Challenge description

More than 50% of the world’s population live in urban environments and this rate will grow up to 66% by 2050. Over 40 megacities will exist worldwide by 2030. Pasig is a landlocked highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region.

The city has a land area of 31.00 square kilometers or 11.97 square miles. Its population as determined by the 2015 Census was 755,300. This represented 5.87% of the total population of the National Capital Region. Based on these figures, the population density is computed at 24,365 inhabitants per square kilometer or 63,099 inhabitants per square mile. The city is 5th most dense out of 1,634 cities in the whole country. 

Interestingly, Pasig also occupies more than a third of the 100 hectares Ortigas Center, a bustling business district shared by the three vibrant municipalities of Pasig, Mandaluyong, and Quezon City. The 30-40 hectares in the Ortigas Center belongs to Pasig and is referred to as the Pasig Central Business District (PCBD), a mix of commercial and business establishments, corporate and residential condominiums, as well as schools and churches, owned by some of the leading companies from the business, commercial and real estate sectors. The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) maintains one of its two trading floors at the Philippine Stock Exchange Center in Tektite Towers in barangay San Antonio. 

The density of population and traffic in Pasig and the PCBD are high indicators of increase in economic activity, which subsequently rears its ugly head of increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

To help curb emissions from fuel transportation, the city advocates sustainable transportation and clean air initiatives through the implementation of bike lanes, bike sharing, and promotion on the use of e-trikes.  Yet amidst these efforts, a substantial dent in the CO2 emissions borne out of burning of fuel has not been achieved. 

As part of the goal to achieve the city’s 2028 goals of reducing GHG emissions and doing this collaboratively with Pasigueño citizens and businesses, the challenge presented here focuses on open data, crowd sourced in-depth look into the problem, and joint analysis of cross-sectoral data, and shared responsibility to address this challenge: 

How might we create inclusive and productive mobility systems for Pasigueños while decreasing pollution?

Challenge vision

Possible solutions to the challenge should build on grounded and credible data, unique perspectives of various key stakeholders, user insights based on personal experiences, and clear understanding of user behaviour and attitudes. Furthermore solutions should make sure that users will want to use it, find ease in using it, operationally feasible, and finally something that can be sustained to drive the impact it is designed to achieve.

Solutions are encouraged to:

• Look into the root cause(s) of the problem and address it from there;
• Take the form of a product, service, policy, or combinations;
• Be useable and desirable
• Take the form of new business models and/or management strategies;
• Be a shared responsibility by key stakeholders