Cheyenne Suarez

Nature as infrastructure: Filinvest City touts township’s master plan for flood resilience

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1783681954979filinvest city waterway.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Built around the Alabang-Cupang River, Festival Mall River Park preserves the natural waterway and ecosystem, providing a thriving habitat for local wildlife. Handout</div>MANILA – As climate change accelerates extreme weather across the Philippines, the developer of a masterplanned business district said it is turning away from traditional concrete flood walls towards nature-based systems.Filinvest City, a 244-hectare township in Alabang, has integrated natural waterways into its urban structure to mitigate heavy rainfall, the company said. The approach recently won a Gold Award at the 2026 FIABCI World Prix d&#x27;Excellence in the Master Plan category, the company added.&quot;Filinvest City was planned with the understanding that resilience is built over time,&quot; said Don Ubaldo, head of townships at Filinvest Alabang, Inc.Instead of enclosing or diverting rivers beneath roads—a common practice in rapidly expanding Southeast Asian megacities—developers preserved the existing Alabang-Cupang River. An interconnected network of public parks, including Creekside Park, River Park, and the Water Garden, works as an ecological corridor to manage stormwater.“Existing river features were preserved and integrated into the district&#x27;s structure. Filinvest City ensured that these waterways perform critical environmental functions, all intentionally designed as part of its water-sensitive urban design,” Filinvest said. <div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1783682283954filinvest city landscape.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>A master-planned city shaped around its natural environment of green spaces and waterways. Handout</div>Wetlands absorb runoff, downstream dams and weirs stabilize river levels, and a dedicated water garden acts as a giant catch basin. The system provides 36,600 cubic meters of stormwater retention capacity during severe weather and lowers annual runoff volumes by up to 430,000 cubic meters.“Further downstream, River Park incorporates dams and weirs that manage flow and stabilize water levels. The Water Garden serves as a catch basin, temporarily storing excess rainwater before releasing it gradually as conditions normalize,&quot; the company said.Filinvest said its nature-based flood control system has helped reduce annual runoff volumes by approximately 0.18–0.43 million cubic meters.Beyond disaster prevention, developers argue the strategy keeps businesses open during monsoons while combating the &quot;urban heat island&quot; effect. The green network covers 30 percent of the township, housing over 3,400 trees that lower average temperatures across the district by 3.6 degrees Celsius.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1783682406337Actual Photo of Filinvest City River Dredging in 2025.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div>However, as experts note that such green infrastructure demands continuous maintenance, Filinvest City conducts regular river dredging to clear sediment buildup, repurposing the recovered silt as fertilizer for its landscaping, the company said.As vulnerable tropical countries face rising sea levels and intensifying typhoons, the district offers a template for long-term climate adaptation built directly into a city&#x27;s foundations, Filinvest said.

The developer of a masterplanned business district said it is turning away from traditional concrete flood walls towards nature-based systems.

The developer of a masterplanned business district said it is turning away from traditional concrete flood walls towards nature-based systems.