METROPOLITAN Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Nicholas Torre III has blamed the metropolis' chronic traffic congestion on the concentration of jobs, services and opportunities in a few areas, rather than population density itself.
Torre said bringing opportunities closer to where people live is key to easing daily gridlock.
He made the remarks in his speech at the World Cities Summit in Singapore, a video of which he shared on Monday.
“The problem is not density but concentration. Too many jobs, services and opportunities in one place,” Torre said.
He cited EDSA as an example, noting that the 24-kilometer highway carries more than 450,000 vehicles daily despite having a design capacity of only 250,000 to 300,000 vehicles, or about 40 to 60 percent over capacity.
The concentration of workplaces, schools, hospitals, government offices, and other essential services in a few districts forces millions of people to travel long distances every day, he said.
“The goal is not simply to move more people farther and faster but to bring opportunities closer to where people live,” he said.
Torre said the approach, known as polycentric development, promotes integrated communities where residents can live, work and access services within the same area instead of commuting across the metropolis.
He cited Bonifacio Global City as an example of such a community, adding that similar developments are underway in other parts of the country through public-private partnerships.
Torre also said urban planning alone will not solve congestion, stressing that dense cities require reliable public services and efficient operational systems.
He pointed to the MMDA’s MetroBase Command Center Hotline 136, which aims to answer emergency calls within five rings, dispatch responders within five minutes and clear simple road incidents within another five minutes.
“A dense city cannot function if emergency response is slow, resulting in citizens not trusting public services,” Torre said. JAMES DANIEL DANIO
