Panama, history of population growth and its plans to be a sustainable city

1. THE CITY
OF
PANAMA
AS AN
EMERGING
COUNTRY

2. Panama City is the capital
and largest city of the
Republic of Panama.
Panama. It occupies an area
of 275 km2 in a country that
has a territorial extension of
75,517 km2 and an
estimated population of
3,322.576 inhabitants,
according to preliminary
figures of the 2010 census.
It was founded on August
15, 1519.
Panama City

3. 1606-1739
The Portobelo Faire
In colonial Panama, most of the new world's fairs were held at
the Portobello fair, an exchange of Spanish and American
products.
THE PANAMANIAN CITY HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED IN THESE
CENTURIES AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE CAPITALIST GROWTH
1855
Panama Canal Railway
The Panama Railway also operated a significant shipping line, connecting
its service with New York and San Francisco. It ran a Central American line
of steamships linking Nicaragua, Costa Rica, San Salvador, and Guatemala
to Panama City.

4. 1903
Panama Canal
the Panama Canal proved a vital component to
expanding global trade routes in the 20th century.
Between 1904 and 1913 a total of
56,307 people worked in the
construction of the Panama Canal; of
which 11,873 were from Europe;
31,071 from the Antilles; 11,000 from
the United States; and 69
unclassified. –ACP, fuerza del Canal-
“
”

5. POPULATION EVOLUTION
Populationinthousands
Canal International
French Panama Canal
Panama Canal Railway
The population growth resulted in an excessive extension of the urban
footprint, going from less than 12 thousand hectares in 1990, to more than
33 thousand at present. This uncontrolled extension of the urban
footprint, which today exceeds 80 kilometers in length, brought with it
serious urban problems, such as social segregation, difficulty in providing
quality public transportation and public services options, and construction
in areas with unmitigated risks.

7. “Currently, there is no disclosed strategic plan for the growth of Panama City; the
last one, born in the 90's that was to cover until 2020, was left without effect with
the 2007 real estate boom.” -Arch. Pablo García de Paredes, 2015-

8. SUSTAINABLE
AND
EMERGING
CITIES
INITIATIVE
• Objective is supporting medium-sized cities in
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) to meet
their sustainability challenges in the short, medium
and long term.
• The ICES program has designed, adapted and
applied its methodology in cities with populations
between 100,000 and 2 million inhabitants that
have experienced economic and demographic
growth above the average of their countries.
• This methodology is based on the 3 aspects of
sustainability (environmental, economic and
social).

9. Phase 0 – Preparation
Phase 1 - Analysis and Diagnosis
Greenhouse gas emissions
mitigation study
Study of risk and
vulnerability to natural
disasters
Analysis of growth and
expansion of the urban
footprint
PANAMA SUSTAINABLE CITY
Plan of Action
“Panamá camina: comparte la
Central”
-2018

10. Phase 2 - Prioritization
Prioritization: Public Opinion Filter
• Economic impact filter
• Environmental filter/climate change
• Multisectoral filter
• Strategic Line 1: Integrated Planning for Sustainable
Urban Growth
• Strategic Line 2: Quality Public Services
• Strategic Line 3: Modern and Efficient Management
Phase 3 - Action Plan
Phase 4 - Pre-Inversion
This is done through technical support for pre-
investment studies and the search for long-term
financing in coordination with the municipality.

11. Signaling diagram on urban and social problems of the sector - Source: Directorate of Urban Planning, Municipality
of Panama
This short-term experiment or tactical project will use color, street furniture,
art and culture to promote walkability in the sector, build identity and create
a meeting space for everyone - pedestrians, cyclists, private vehicles and
public transportation.

12. THE CURUNDÚ PROJECT IMPROVES THE LIVING CONDITIONS OF 40 FAMILIES-
2019

13. The expected population growth for Panama City implies the addition of more than 1 million
inhabitants by 2050. In this context, the city has two paths: to grow as it has been doing, or to
assume a model of intelligent, sustainable growth and modern and efficient management of urban
planning. The application of the ICES urban planning methodology constitutes an innovative
contribution and an input to facilitate this process of urban growth and development. The Action
Plan, resulting from the diagnosis, prioritization, and search for solutions, defines 3 strategic lines of
action on which Panama City should concentrate in order to approach its vision of desired growth.
LONG TERM