Long before smart cities were envisioned to be a possibility in the country, one of the Philippines’ leading real estate developers had started laying down the foundation of a smart and sustainable city in the early 1990s, designing a groundbreaking sustainable township in a sprawling 244-hectare prime property in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

This pioneering development is Filinvest City – a vision that was brought to life, thanks to the forward-looking ethos of Filinvest Alabang Inc. (FAI).

As the first and only green-certified central business district in the country, Filinvest City is awarded with a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold in Neighborhood Development Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, as well as a BERDE-Certification with a 3-star rating under the Philippine Green Building Council, Filinvest City is truly ahead of its time, seamlessly integrating life’s conveniences around nature.

Fully integrated and self-contained, the development is divided into districts with a balanced mix of developments such as residences, leisure hubs, top educational institution, and medical and wellness facilities, all within close proximity for easy walkability and safety.

“We believe that these features of Filinvest City are the main reasons its land value continues to appreciate over time. The city continues to evolve and modernize to meet the everchanging needs of people,” stated Don Ubaldo, FAI First Vice President for Townships.

Yet despite all the developments that have been achieved over the past 30 years, the improvements and innovations are not about to slow down as the township looks forward to the next three decades with even better innovations that will further enhance the quality of life of its people and the environment.

They’re already taking significant steps, beginning with the city’s security, connectivity and accessibility. For motorists, the city offers its ecological parking facility, featuring two slots of e-vehicle charging stations for public use. To involve and inspire the community to recycle, the parking area of this charging station features sustainable pavers which use far less equipment in production, Filinvest City has partnered with Green Antz to upcycle residents’ plastics into building materials that would be used for purposeful display at Filinvest City’s Central Park.

Further strengthening its commitment to sustainability, Filinvest City has installed the District Cooling System in 2017, the largest cooling facility in the Philippines that enables 16 of the city’s buildings to outsource chilled water needed to cool their interiors at Northgate Cyberzone. Filinvest City has their forthcoming upgrades to the city’s existing sewage treatment plant which will be complemented with a water re-use facility that will produce recycled potable water for the community by 2025. This initiative aims not only to facilitate safe water recycling for landscaping but also to meet cleaner water quality standards.

While in the city’s commercial developments like Festival Mall, solar panels have been operating since January 2022, a 2.8 MWp solar rooftop solution at Filinvest Land Inc.’s Festival Mall in Alabang. The intelligent system will supply about 28 percent of the mall’s peak demand and save close to 41,000 tons of CO2, an equivalent to removing approximately 9,000 cars off the roads of Metro Manila.

And since security is a key pillar of communities like Filinvest City, for better monitoring, management and recording of city activities, it has installed CCTVs in strategic locations and common areas of the city.

On top of these, as part of the city’s rapid move as a smart city is the infrastructure for connectivity to grant public access to free WIFI, allowing them to utilize the city’s service and operating systems for free. This includes the launch of FC App on December 2023. This mobile application will provide users with a wide range of features, including a comprehensive locator for businesses, parking information, transport option and routes.

For Filinvest City’s parks, many improvements are also set to happen to provide ease and better wellness for people and nature. Solar powered streetlights will soon cover the walkways of Filinvest City Central Park. Smart benches will also be provided where people can use wireless phone chargers.

“Everything we do is intentional - from the infrastructure to the amenities and creative activations around the city. They are all in place to support our move towards becoming the first smart city in the country where people and the environment can benefit from each other,” concluded Ubaldo.