As the leading financial and central business district (CBD) in
However, there is more to Makati than being a bustling business district and corporate center. Makati has the highest daytime population in
In 2012, the company announced that they will be investing
It is a prime business address being home to a number of the biggest corporations in
As a place of convergence, it offers space for an array of activities, from leisure and outdoor fun to pleasant dining experiences. McKinley Exchange, known as the Transport Hub, gives people a gateway to the city by providing access to the Metro Rail Transit, buses, jeepneys, taxis, and shuttles.
Ayala Center is Makati's lifestyle portal comprised of Glorietta and Greenbelt malls, world-class hotels, entertainment spaces, museums, and parks, all nearby the residential developments in Makati. A 21-hectare mixed-use development on the former Sta.
Circuit Makati offers residential developments, Ayala Malls,
It is accessible through the elevated-walkway along
Mixed-use developments encourage diversity in the community, and that is what
There are many people who grew up in post-war Makati who still remember when there was street entertainment on the weekends: back in the '50s, in neighborhoods like Poblacion, movies would be projected on the sides of trucks, and kids and families would flock around on the weekends just to watch and hang out. It was safe and it was fun.
The residential space has increased from 32 percent to 40 percent of total gross floor area in Makati CBD. Adding to this mix are
It's normal to ask: What do Makati Residents like to do on weekends? For Blas, who helped implement the masterplan of BGC to draw residents to the streets for food, art, music and pedestrian-friendly activities along
"So instead of doing it on a massive scale, we tried it on a pinpoint scale what's called tactical urbanism." Focusing on three Makati streets,
Food trucks, stalls, buskers, and various activities were brought in and it drew in crowds. It caught on quickly, thanks in part to Makati's strong social media platform (over 550,000 followers on Facebook).
"We did it on weekends, on days with less traffic," notes Blas. "We started with 3,000 people on Sundays, then we started hitting huge numbers.
One weekend, it was 15,000." Following the success of the Makati Street Meet at Paseo de Roxas, this event was brought to other streets in Makati.
Every Sunday, kids can enjoy this street playground at Rada where they can ride their bikes and participate in various activities. The Street Meet at Carlos Palanca, where hip bars that draw the younger crowd are located, followed suit.
An
"In the Makati CBD, we are now focusing on what we can do at the street level," Blas says. "We want to complement its impressive buildings by having people spend more leisure time on the streets.
" Street Meets
Every first Sunday of the month, Paseo De Roxas to Villar is blocked off and becomes a street fair, with food trucks serving tacos, hotdogs and ice cream, vendors selling local handicrafts, organic beauty products and oils, and a host of other finds. About 5,000 people move around the covered tables on foot, skating or bicycling to rediscover the surrounding neighborhood.
Close to
Since last August, on Sundays from 7 a.m to 5 p.
m.,
Started last September, the Makati Street Meet at Carlos Palanca is already attracting a hip, crowd. Each location of the Makati Street Meet has a different target market.
By popular demand of the residents and establishments in the area, the Makati Street Meet at Carlos Palanca will now be done regularly. Walk the Talk
According to Aguilar, transportation will be key in the coming years, whether it's more organized AUV (Asian Utility Vehicle) and bus setups in key areas of Makati to cut down on the chaos during commuting hours or the expanded covered walkways parallel to
Also in collaboration with MACEA is the Villar Underpass. It is currently under construction to connect some 18,000 daily pedestrians from
Covered walkways work well in places like
Public walkways may be key to connecting most of the nodes of Makati and cut down on future vehicular traffic. "People wouldn't take their cars anymore they'd just walk the public walkways or take the bike paths.
" "Makati has evolved to all these distinct areas and neighborhoods now," adds Blas. "We hope to connect the Makati CBD with all the neighboring areas, so that it becomes more interesting, more reachable.
So that life in Makati is not just about skyscrapers, but also about vibrant streets and lively communities." nk
© Pakistan Press International, source