A significant philosophical approach of the Dream Plan is to redirect the Manila-centered spatial orientation of the metropolitan area and turn it into a network of carefully planned urban centers arranged on a north–south axis. This hopes to correct the current radial pattern of metropolitan development, which encourages settlement in the high flood-risk zones on the east and west and in the high quake-risk zones on the east of the present metropolis. Specifically, this means • Restricting further urban expansion in the Marikina Valley, defining the mountains of Rizal and the shore of
Laguna de Bay as an eco-zone on the east side of the Greater Capital Region; • Restricting further urban expansion along the northern and southern coasts of manila bay, retaining only the existing port area as a transportation hub, effectively making Manila bay another eco-zone, this time on the west side of the Greater Capital Region; • Controlling urban expansion using careful planning of new urban centers to the south of Manila, with a hierarchical development strategy in mind. All this would have to be connected via highly efficient transport backbones - envisioned by the dream plan as a "ladder form" structure, which would overlay high capacity expressway and railway networks over the existing radial-circumferential highway system of the current metropolitan area.
Greater Capital Region This strategy expands the metropolitan area into what the plan refers to as a "Greater Capital Region" (GCR), which would incorporate the present National Capital Region (NCR), Region III (Central Luzon), and Region IV-A (Calabarzon).
Controlled creation of new urban centers Instead of being centered solely on the
City of Manila, the Dream Plan proposes that the new system move towards new centers of economic growth connected via an efficient high capacity high quality transport backbone. This would be defined by five growth center clusters: The existing Metro Manila cluster, a North Regional Growth Center based on gateway sea and airports in Region III, a South Regional Growth Center based on gateway seaports in Region IV-A, a two sub-regional growth centers to the immediate north and immediate south of the Manila cluster, respectively.
Metro Manila The Metro Manila cluster would be formed by the existing NCR, plus nearby urban centers such as
Antipolo,
Bacoor, and
Imus. Efforts in this particular cluster would focus on inner city redevelopment or revitalization, and the rehabilitation of disaster prone areas.
North Regional Growth Center (Subic-Clark-Tarlac) The North Regional Growth Center cluster would be formed primarily by the
Subic-
Clark-
Tarlac urban areas to the west, and then secondarily by urban centers of
Cabanatuan and
Gapan to the east. Development in this cluster would be centered on the new Clark Green City, the gateway seaport at Subic, and
Clark International Airport. Additional urban centers identified in this cluster include Tarlac City in
Tarlac,
San Fernando and
Lubao in
Pampanga, Cabanatuan and Gapan in
Nueva Ecija.
South Regional Growth Center Region (Batangas and Lucena) The South Regional Growth Center cluster would be formed by the urban centers of
Batangas City and
Lucena. Development in this cluster would be centered on gateway seaports at Batangas and Lucena. Additional urban centers identified in this cluster include
Lipa and
Tanauan in
Batangas, and
Tayabas in
Quezon.
North Sub-regional Growth Center (Bulacan) The North Sub-regional Growth Center cluster would be formed by new urban development in
Bulacan. Development efforts in this area would be focused on planned urban expansion in the form of affordable housing for informal settlers.
Malolos is projected to be the major urban core area in the Bulacan Sub-regional Growth Center, with other identified urban centers including
Baliwag,
San Jose del Monte, and
Meycauayan.
South Sub-regional Growth Center (Cavite-Laguna) The South Sub-regional Growth Center cluster would be formed by new urban development in
Cavite,
Laguna, and some parts of Batangas. Development efforts in this area would be focused on planned urban expansion in the form of affordable housing for informal settlers.
Calamba is projected to be the major urban core area in this sub-regional growth cluster, with other identified urban centers including
San Pedro,
Sta. Rosa,
Biñan,
Cabuyao, and
San Pablo in Laguna, and
Trece Martires and
Tagaytay in Cavite.
Development of new gateway ports Subic, Batangas, and Lucena Seaports When the transport backbones are in place, the dream plan calls for the cargo-handling function of Metro Manila's ports to be shifted to Subic and Batangas, which would be achieved by limiting the future expansion of the existing Manila ports and then providing incentives for shipping companies to use the Subic and Batangas ports. The dream plan also calls for the expansion of the Lucena seaport, complementing the load of the Batangas seaport.
NAIA, Clark, and New NAIA Airports The dream plan also proposes the development of two new gateway airports - one in
Clark which would serve as a gateway airport for the central and northern cluster, and a "New
NAIA" which would be based outside of the existing urban area. Before this "New NAIA" is in place, it proposes the improvement of the existing NAIA and the utilization of the Sangley point Runway. It also suggests the improvement of Clark, which would serve as an alternative to NAIA. Once the New NAIA is in place, it suggests that the current NAIA could be converted into a new central business district.
Reorienting Mega Manila's road network structure Evolving from a plan first developed in the late 1970s, Metro Manila's transport system currently follows a radial-circumferential system, with the
City of Manila at its center and with
Circumferential Road 5 (C-5) and
Circumferential Road 6 (C-6) at its outer boundaries. The Dream Plan takes the existing radial-circumferential system and proposes a ladder-form structure connecting the existing urban core with new urban centers along a north–south axis.
Existing Radial-Circumferential System The plan calls for the rehabilitation of the existing radial-circumferential system, and the completion of links in that system which for different reasons have never been built. Connections in need of completion most notably include the Pasig River connections of C3 and the southern linkages of C5 towards Cavite and the South Skyway. Major renovations most notably include those on EDSA.
Connector expressways as a north-south transport backbone The plan also calls for a transport backbone in the form of intra-city expressways that would connect NLEx with SLEx, decongesting traffic on non-toll highways in the existing metropolitan area by allowing north–south travel without having to pass through Manila streets, and by creating alternative routes for travelers who are willing to pay for faster flow of traffic. Also critical is the connection these expressways would create between the new gateway ports of the North and South Regional Growth centers proposed by the plan.
Suburban railways as a north-south transport backbone The plan also calls for a transport backbone in the form of suburban railways, which would become the primary connector between Regional Growth Centers (Metro Manila, North, and South) and the Sub-Regional Growth Centers defined by peri-urban development north and south of Manila. == 2030 Dream Plan Main Components ==