Faced with Forced Relocation, the People of One Philippine City Designed Their Own Climate-resilient Neighborhood

The Manggahan Low Rise Building Project in Pasig City, Philippines, serves as a model for locally led climate resilience. Following the devastation of Typhoon Ondoy in 2009, residents of informal settlements along the Manggahan Floodway formed the Alliance of Peoples Organizations Along Manggahan Floodway (APOAMF) to oppose government plans for forced relocation up to 60 miles away. Through the 2010 "People Plan," residents collaborated with architects and government officials to design a flood- and typhoon-resistant apartment complex on an embankment. The project aims for 15 buildings with 900 units, with 480 families already moved into rent-to-own apartments. The case highlights the importance of co-creating adaptation solutions with marginalized urban populations to build city-wide resilience and avoid climate-induced migration.

• The Manggahan Low Rise Building Project was developed as a community-led alternative to government-mandated forced relocation following Typhoon Ondoy, which affected 40,000 people in informal settlements along the Manggahan Floodway.
• The "People Plan," launched in 2010 by the Alliance of Peoples Organizations Along Manggahan Floodway (APOAMF), utilized a participatory process where residents worked with architects and officials to design housing on an embankment with flood-resistant features such as thick walls, elevated water tanks, and strategic structural beams.
• Construction of the project began in 2017, with a target of 15 buildings and 900 units; to date, 480 families have transitioned into rent-to-own apartments.
• The project illustrates a broader need for locally led adaptation for the approximately 1 billion people living in informal settlements globally, who face higher exposure to natural hazards and are frequently excluded from city development plans.

APA

World Resources Institute (2020). Faced with Forced Relocation, the People of One Philippine City Designed Their Own Climate-resilient Neighborhood. https://www.wri.org/insights/faced-forced-relocation-people-one-philippine-city-designed-their-own-climate-resilient

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Faced with Forced Relocation, the People of One Philippine City Designed Their Own Climate-resilient Neighborhood. 2020. https://www.wri.org/insights/faced-forced-relocation-people-one-philippine-city-designed-their-own-climate-resilient.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Faced with Forced Relocation, the People of One Philippine City Designed Their Own Climate-resilient Neighborhood |date=6 January 2020 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/faced-forced-relocation-people-one-philippine-city-designed-their-own-climate-resilient |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2020faced, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Faced with Forced Relocation, the People of One Philippine City Designed Their Own Climate-resilient Neighborhood}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2020}, month = jan, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/faced-forced-relocation-people-one-philippine-city-designed-their-own-climate-resilient}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }