| Baguio City, the cultural, educational, and economic center of Northern Philippines, faces significant urbanization challenges that threaten its sustainability and quality of life. These challenges are exacerbated by limitations in the city’s urban carrying capacity, and the city’s ability to support population growth, infrastructure demand, and environmental protection. The central argument is that the city has long exceeded its assimilation capacity in terms of urban road area, solid waste collection, water supply, open spaces, land for development, forests, and green covers. In the absence of any vital action, the city will be heading towards urban decay or failure to provide the necessary support to its infrastructure and social problems.Despite these challenges, the city is aiming towards Baguio 2043: A Livable, Inclusive, and Creative City. It is a framework that aims to transform Baguio into a more sustainable, inclusive, and innovative urban environment while preserving its cultural and natural heritage and transitioning to a smart city. However, based on its livability index, only one of its 128 barangays could be considered livable, and 28 barangays were found to have very high social vulnerability. Given these data, the vision remains ambitious, and any development within the city will eventually affect its neighboring municipalities.As urbanization continues to strain Baguio’s infrastructure, housing, transportation, and ecological systems, it is critical to understand the relationship between the city's development strategies and the broader regional planning efforts. It is important to allow neighboring municipalities to cope with the eventual spillover of urbanization in the Metro Baguio area. Strategic policy frameworks and strengthening regional cooperation will allow the Metro Baguio local government units to optimize the allocation of resources, develop infrastructure, and enhance sustainable urban planning while addressing the critical aspects of Baguio City’s dwindling carrying capacity. The role of a central governing agency, in this case, the Metropolitan Baguio City, La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba, and Tublay Development Authority (MBLISTTDA), is likewise crucial in ensuring a regional collaborative framework. The relationship between MBLISTTDA, Baguio City, and the component municipalities will play a pivotal role in mitigating the challenges of urbanization and ensuring that growth is managed within the sustainable limits of Metro Baguio’s infrastructure and its natural resources. |