Baguio City has joined another global program — the United Nations Human Settlements Programme’s (UN-Habitat) Quality of Life Initiative.
City Planning Development and Sustainability Office Coordinator Arch. Donna Tabangin said that Baguio is the first city in the country to participate in the groundbreaking global program which aims to improve the general well-being of urban centers in the world.Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the move will help boost the city’s programs to achieve sustainability and inclusivity in line with the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals or the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Tabangin said the Quality of Life initiative currently includes more than 50 cities from 30 countries worldwide.The program provides a “powerful framework to measure and improve urban well-being across nine key domains of basic services, and mobility, culture and recreation, economy, education, environment, governance, health and well-being, housing and social cohesion,” according to Tabangin.”
By leveraging cutting-edge data sources like satellite imagery, mobile data, and social media surveys, Baguio will gain valuable insights to inform sustainable urban policies that truly respond to what our citizens value most,” she said.
With the partnership, the city will be put on the global map in pioneering data-driven approaches to transform quality of life for all residents alongside cities like Buenos Aires, Manchester, Amman, and Vancouver.”
With this move, we can be proud that our city is leading the way for Philippine cities in this important global initiative to advance the UN’s Agenda 2030,” Tabangin said.
In 2017, Baguio was the first to become a UNESCO Creative City in the Philippines. – Aileen P. Refuerzo
