For the residents of this city of nearly 2 million, ‘informality’ is an all-encompassing, defining feature of everyday life in the capital. The most striking aspect of life in Manila, however, lies not in physical attributes but rather in the legal status of the communities living above and around these waterways. Not surprising given seasonal monsoons and tropical cyclones, Manilans often have to cope with devastating floods.

The city sits on the coast of Manila Bay at the mouth of the Pasig River it is low-lying, fairly flat in topography, and woven through with estuaries. Manila has long served as a hub connecting regional, colonial and global economies. In our urbanising world, Manila, and a few other rapidly growing world cities are not only just helpful in understanding how global cities work they are indispensable. They provide the mass labour fuelling the global service economy. Filipinos, especially residents of Manila, travel all over the world as nurses, nannies, construction workers and sailors. It serves as the headquarters to one of the fastest growing economies in the world (10th in 2017, according to the World Bank).

Yet Manila is indisputably at the centre of some of the most important urban trends of the past half-century: it is the world’s most densely populated city and continues to grow at an exponential pace. Nor would most think of the Philippine capital as a critical node in the global economy. Few would think of Manila atop a list of the 21st century’s premier cities.

Nancy Kwak is an associate professor of history at the University of California San Diego.

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