The city government of Butuan is working together with Caraga State University to update the city’s current Comprehensive Land Use Plan by using GIS.

Butuan is a highly urbanised city located at the north-eastern part of Agusan Valley in Mindanao island. It is subdivided into 86 districts and has a population of 309,709 as per the 2010 Census.

According to Vice Mayor Lawrence Fortun, the partnership is vital for the city’s path towards sustainable development as it would help local authorities better improve its urban planning decisions.

In addition, it would also help the city government arrive at more accurate projections when quantifying damages and loss during natural calamities, allowing the city government to achieve an effective priority-setting of resources in mitigating risks during such situations.

Furthermore, once the new land use plan is made available, it will help in the preparation of the city’s disaster risk reduction plan and climate change adaptation programme.