This Is What Metro Manila Could Look Like If We Had Better Urban Planning and More Public Spaces
TeamManila just published their AI-generated reimagining of Pasig River, and we’re suddenly nostalgic for something that never was. In the AI images posted by TeamManila co-founder and graphic designer Jowee Alviar, Midjourney gave Metro Manila much-needed rehabilitation.
"TeamManila has always used design to inspire positive change," said Alviar to Esquire Philippines. "We tried this new AI technology to come up with a possible future for our city. The hope was to inspire people to see the possibility and demand that change in our government."
And inspire it did. The images, which invoke the feeling of “What if?”, reimagine Metro Manila’s public spaces into something that could be found in Hong Kong, Singapore, and even Vietnam.
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In these photos, green pastures replace construction sites.
Instead of highways and congested roads, the city makes room for open spaces and scenery.
There’s not a piece of litter or pollution in sight.
Filipinos are seen strolling and relaxing in public spaces instead of hurrying to beat rush hour.
Pasig River is dotted with piers and commuting ferries, and the river is clean enough to dip your toes in.
All of which are far from the reality we live in now.
The crazy thing is, the AI photos aren’t even outlandish or impossible. In fact, they’re not that hard to imagine at all. You could find similar photos of public spaces in Sydney or Mexico, but in the Philippines, these photos seem like a dream.
Because instead of building public spaces, the city is banking on massive expressways. There’s no way around it—Metro Manila is becoming a concrete jungle, and these AI-generated photos might be the closest thing Filipinos will ever get to the public spaces we deserve. But this doesn't have to be the case.
"If we keep on asking our leaders for a better city, I believe that we will see change. But we need to make them hear our request and not just wait," said Alviar.
