Urban Infrastructure
The upscale business district introduced mechanical assistance for pedestrian movement, installing escalators along major walkways to enhance the walking experience for office workers and residents.
Amanda Torres (staff writer)
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig —
Taguig BGC Installs Escalators for Outdoor Sidewalks
Bonifacio Global City Management unveiled the Philippines’ most ambitious pedestrian infrastructure project by installing climate-controlled escalators along major sidewalks, claiming the initiative will revolutionize urban walking experiences.
Premium Pedestrian Infrastructure
BGC Development Manager Engineer Patricia Lim demonstrated the new system along 32nd Street, where glass-enclosed escalators transport pedestrians up slight inclines while providing protection from weather and pollution. “Walking shouldn’t be work,” she explained while effortlessly ascending a 2-degree slope via mechanical assistance.
The escalator network includes stations every 200 meters along major pedestrian routes, featuring air conditioning, background music, and digital displays showing weather conditions, traffic updates, and nearby restaurant promotions. The system effectively eliminates the physical effort traditionally associated with urban walking.
Luxury Urban Mobility
Urban planning expert Dr. Ricardo Santos noted the project’s implications: “BGC is creating a pedestrian experience more similar to indoor mall environments than traditional city streets. They’re air-conditioning and mechanizing the outdoor urban experience.”
Early user Office worker Jennifer Chen described the transformed walking experience: “I no longer arrive at meetings slightly sweaty from walking in Manila heat. The escalator network keeps me climate-controlled and effortless from building to building. It’s like living inside a luxury shopping mall.”
The system includes premium escalators with leather handrails for VIP building residents, express escalators that bypass standard stops, and “scenic route” escalators that provide elevated views of BGC’s planned landscape architecture.
Maintenance costs are estimated at ?50 million annually, funded through assessments on BGC property owners who consider mechanized sidewalks essential infrastructure for maintaining the district’s luxury lifestyle branding.
Urban mobility consultants from Singapore and Dubai have visited BGC to study the escalator system as a potential model for premium pedestrian infrastructure in other global business districts.