In a digitalising world with circular economy, expectations for sustainably humanised and healthy cities and environments are increasing. For urban and regional planners, there is an opportunity and professional responsibility to take a more robust approach to cities through new settlements or redevelopment strategies. Although coined 14 years ago by the World Future Council, a German non-profit foundation, regenerative cities are more contextual to be discussed or revisited, especially when we are now under triple planetary crisis and in fast digital transformation. What we can learn from the past, on-going, and near future city development will enrich the current stock of knowledge to navigate our future.
In New Clark City, about 100km northwest of Manila’s megalopolis in the Philippine Tarlac region, ISOCARP and the Local Organising Committee welcome the entire international planning community to explore the challenges and opportunities of planning for sustainable new cities that are healthy, inclusive, compact, regenerative and embed circular economy, carbon-neutral energy supplies, and nature-based solutions, while fostering sustainable connectivity and complementarity with existing cities in the region, and with Manila Metro in particular.
A particular focus is to explore New Clark City as inspiring practice of regenerating a former military base – aspiring to new concepts of brownfield development. The conference will also explore climate adaptive resilience planning approaches for new (and existing) cities vulnerable to climate change – from drought to floods – and natural risks such as volcanic and seismic activity. Last but not least, the conference will highlight the cultural diversity of the hosting region, as inspiration to blend past traditions, present practices and future innovations into smart new city planning and development, through inclusion of the indigenous population of the Aetas who had historical stewardship of domains part of the New Clark City development area.
While the conference location is hinting to a regional focus on new city development in the fast-urbanising Asian part of the Global South, ISOCARP’s 60th World Planning Congress Diamond Anniversary Series will ensure a historical perspective by connecting New Clark City with grand old new city planning concepts such as Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City (1902), as well with the latest planning developments in and around the medieval Italian town of Siena, hosting the grand finale of the 60th World Planning Congress Diamond Anniversary Series.