Surbana Jurong has signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation for Transport and Urban Development (JOIN) to deliver the New Clark City project in the Philippines. Under the agreement, Surbana Jurong will assist BCDA and JOIN in drafting the development management framework, design standard guidelines and environmental guidelines to complement the masterplan of the project.

This collaboration marks the full implementation of New Clark City anchored on the Comprehensive Master Development Plan developed by BCDA and JOIN, in partnership with urban planning and engineering firms AECOM, Nippon Koei and Philkoei International.

Surbana Jurong will also help in utilising public-private partnerships to entice investors to New Clark City. It will also advise in the implementation plan of pioneer developers in New Clark City such as Filinvest Land, Inc.’s mixed-use industrial real estate developments, and MTD Capital Berhad’s National Government Administrative Centre. Surbana Jurong will establish the framework of a smart city concept that will have fully integrated infrastructure and utilities for power, water, sewerage, information and communication technology (ICT), security and traffic management.

At the same time, JOIN’s president and CEO Takuma Hatano recognised the significance of the Manila-Clark Railway (PNR North Railway) project in developing New Clark City as one of Japan’s biggest projects in the Philippines. The 106-km alignment will connect Tutuban, Manila to the Clark International Airport and New Clark City. “The railway will immensely benefit commuters as it will cut down travel time from Manila to Clark in an hour, from the current 2-3 hours’ travel time,” he said, and added that the railway is designed to accommodate around 350,000 passengers per day.

The first phase of the project is expected to be completed in 2021. The Manila-Clark Railway is being implemented by the Department of Transportation in partnership with BCDA, and will be funded through Japan’s official development assistance. The feasibility study and the detailed engineering design for the railway will be funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The 9,450-ha New Clark City is envisioned to be a new metropolis that will rise in the Clark Special Economic Zone, in Capas and Bamban, Tarlac. It is designed to be the country’s first smart, green, disaster-resilient city, where nature, lifestyle, business, education and industries converge, and will be at par with other modern cities in the world.

New Clark City will feature mixed-use real estate developments for housing, a business continuity centre that would also house national government agencies, an agro-industrial park and an international food market. The city will have wide pedestrian lanes, exclusive bicycle lanes, and an integrated mass transit lane. Phase 1 of the project is expected to be completed in 2022.

Image: Surbana Jurong