Underrated Weapon
Underrated Weapon
To plan is the first step.
Singapore City, Singapore.
Chandigarh, India.
Copenhagen, Denmark.
Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Seoul, South Korea.
These are just five of the best-planned cities in the world. What’s their weapon. Urban planning.
A planned city is a well-prepared city. Urban planning has long been considered as a powerful tool in shaping cities worldwide. A well-planned city responds to the demands of economic growth without compromising the condition of the natural environment. This field is often underappreciated due to the lack of knowledge about its importance plus the bad politics on a specific country.
Planning a city is not actually new in the Philippine landscape, pre-colonial settlements have been practicing the proper planning of their town with accordance to their organizational patterns. Barangay was the term for these territory states. Usually, the town ruler’s home and social places were located at the center surrounded by households that were grouped according to their importance in the society.
The arrival of the Spanish colonials further strengthened the plan of future towns by incorporating Laws of the Indies. The church and the plaza were the main element and is a focal point in this planning law. It is then surrounded by houses and streets following a grid layout. The city is enclosed with walls. After the colonization of Spain, the America asserts its control over the country.
This is where Daniel Burnham and the City Beautiful Movement was personified in the Philippine Landscape. Main focal point in this plan was a grand plaza surrounded by wide avenues with terminating landscapes. Designs should be symmetrical with huge monumental structures. Aesthetic or beautification was the main point because for them, this improves the social and moral character of its citizen. The current Rizal Park was the only remnant of Burnham’s grand plan for Manila.
As a battleground in the Pacific theater of second world war, countless structures of utmost importance have been destroyed in the Philippines. The aftermath has put the Philippines in its worst nightmare. With the goal of rising fast from the ruins, the relocation of the seat of the Philippine president to Quezon City became the end of Burnham’s plan for Manila.
Since then, the Philippine landscape drastically grew. Without proper planning laws or codes, and bad politics, the country was fed up with poor urban plan and design up until this century.
But don’t get me wrong, there are few planning frameworks in the Philippines but are mandated and regulated by different government agencies with accordance to their field. An example would be National Economic Development Authority’s National Framework for Physical Planning for the year 2001-2030; National Integrated Protected Areas Systems Act that aides in planning and development inside, outside, near, or adjacent to a protected area; Several planning frameworks for housing developments regulated by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development.
Unlike the listed best planned cities on the first part of this paper, Philippines and its capital region, Metro Manila, has been populated with people more than it could handle. Hence, informal settlers and high unemployment and crime rates dominated the once glorious pearl of the orient. We never had our own urban planning framework nor any laws and codes to support the beautification of cities while considering the growth and sustainability.
I believe that our generation has the power to change and bring back the glorious landscape of this country. It just takes a proper politician, dedicated educator, and knowledge-hungry mentee. With this, we can respond to the demands of economy while living a sustainable way of life.
To plan is the first step.
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Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.
Photo modified by the author.