In an article posted on Rappler, they summarize the need for parks and green spaces in the Metro:
“The 2011 Green Cities Index by Siemens and The Economist Intelligence Unit showed that Metro Manila has only 5 square meters of green open space per inhabitant, compared to the minimum 9 square meters recommended by the WHO.
The Philippine urban planning resource Public Parks and Open Spaces says that the proportion of open space to every 1,000 population is now down to 0.2.
For visual proof, here’s a map of Metro Manila’s few green spaces made in 2019 by the DATOS Project of the science and technology department.
Metro Manila NDVI map from DATOS Project Facebook
The map uses red and near-infrared bands to detect live vegetation in an area. Green areas mean areas with vegetation. The darker the shade, the more vegetation. The large patch of dark green on the upper right is the La Mesa Watershed located in Quezon City but only a portion of it is open for public use.
Many of the green spaces are cemeteries (like the Manila North and South cemeteries) and exclusive golf courses (like Wack Wack and Manila Golf and Country Clubs).
The lack of open green spaces varies for each of the 16 cities and one town that compose Metro Manila. Data obtained by Rappler from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) NCR office shows that 9 cities fall short of the WHO standard of green open space based on their respetive population sizes: Caloocan, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Manila, Navotas, Pasay, Pasig, Pateros, and San Juan.
Manila, the city with the highest deficit, needs 26 more Rizal Parks if it is to comply with the WHO recommendation.”
Photo on cover from @themanilawild, Toolkit designed for us by tayo.com.ph
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