The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) recently launched its Nature-Based Sidewalk Improvement Project, with Pasig City being its pilot area. Specifically, 3km of sidewalks along Circumferential Road 5 (C5) within the city will be upgraded with water-absorptive pavers made from recycled materials.
From Ortigas Avenue to Bagong Ilog, pedestrians will soon be walking on permeable bricks comprising crushed glass and hard plastics. And because water can pass through these pavers, drainage along C5 should improve while also strengthening the sidewalk against heavy loads and harsh weather conditions.
For those who are curious, materials collected from rivers are sent to the MMDA’s Integrated Solid Waste Management Processing Facility, where they are turned into pavers for the upgraded sidewalks.
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The project also includes improved landscaping along the walkways and the installation of stormwater detention tanks beneath the new pavement. Overall, the MMDA aims to complete this initiative within six months and then apply it to other cities in Metro Manila.
Agency chairman Don Artes further explained how the project can also help against flooding: “With the integration of green infrastructure, this project can prevent land subsidence. Rainwater is allowed to pass through, reducing runoff and puddling. Instead of the water going directly to the drainage, it will go to the rainwater catchment first, which can thus help in mitigating urban flooding.”
Pasig City officials, including mayor Vico Sotto and vice mayor Robert Jaworski Jr., have respectively expressed their support for the project. Sotto called it an “innovative solution” in helping make the region more walkable, while Jaworski hopes that the project can be adopted throughout the city.
Would you want to see this project in your city? Sound off in the comments section.
