South East Asia’s highly urbanised coastal settlements are particularly vulnerable to climate-related threats such as typhoons, monsoons and rising sea levels. For the fourth leg of the 14th Brunel lecture series, Abigail Binay, mayor of Makati in the Philippines, shared some of the key insights she has gained in her work to improve the resilience of this densely populated city.
The 14th Brunel International Lecture Series, which is being produced by the ICE and the International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure (ICSI), shines a spotlight on equitable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure challenges worldwide and how the engineering community can help to address them.
South East Asia comprises 11 countries of great diversity in culture, history and geography: Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Although each is at a different stage of socioeconomic and environmental development, certain challenges – particularly those concerning infrastructure resilience – are common to all of them.
In 2021, the Philippine city of Makati became the first in the world to officially join the Cities Race to Resilience initiative. The following year, it became the second resilience hub of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction’s Making Cities Resilient 2030 campaign in the Asia-Pacific region.
The city’s mayor, Abigail Binay, gave an insightful keynote address focusing on the work such programmes have required. This was followed by a panel discussion chaired by David Porter, ICE vice president and director of engineering at Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure.
The other panellists were:
- Atlas Fung, associate director, infrastructure advisory at Atkins Singapore and the company’s engineering net-zero champion for Asia
- April J Lander, director of region 10 for the American Society of Civil Engineers and the society’s representative on the Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating Council
- David Meigh, independent water resources consultant at the Asian Development Bank and Indonesia associate country representative for the ICE
- Tan Seng Chuan, emeritus president of the Institution of Engineers Singapore, executive vice-president at the World Federation of Engineering Organizations and managing director of Tembusu Asia Consulting
The Philippines in numbers
116 million
Total population across its 7,600-plus islands
60%+
Percentage of people living in coastal areas
20
Number of typhoons per year on average
14 million
Number of people affected by 2013’s super-typhoon Haiyan
13.6%
Possible reduction in GDP by 2040 owing to climate change
Sources: Disasters Emergency Committee, UN, World Bank
What are the challenges?
High population density and ageing infrastructure in many South East Asian cities are exacerbating some of the worst impacts of climate change.
Based on the Asia and the Pacific SDG Progress Report 2021, the region has regressed to code-red warning status on UN Strategic Development Goal 13: “take urgent action to combat climate change and its impact”.
Binay’s keynote address highlighted the challenges facing the Philippines as a whole and focused on her city, Makati, as an exemplar of climate action.
Although the Philippines is not the biggest greenhouse gas (GHG) contributor, it has been ranked fourth among countries most vulnerable to climate change. It is struck by 20 typhoons on average each year, with acute flooding affecting more than 3 million citizens.
The World Bank estimates that the climate crisis could result in a 13.6% loss of economic output for the Philippines by 2040. With half of its population living in urban areas, most of which are coastal, the country is highly vulnerable to rising sea levels.
In response to such threats, the Philippines set one of the most ambitious environmental targets among South East Asian nations in 2021 by committing to a 75% cut in GHG emissions by 2030.
System-level change
In her role as a civic leader, Binay aims to go “beyond strengthening cities in the physical aspects”. She is also striving to build a caring and inclusive community, “not only for our people but also for the planet”.
Since her election in 2016, Binay has worked to restore efficiency, responsiveness and compassion in the delivery of services.
Compassion is not often cited as a key aim in this context, but it’s important to think about the infrastructure and systems we operate in terms of their impact on people, she stressed.
Binay believes that leaders at both national and regional levels are responsible for creating a system of equitable and sustainable development – and that the global engineering community must join forces with them to build better, more resilient cities for all.
Rising sea levels and extreme weather events put the Philippines’ coastal residents at risk of flooding (credit: iStock/Cheryl Ramalho)
What is happening now?
Influencing decision-making in Makati
Having declared a climate emergency and call for action on 5 August 2022, Makati (pictured at the top of this page) has intensified its engagement in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The declaration was, according to Binay, “a result of multi-stakeholder participation and premised on the latest global thrust to leave no one and no place behind”.
It stressed the importance of prioritising climate action in all municipal decision-making.
Greening the city has been a priority. Makati’s 44,000 trees and 40 parks and open spaces serve as a breather from the concrete jungle.
Green walls, and vertical and rooftop gardens in public and private spaces, are benefiting the local communities and promoting food security and sustainability.
Development incentives are offered to certify green buildings. To date, 16 buildings in Makati have been certified as sustainable by the LEED rating system and 28 are seeking certification.
Binay is a board member of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, the world’s largest alliance for city climate leadership. In this role, she represents leaders and influential voices in cities around the world.
Her challenge to fellow civic leaders is to “begin initiatives to ensure that the benefits of infrastructure development are shared equitably between urban and rural areas, and various socioeconomic groups”.
Capacity building for engineers
As the American Society of Civil Engineers’ representative on the Asian Civil Engineering Coordinating Council, Lander focused on the several societies and technical committees operating in South East Asia. These include TC14, the council’s technical committee on sustainable infrastructure.
Like Binay, she highlighted the impact the global engineering community can make when its members work together.
The roadmap for TC14 includes various examples of sustainable infrastructure projects, including one focused on water management in Singapore (see case study, below).
Fung touched on the benefits of so-called sponge cities, which implement a modern approach to stormwater management that simulates the natural water cycle. Aiming to re-use stormwater absorbed through roads, pavements, green roofs and wetlands, this method helps to collect, drain and use the water effectively and so prevent flooding.
Sustainable Development Goals:
Linking our work back to the UN SDGs is a core part of the ICE’s plan and mission. This article ties in with the following SDGs:
What changes are needed?
Educating the public
Binay stressed that “education must remain front and centre of all our efforts” to ensure that everyone is made part of the solution to the climate crisis. Everyone in the region needs to understand the ramifications of global warming.
She added that more education was also needed about practices that could make infrastructure more sustainable and resilient. Her view is that small yet concerted actions to reduce GHG emissions constitute a big step forward.
Binay added that “engineers and architects should be encouraged to think innovatively while designing and developing infrastructure projects”.
They should keep raising awareness about the benefits of renewable energy and other green tech and “support young people who aspire to be part of the global engineering community by arming them with the proper knowledge and skills”.
Financing resilient and sustainable infrastructure
Binay noted that cities in the developing world aren’t always able to access funding and technical help for much-needed infrastructure upgrades.
She underlined the need to rethink the funding of infrastructure projects and explore new ways to unlock untapped sources of capital and attract private investment.
More innovative financing options need to be considered that are suited to local development requirements.
These include public-private partnerships such as the one funding the construction of the Makati Intra-city Subway (MkTR). The project is a partnership between the Makati City Government and a private consortium led by Philippine InfraDev Holdings.
MkTR will become the country’s first underground metro line when it’s completed. Once operational, the US$2.5bn rapid transit system will ease traffic congestion, improve mobility around the city and reduce air pollution.
The financial performance and long-term economic viability of projects are important aspects of sustainability.
The World Economic Forum has a new approach to finance called asset recycling. This could significantly increase investment in infrastructure and help to close the financing gap.
Asset recycling has two steps:
- A government unlocks the capital from existing infrastructure by transferring ownership of an asset lease or concession agreement to private investors attracted by the prospect of stable long-term returns. The government retains a major equity stake, specifies the performance levels required of the infrastructure project and maintains the right to regain full ownership.
- The government re-invests the capital proceeds into the new infrastructure to meet the population’s needs.
Influencing policy
The formulation of public policies and standards that promote sustainable infrastructure requires input from a wide range of stakeholders.
Binay cited the Philippine Building Act 2023. Once approved by Congress, this comprehensive legislation will replace the 50-year-old National Building Code.
It’s expected to make a huge impact on national efforts to achieve disaster resilience and improve climate change mitigation.
The Makati Green Building Code is also being fine-tuned to accelerate the adoption of eco-friendly building practices, promote energy efficiency, reduce GHG emissions and boost community resilience.
Makati has partnered with the local chapter of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers and the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines for best-practice guidance and training.
These bodies have also provided support in policy-making and planning.
Seng Chuan highlighted the Singapore Green Plan, which targets 60Mt CO2e in absolute emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2050.
He explained that carbon tax is a key tool for achieving net zero because it’s shaping the behaviour of businesses.
The tax applies to all industrial facilities with annual direct GHG emissions exceeding 25,000 tonnes of CO2e. The rate is set at S$25 per tonne in 2024-25, having been S$5 in 2019-23. It could be up to S$80 by 2030.
Binay urged engineers to “take the lead in defining their research agenda and actively participate in the research process to pave the way to breakthrough technologies and sustainable practices… Continue pushing yourselves and the boundaries of science to build a better future.”
She called for “more concrete action – and faster. The siloed approach to infrastructure development no longer works and we should focus on devising collaborative solutions to build more resilient societies.”
Binay concluded: “As engineers, you have a vital role in advocating sustainable development, both at the policy level and through practical approaches… You must take to heart your role as stewards of the environment and become the voice of authority and reason in public policy decisions that shape the built and natural environment.”
- Sarah Hall
Related links
- ICE South East Asia supports members living and working in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and elsewhere in the region.
- Civil Engineer blog: How a city in the Philippines is using incentives to go green
- Infrastructure blog: Singapore boosts transport affordability