Arquiz - Public Parks and Open Spaces

• The provision of public open space is an essential component of community life
• Public open space supports a broad spectrum of activities and interaction between people and nature, and sustains critical environmental functions for the health of communities
• Along with other community services and infrastructure, public open spaces are important public assets that contribute to livable, safe and sustainable communities
• The Philippines is severely deficient in the supply of public parks and open spaces which has not been given by government the kind of attention that it deserves
• While there are laws relating to parks and public open space, these are limited in requiring the provision of additional ones to increase the existing supply
• Our unprecedented urban population growth and changing demographics are increasing the need for public open space to support a wide range of activities
• Our urban landscape is rapidly changing in keeping up with this growth while the potentials for providing for public open space before all lands are built up are not being pursued
• Increasing densities, continuing urban population growth, climate change, and resource depletion are adding further importance on the provision of public open space
• Metro Manila


  One of the most dense and rapidly growing cities in the world
• Because of the lack of planning, regulations and resources, Metro Manila is becoming increasingly congested and disconnected with nature
• People are left with very little amount of open space in Metro Manila
• Metro Manila falls well below international standards for green open space per person
• WHO recommendation


  Minimum of 9 square meter of green open space per person
• Metro Manila currently has 5 square meters of green open space per person
• To reach the WHO standard, Metro Manila will need to add 52 square kilometers of green open space, roughly the size of Manila and Makati combined
• The lack of open space is now felt in the country's other cities
• In the past 50 years, the Philippines' urban population grew over 50 million people
• By 2050, approximately 65 percent of the country's total population will be urban
• The amount of open space is not increasing commensurately with the growing urban population
• The remaining open spaces are even being built upon in the name of progress
• The Philippine Institute of Architects (PIA) submitted a recommendation on parks and open spaces for Metro Manila


  1969
• The PIA's 32-page report outlined the history and current status of open space in the metro area and stressed the need for immediate development of parks and open spaces
• No action was taken on the PIA's recommendations at that time
• The proportion of open space to every 1,000 population in Metro Manila has fallen by 75% from 0.9 to 0.2
• There have been recent activities that suggest change for the better
• The Conference of Public Space and the New Urban Agenda in February 2015 saw 37 Philippine towns and cities and 8 national agencies sign a Declaration on the Philippine Network for Public Spare
• The National Academy of Science and Technology of the Philippines (NAST-PH) proposes the formation of a National Commission for the Prevention and control of Non-Communicable Diseases
• The proposed Commission will analyze current laws, policies and programs, and create strategies to promote a healthy lifestyle, including policies on the provision of adequate open spaces to encourage greater physical activity
• According to NAST-PH, more parks, sidewalks and bike lanes are better than fun runs
• This guide is proposed to assist local communities, local government units (LGUs), real estate developers, and planners in both the private and public sectors in the planning, design and development of sustainable public open spaces
• The guide


  • Focuses on the planning and provision of land that is publicly owned and/or managed for use by the community
  • Recognizes the social, environmental, cultural, and economic contribution of open space as an essential component of liveable towns and cities
  • Provides practical planning tools and implementation strategies adapted from "best practices" in a wide range of countries, as well as from relevant local traditions
  • Encourages collaboration across a wide range of fields of expertise
  • Discusses issues and challenges that will likely need to be addressed in the planning, design, development and management of public open space

  
• It is envisaged that this guide will catalyze an evolving resource that has the capacity to strengthen the ability of the open space community-of-practice to respond to emerging challenges and improve the planning, design and provision of public open space in the Philippines
• During the Spanish Colonial Era, there have been calls for better open spaces to correct the ills and congestion brought about by Industrial Revolution
• Spain responded to these calls and initiated similar actions in the Philippines, such as the creation of Jardin Botanico and Rizal Park (Luneta)
• In the American period, plans by Daniel Burnham for Manila and Baguio were realized, creating public open spaces to provide a grand civic space, serve as a monument to the emerging global power, and offer a breathing space
• Burnham planned nine play fields and four large parks in the perimeter of Manila, totaling two-hundred hectares, but these were slowed down by a sluggish Philippine economy at the onset of WWI
• Landscape in Manila during the American period was kept simple and well maintained, with great street planting like the former Acacia trees in Taft Avenue and Fire trees in P. Burgos St.
• The Commonwealth period saw the revitalized spirit to engage on a large scale rebuilding of the country and realization of earlier plans, including plans for a new capital with roughly a thousand hectares of parks and parkways
• These plans were put on hold due to World War II, and after the war, the country was bent on rebuilding, with a new master plan designating the central part of Manila as its central park
• There are varying definitions of public open space that are used by the private sector and government agencies