Urban Transition, Poverty, and Development in the Philippines

Draft report to be presented at the IIED-UNFPA research meeting on population and urbanization issues, London. September 2009.This country demonstration paper is part of a broader five-country study on urbanization. The paper describes the urbanization pattern in the Philippines, with the aim of improving our understanding of trends/patterns and their relationships to other social, economic, political and demographic processes. It analyzes the historical and structural forces that have shaped the urbanization of Philippine cities. Briefly, it describes the growth and expansion of cities particularly their roles and functions in urban and national development for the last 50 years, with special focus on the last 15-20 years.The paper highlights the intersections of socio-political, economic and demographic forces and how the interplay of local-global forces during the last decade or so have shaped urban development patterns. In particular, it depicts the dominance of the national capital region (Metro Manila) over other Philippine cities and the consequences of this relationship to urban and national development.This study also attempts to clarify rural-urban linkages, evaluate urban-related policies, and identify more proactive approaches towards upcoming urban growth and development.Finally, the paper outlines the key challenges facing cities within the context of national, regional, and global processes. In particular, it highlights the key challenges faced in promoting in promoting inclusive and sustainable cities. Hopefully, this can serve as blueprint for the subsequent promotion of analogous studies in the Southeast Asia and the Philippines, in a second stage that would be carried out under the auspices of UNFPA’s country offices.