Presentation of the University of British Columbia (UBC) Investment Promotion Group on June 6, 2007 at the Bicol Science and Technology Centrum, Naga City, in conjunction with their Naga Planning Studio Course.

1. Sustainable Social
and Economic Development Ideas
For Business Investment, Revitalization and
Tourism Promotion in Naga City
Naga Studio Planning Course May 2007
Jeffery Chase, Celene Fung, Brady Martin and Marian Thomas

2. The Problem
• Trying to maintain vitality and encourage
investment in CBD I
• Identifying models and mechanisms for local
business development and public participation
• Recommending low cost strategies for
increasing tourism within the context of the
Naga region.

3. Our Key• Principles
• To complement the many ideas, practices and work
already underway in the City
• To build on Naga’s rich cultural history, impressive local
governance models and processes, beautiful natural
landscape and engaged public citizenry
• To ensure that recommendations are environmentally,
socially and economically sustainable
• To situate the discussion within context of Naga
• To explore new forms of partnerships
• To institutionalize a framework that encourages
aesthetics, functionality, accessibility, and investment
in the public realm

4. Recommendations:
Urban Design and Place-making
Use Urban Design Principles and Place-Making
Initiatives to revitalize CBD I

5. Urban Design and Place-making
URBAN DESIGN
• Plans, design guidelines and regulations governing:
- Street and sidewalk design
- Plazas and open spaces
- Building height and massing
- Building materials
- Architectural character

6. Urban Design and Place-making
PLACEMAKING
Designing neighborhoods that are interesting and inviting
but also contribute a sense of identity, pride and
uniqueness to a city.
- Strategies include:
Character-building
Cultural and historic preservation
Marketing and branding

7. Process Recommendations:
COMMUNITY VISIONING WORKSHOP
• Outline the optimal and ideal vision for the city
• Respect cultural identity, history, natural
landscape and existing built form
• Involve all stakeholders
• Be daring and imaginative!

8. Process Recommendations:
IMPLEMENTATION OF VISION
• Based on the visioning workshop, develop a list of guiding
principles for the design and look of CBD I.
• Integrate these guiding design principles into bylaws and
policies to be included in the Official
Community/Development Plan for the district

9. Urban Design and Place-making
Existing Assets already in place:
• Street Design
Narrow Streets
Street Connectivity
• Compact Urban Fabric
• Lively Public Plazas, Squares and Marketplace
• Beautiful and culturally significant Heritage
Buildings

10. Narrow Streets
Compact Urban
Fabric Heritage Buildings

11. Urban Design and Place-making
•Make the CBD I as comfortable and engaging as
indoor shopping and entertainment venues
Urban design strategies for CBD I:
Raised Crosswalk
Marked Crosswalk
Sidewalk
On-Street Parking
Rehabilitation

12. Urban Design and Place-making
•Make the CBD I as comfortable
and engaging as indoor shopping
and entertainment venues
Urban design strategies for CBD I:
Street Lighting
Street Furniture Mixed-Use
Street Trees

13. Urban Design and Place-making
Place-making Strategies for CBD I:
Heritage Preservation
Vernacular Architecture
Façade
Rehabilitation

14. Urban Design and Place-making
Place-making Strategies for CBD I Continue
Neighborhood Entertainment
Public Market
Branding/Marketing District

15. Public private partnerships and
processes for implementing
revitalization strategies

16. Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT)
Public-Private Partnership (PPP)
What is it?
• Obtain Local Developers to Build Infrastructure
• Agree Upon Guaranteed Time-Space Lease
• Win-Win Situation = Good Public Amenities and
Profitable Returns for Businesses
• Re-Zoning and Re-Engineering of the Downtown
to Maximize Space
• Sustainable partnerships
• Extending economic life

17. Case Study Quezon Plaza

18. Enhancing Public Spaces and Community
Inclusively Through Collaborative Large
Scale Development Project Partnerships
In balancing business interests and the public interest,
often City officials are placed in a position to
encourage investment at the same time promote civic
interests to enhance the quality of public places and
local livelihoods.

19. Win-Win Solutions for Everyone
• Both private and public sectors have distinctive, but
potentially complementary, parts to play.
• The approach tries to maximize returns for the investor and
the City. It also presents a direct opportunity for community
members to participate in place making and ensuring that
the new development not only brings in investment, but also
meets their community's needs.

20. A Case study: Redevelopment of Oakridge
Centre Mall, Vancouver BC
Public Involvement from beginning to end…
• Consultation meetings
• Open House
• Detailed Workshop
Topics include: Use, Users, PPP community infrastructure,
Urban Form and Social Integration opportunities

21. Key Transferable Outcomes
The Developer
• The developer was allowed to rezoning to a greater capacity
than the initially zoning allowed
• A range of diversity of mixes on site to ensure expanded market niche
• A process that created support for the project vs. opposition
The City
• Increased business means an increased tax base
• Enhanced public facilities and amenities spaces such as
park/open space, daycare, seniors centre and library.
The Community
• Opportunities for the urban poor to enhance their livelihoods
though integration of local retail
• Ensured a diversity of shops and services to meet the entire
community's needs

22. Business Improvement Areas
Opportunity for Local Economic Development
and Empowering Local Businesses

23. The Traditional Business Association
Model
Traditional business association is based on voluntary
membership, and is funded primarily through
member dues and limited grants.
Business associations either have very narrow or very
broad memberships.

24. The Business Improvement Area (BIA)
Model
A “BIA” is two things:
• A Business Improvement
Area or “BIA” model is a
economically and socially
sustainable.
• A BIA is not intended to
replace existing business
organizations but to
complement their role in a
designated targeted
commercial area.

25. What are some BIA Objectives?
• To form and implement strategies to
compete with larger or stronger
markets outside BIA area; and
• To build on going partnerships and
strengthen the capacity of the local
small business community.
• And continue to improve the public
realm in their business area and build
their client base.

26. How are BIAs Managed?
• A BIA is a registered non-profit
society. The status provides a
formalized structure to administer and
implement the BIA budget and
secure additional funds.
• The BIA Board members are volunteer
based and elected by the BIA
members.
• BIA budget spending and activities
are monitored by community
members and City staff.
• Every year at the AGM, the Board
proposes a business promotion plan
and a budget that the BIA members

27. How are BIAs funded?
• A BIA is formally designated by a
municipal bylaw. This jurisdiction
allows the municipality collects
an annual special tax levy from
eligible commercial properties
within the designated boundary.
• The collected levied money is
then 100% re-directed back to
the BIA.
• The BIA levy is renewed on an
annual basis.

28. How is the Funding Fair?
• A commercial property owner’s share of the annual BIA
budget is proportionate to their share of the total taxable
property value within the BIA boundary.
Proportion of Individual's Tax Contribution Proportion of Individual's BIA
Relative to the Total Property Tax in the BIA Contribution Relative to the BIA Budget
Area
Individual
Individual
Proportion
Proportion
Total BIA
Total Property
Budget
Tax

29. What is the role of the City?
• The City can assist local business groups establish a BIA. The
City has a continued role assisting with contacts between
the BIA and City departments, facilitating the annual
funding process, and monitoring BIA expenditures.
• City Council essentially approves the annual budget and
levy fees within the defined BIA area.

30. Applying the BIA to the Naga
River Context
Naga RiverWalk Possibilities
River Walk Case Study: San Antonio, Texas: El Paseo del Rio
The Success of San Antonio:
BIA in Practice

31. San Antonio Riverwalk

32. Goals for Naga Riverwalk:
• Revitalize and Improve Competitiveness of CBD I
• Create a Site to Promote Tourism and Commerce within Naga (Long-term)
• Utilize BIA Model to Raise funds and Community Participation
• Promote Riverside Clean up and Environmental Soundness
• Create a Vibrant Nightlife and Market
• Day time Business Mid-section, Night time Business Ground Floor and
Residential Floors on Highest levels

33. Create a BIA of all Restaurants, Hotels, and
other business entities on Riverside (CBD I)
A Step-by-Step Process: Incremental Implementation
• Local Leader to Promote and Create a Quorum
• Provide Public Consultations and Promotion
• Form River Walk Association
• Incorporate into a Non-Profit
• Pass Relevant Ordinances
• Short and Long-term Plans

34. Step by Step Continued…
• Progress Review Board of both BIA and
City Staff Members
• Identify Historical, Cultural and Significant
Markers on River
• Reclaim River Easement to begin Pubic
Space Creation
• Divide into 4 sections, A Section at a time,
Begin: Examples
• Beautification
• Trail Building, Walkway and Seating
• River Clean-Up

35. Additional Details and Ideas:
Urban Revitalization
• Create a Riverwalk Website
• Create Advertising Space
• Banners and Signs for Place Identity
• Gift Shops, Local Arts and Crafts
• River Walk Tourism Office
• School Education Programs
• River Clean-up Activities

36. Tourism in the Naga Region
___________________________________________________________
Sustainable recommendations for
tourism development

37. Naga City Tourism:
Key guidelines for recommendations
• Require little immediate costly infrastructure or
substantial construction
• Include health and wellness possibilities
• Diversify economic and employment gains for
communities
• Take into account the natural assets surrounding
Naga and East Highland Tourism zone

38. Cultural Tourism
”The discovery and enjoyment of local culture coupled
with experiences of a community in a culturally genuine
way.” (Stebbins, 1996)
The tourism market is changing as travelers become more
interested in genuine cultural contact/ more personalized
trip experiences and less interested in package vacations,
situating cultural tourism at a vantage point

39. Case Studies: Tourism with cultural identity
• In Canada, the Lax'Siik Clan of the
Gitxsan in BC: travelers have the
opportunity to experience rich
cultural beauty, wildlife and be
immersed in Gitxsan culture
• In Peru, the quot;Integrated Support
Program for the Development of
Tourism in Peruquot;; Highlight active
involvement in local Peruvian
communities as the main draw.

40. Cultural Tourism & Health and Wellness
Recommendations
• Small-scale resorts or bed and breakfast type
accommodations whereby the tourist can engage with
Nagueno’s culture be developed
• That bed and breakfast type establishments develop
specific health and wellness initiatives, day or weekend
spa retreats
• That health and wellness be rebranded to include cultural
tourism and outdoor related activities
• That consortia efforts be made to connect the resources
of surrounding municipalities so that all communities
benefit
• That culture becomes the destination

41. Naga City General Recommendations
• The city website should be updated
to tap into diverse assets
• The visitor center could be
relocated to a more visible location
• Transportation could be organized
to assist tourists with accessing
outlying sites
• Promotional material could be
revisited
• That tourism in the area finds a
balance between encouraging
expansion and safeguarding culture
within optimum sustainable limits

42. Conclusions
• Planning as work in progress is a mentality that can be
exported to our own communities;
• Effective partnerships has been realized through practical
and creative participation mechanisms that work to create
win-win relationships;
• Instilling partnership as central to the relationship between
City Government and citizens, creates capital from which
both the government and citizens can come to expect
higher standards.

43. Thank you!