A NEW CBD: This is how a Manila CBD starts- an empty subdivision where skyscrapers are built wall-to-wall beside each other

Now, while I Iove the CBD's, I think it's time that we focus on the main avenues also so that the experience will be more widespread. Just medium-rise in the avenues so as not to overpower the stature of the skyscraper clusters of the CBD's  but they should be more particular with their designs: post-modern. In time, all the avenues can be First World.


Link to all the CBD's of Manila here