New land use plan to steer Iloilo City growth
ILOILO City – This city’s 2021- 2029 Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) will set the direction of the metro’s development i n t he next nine years, according to City Planning and Development Officer Jose Roni Peñalosa.
T h e D e p a r t m e n t o f Human Sett l e ments a nd Urban Development ( DHSUD) approved it on May 12.
“We are very proud of this document because no less than DHSUD Secretary Eduardo del Rosario said it will serve as (a) model for urban resilience and livability,” he added.
The CLUP contains new features not present in the city’s previous plans, among them:
* mainstreaming of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction;
* adoption of the integrated wa t e r s h e d e c o - s y s t e ms management f ramework, including the Citizen Report Card;
* integration of thematic concerns, such as biodiversity, cultural heritage, urban design, and green growth
Peñalosa said what i s unique with t he plan, or what t hey call a “spatial plan”, is that it deals with the distribution of land use in the city and directs the pattern of development.
“I think the most important aspect of the land use plan is the regulation of building heights, density of establishments, and where the investments for commerce and for industries will be located,” he added.
The plan also includes the city’s measures for dealing with the new normal, such as infrastructure support and disaster preparedness.
The city also considered its peripheral municipalities in its development programs, including road infrastructure, t r a n s p o r t a n d t r a f f i c management, and tourism that have taken an “inter-LGU sort of cooperation,” Peñalosa said.
T h e C L U P h a s a n a c c o mp a n y i n g Z o n i n g Ordinance that will serve as the basis for the “day- to- day enforcement of the plan,” he added.