The Urban Evolution of Lipa City
Lipa City, Batangas, has rapidly developed into a key urban hub in the Calabarzon Region, fueled by industrial
growth and infrastructure upgrades since the 1990s. The population grew significantly, from 200,000 in 2000 to
nearly 400,000 in 2020. By 2022, the city had over 10,000 registered businesses, with a notable rise in new
company registrations. It also became a financial center with 231 industries and 318 financial institutions.
Enhanced infrastructure continues to attract investors, businesses and people.
Problem Statement
But in every urbanization, there is also a problem.
It is without doubt that the city of lipa is booming, there is rapid growth in population, economy, and urban
development. That growth led to opportunities and also problems. As you can see, as a City gets more urbanized,
there will also be a lot of people, and as more people come to the city, there is also a rise in generation of waste.
The problem is maintaining sustainability and waste management.
Personally, I’ve also observed that, aside from traffic, waste has been increasing in Lipa, particularly in public
markets, local streets, and even within subdivisions, you can see a piece of trash. One of them are the Non-
biodegradable waste, such as plastics and aluminum cans, , causing long-term environmental harm and drainage
issues that worsen flooding during the rainy season. Especially that we all know from experience that flooding is a
great concern nowadays in the city. So it is like a domino effect.
Also, the expansion of urban areas has reduced green spaces, affected ecosystem balance and limited
opportunities for gardening, which is important for both recreation and food. The scarcity of green spaces has also
contributed to environmental issues like air pollution and rising temperatures or Global warming.
The city's reliance on external food sources makes fresh produce expensive, further limiting accessibility for low-
income residents.
So in summary, the challenges of waste management and ecological balance continue to grow as urbanization
expands.
Proposed Project
To address the challenges of waste management and limited green spaces, we propose an Urban Gardening
Initiative. This project aims to reduce waste and promote sustainability by collecting used plastic bottles and
aluminum cans from residents, transforming them into pots for planting. These pots will be filled with various
vegetables and fruits, allowing residents to engage in urban gardening, even in densely populated areas with
limited space.
The initiative tackles waste by recycling materials and creates green spaces in areas lacking them. It also provides
residents with access to fresh produce, improving their quality of life and encouraging a more sustainable,
connected community.
