(Left photo) S²Cities programme Naga delegates with representatives of the Quezon City Parks Development and Administration Department and ICLEI Southeast Asia during a site visit at the Elevated Promenade connecting the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center and the Quezon Memorial Circle, July 9, 2026. (Right photo) S²Cities programme Naga delegates with representatives of the Pasig City Transportation Development and Management Office (CTDMO) and ICLEI Southeast Asia at Plaza Rizal, Pasig City, July 10, 2026.

The Safe and Sound Cities (S²Cities) programme team and local youth innovators from Naga City, Camarines Sur, Philippines engaged in learning exchanges and study tours in Quezon City, Pasig City, and the City of Manila last July 9-10, 2026. 

The S²Cities Naga delegates learned about the Quezon City Government and Pasig City Government’s strategies in planning, policymaking, and implementation of projects and programs on tactical urbanism, active mobility, placemaking, and gender equality, disability inclusion, and social inclusion (GEDSI) initiatives.

S²Cities programme Naga delegates visit Alley 100, one of the alleys along Maginhawa Street improved for pedestrians, July 9, 2026.

The Quezon City Government and Pasig City Government also shared their cities’ respective active mobility initiatives and experiences in the Sparking Active Mobility Actions for Climate-friendly Cities (SPARK) Project. 

Implemented by ICLEI Southeast Asia and the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) in partnership with the Quezon City Government and the City Government of Pasig from 2023 to 2025, the SPARK Project explored how tactical urbanism and open data can be leveraged to address urban mobility challenges through participatory planning and data-driven decision-making to improve pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure.

S²Cities programme Naga delegates visit Tomas Morato Avenue, the site of Quezon City’s Car-free Sundays initiative, July 9, 2026.

The local youth innovators from Naga City—whose projects received funding from the S²Cities programme for winning the second Youth Innovation Fellowship of S²Cities Naga—found the cities’ SPARK Project learnings and outcomes relevant as they also shared their own experiences implementing their projects, specifically in stakeholder engagement, coordinating with government offices, and data gathering for monitoring and evaluation.

The Quezon City Government Gender and Development Council Office also shared its gender-responsive initiatives aimed at making the city safer and more inclusive for the queer community. Among the initiatives shared is the Right to Care Card, which was the first program of its kind implemented in the Philippines by the Quezon City Government. 

Jhelai Pasco, Project Officer of the Quezon City Government Gender and Development Council Office, introduces the city’s gender-responsive initiatives for the LGBTQIA+ community, July 9, 2026 at the Quezon City Meeting, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (M.I.C.E.) Center.

From civil society, representatives of the Make it Safer Movement (MISMO) shared insights from the SPARK Project during the learning exchange with Quezon City; while representatives from the Abot-Kamay ng mga may Kapansanan Ang Pag-unlad ng Pasigueño (AKKAPP Pasig Federation), a persons with disabilities (PWDs) federation of Pasig City, joined the learning exchange with Pasig City. Both organizations were key local community partners during the SPARK Project’s implementation.

Engr. Jhon Rhandy B. Cabanes (center), Pasig CTDMO head, shares the city’s learnings and outcomes from the SPARK Project, July 10, 2026 at the Temporary Pasig City Hall.

Study tours

The learning exchange included site visits to the cities’ various projects that intend to create safer, greener, and more accessible public spaces.

In Quezon City, local government staff from the Office of the City Administrator, Traffic and Transport Management Department, Parks Development and Administration Department, Department of Public Order and Safety-Green Transport Division, and City Planning and Development Department led the study tour to show the city’s projects at Maginhawa Street, Tomas Morato Avenue, and the Quezon Memorial Circle and Elliptical Road.

Meanwhile, in Pasig City, the City Transportation Development and Management Office (CTDMO) led the tour to show the city’s improved bike lanes at the Doña Julia Vargas Avenue and A. Mabini Street; bike boxes at the A. Mabini Street; and the Maybunga Rainforest Park.

S²Cities programme Naga delegates visit Doña Julia Vargas Avenue to see Pasig City’s improved bike lanes, July 10, 2026.

More learnings on placemaking and community mapping were shared during a guided queer heritage tour in Malate, Manila, led by Ysa Peñas, a conservation architect and lecturer.

Ar. Ysa Peñas leads the guided queer heritage tour in Malate, Manila with the S²Cities programme Naga delegates, July 10, 2026.

The learning exchange was organized under the S²Cities programme Naga in collaboration with WeSolve Foundation, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability Southeast Asia, Quezon City Government, and Pasig City Government.

With support from the City Government of Naga, the youth innovators continue to implement their winning projects to improve safety and well-being in their communities: “Street Tactics,” a tactical urbanism project that aims to transform a vehicle-dominated road into a safer, people- and pedestrian-centric street; and “Sárigan sa Kalye,” which aims to establish mobile and accessible safe spaces for the queer community through modular, collapsible booths that provide a variety of services on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), ranging from health clinics to cultural exhibits.

S²Cities is a global programme led by the Global Infrastructure Basel (GIB) Foundation, hosted by the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation, with the support of Fondation Botnar. It aims to improve young people’s safety and well-being in urban environments.

In the Philippines, S²Cities is currently in its second phase of implementation in the cities of Baguio and Naga. ICLEI SEA supports the S²Cities’ implementation in the Philippines by facilitating engagements with local governments.

S²Cities programme Naga delegates visit A. Mabini Street to see how the painted bike lanes from the SPARK Project were maintained, July 10, 2026.

S²Cities programme Naga delegates on a guided queer heritage tour in Malate, Manila led by Ar. Ysa Peñas, July 10, 2026.