Unplanned urban growth may have undesirable results, foremost of which are slum formation, traffic congestion, environmental degradation, and a decline in the quality of life. Urban planning is, thus, required to control  the combined effects of industrialization, urbanization and population increase. Such planning should be based on an understanding of the spatial changes due to urbanization. Spatial and historical information as well as stakeholders’ knowledge could be integrated in a geographical information system (GIS) to visualize urban growth trends.  Perceptions gained would guide policy for the spatial design of livelihoods, settlements, and infrastructure, while controlling, or mitigating problems related to urbanization.

Metro Manila and its suburbs are undergoing rapid development, which, in turn, causes serious problems related to urbanization. It becomes necessary to set a framework from a long-term perspective to help monitor and prevent adverse effects associated with urban heat. Transforming socio-economic data into spatial information and integrating them with other pertinent data into a GIS model of urban growth could provide planners with the foresight to anticipate possible problems related with urbanization and thus guide policy for urban design. Incorporating agriculture and/or forestry as carbon sinks in urban landscapes could be sustainable alternatives for alleviating poverty and mitigating heat stress and air pollution.

Calamba and Marikina are two city districts in Metro Manila that have been selected to conduct research on spatial complexities in the city by using a GIS model. The objectives are to establish a model on surface/ambient temperature with respect to land cover and generate surface/ambient temperature maps for the alternative scenarios developed.  The research will utilize Landsat ETM+ imagery taken in April1993 and Landsat TM imagery taken in April 2002, while  ASTER night thermal imagines using to create a model on surface temperature. Corresponding surface temperature maps will be derived from the thermal emissive band of the satellite imagery. A model will be developed to relate land cover to surface temperature. Temporal analysis of urban change will also be conducted for urban change modeling.

Further literature studies and field research will be conducted to obtain a complete grasp of urban agriculture in Metro Manila and determining its future by validating appropriate locations and policies.