Seventeen for 2017

Quoting Michele Obama, “It has been an eventful and painful year.” The New Year, however, starts tomorrow and it brings new hope. I will continue with my series on Philippine plazas and parks in January of 2017. We need to carry on with documenting and conserving all our public spaces and green oases. This is to counter the detrimental effects of the lack of planning and uncontrolled urban development.

An adjunct to this and the subject of my last article this year is the conservation of key structures and sites of heritage. I focus on Manila’s endangered buildings and spaces, since the threats of demolition or redevelopment are greatest here:

1. The Rizal Memorial Sports Complex: I wrote about this recently. The four heritage stadia and their associated playing fields need to be spared the wrecking ball. Manilans need this recreational facilities and the RMSC provides both an oasis of green as well as refuge in calamities in a city where both are disappearing fast.

2. The Manila Zoo and the Harrison District: The animals need to be moved to a better facility and the place conserved as a botanical garden. The larger district should be recovered and turned back into a park, as was its original zoning.

3. The Metropolitan Theater: More support and funding should be given for the ongoing Met conservation led by the NCCA and Ar. Gerard Lico.

4. The Post Office and Liwasang Bonifacio: Related and necessary for the Met’s recovery are the redevelopment of the Liwasang Bonifacio and the adaptive re-use of the elegant Post Office (since the building is hardly used as most mail is coursed through the airport).

5. El Hogar: Binondo is full of 50-year-old and older buildings, and many, like the El Hogar are of great architectural significance. They have to be saved from the wrecking ball.

6. Escolta: Related to no. 5 is Escolta and the Sta Cruz District with the key street of Escolta needing infrastructural improvements for revitalization.

7. The Ocampo Pagoda: I recently visited this iconic folly hidden in Quiapo. It, too, must be saved.

8. Old Bilibid and the Fabella Hospital: These pre-war landmark structures are drowning in blight. It can and should be saved and adaptively re-used to help revitalize its district.

9. Rizal Park and the Photobomber: The fear is that the developers are working to reverse the hold order and proceed to completion. This would open up the entire perimeter of Rizal Park to high-rise developments in a district without the necessary transport infrastructure and one that needs conservation of historic view corridors.

10. Malacañang and the San Miguel District: I believe that the presidential residence and offices should be moved to a national government cluster (like the area beside the CCP). It would also be safer and open up the district to full development, while conserving all the heritage buildings intact as tourist attractions. Malacañang would be a great museum and arts complex. The Pasig River would also be easier to traverse since the PSG would not need to stop all traffic before travelling up or down the river.

11.  San Sebastian and its plaza: The fantastic all-steel church and its Plaza del Carmen are a national and international treasure.

12. Paco Station: This project, already started by a group led by Architect Joel Rico, needs more support. I do wonder how the conserved complex will relate to the overwhelming infrastructure of the Skyway being built in front of it.

13. University Belt/Avenida Rizal: The old Atienza initiative to pedestrianize this main artery should be brought back. Sidewalks and arcades should finally be cleared of vendors, or managed effectively to keep some but clear most for pedestrian traffic.

14. Intramuros/Rizal Park: The old walled city needs to be revived following a conservation plan that also allows for higher densities and a wider range of uses. The golf course also needs to go as the green area could and should be integrated as open space with Rizal Park.

15. Port Area: 25 hectares of the South Harbor area are up for redevelopment. This should be mixed-use and connected to Intramuros.

16. PGH, UP Padre Faura and the Ermita District: There is no vision for this district, which is being shaped by real estate development forces that will see the loss of heritage structures and the burden of many more high-rise development not supported by transport or utility infrastructure. The PGH must shed some of its units or expand elsewhere as satellites, as its site cannot accommodate any more development.

17. Roxas Boulevard: The P250-million urban design and landscape architectural makeover completed for both sides of the boulevard in the last administration are not being maintained. The dedicated bikeways are abused by motorcycles and informal settlers are coming back to live in trees and corners of the city’s most beautiful boulevard.

If we harness the force of public opinion to bring action to save all 17, the New Year will really bring new hope.

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Feedback is welcome. Please email the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.