This project was an economic study related to a broader master plan for a new satellite city outside of Manila. It is intended to relieve the pressure on the capital and serve as a new government center, back office service center, and special economic zone with a focus on agricultural processing and other industries. 

Goals of the project including fostering sustainability and resilience, to avoid some of the issues Manila faces: earthquake fault lines, rising sea levels, stormwater floods, air/water pollution, etc. which make it one of the most vulnerable cities in the world. Although Clark is also in a zone of some risk, it is believed such risks can be mitigated through proper planning and new infrastructure investments.

Every conceivable use was explored, given the scale of the project: 9450 hectares (of which 1/3 was designated developable, the rest remaining as open space and agricultural preserve). 

The site is located in a major agricultural and tourism area, along a major industrial corridor, and has access to nearby port and airport facilities that already exist (leftover from US military bases: Subic and Clark). New expressways (NLEX, SCTEX) and transit to/from Manila (PNR Northrail) are planned/under construction. There is also generally higher quality infrastructure in the area (power, water, hospitals, etc) than elsewhere.

The land is controlled by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), which as the master developer will try to manage a process similar to what it began over 25 years ago with the Bonifacio Global City Development, now the leading central business district of Manila. A public-private partnership model is being pursued to attract investment and leverage limited funds.

The target population for the city is over 1 million, and the timeframe for the project is very long-term: 50 years, based on comparable examples elsewhere. 

The scope of the work involved evaluating the prospects and economic justifications for the project. Population and employment projections were undertaken based on historic trends. Economic and industry drivers and associated value-chains/impacts were reviewed to inform the strategy. Adjusted capture rates were estimated based on government plans and investments. A recommended development program and phasing plan were provided.

This work was part of a competition winning submittal which led to a series of contracted master plan efforts. A first phase of the project is now under construction and the site was already the location of the Asian Games in 2020. 

More information can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Clark_City 

Brian Jennett led the economic and real estate portions of the study while serving as a Director of Economics + Planning at AECOM. Planning and design was completed by others and the form of the city has already changed substantially from what was proposed at the competition stage.