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Improving the Design and Use of Public Parks in the Philippines

Working Paper · May 2016

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.30006.70721

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Improving the Design and Use of Public Parks in the Philippines
Rowell Ray L. Shih
A Research Proposal (Draft1)
University of San Carlos (College of Architecture and Fine Arts)
April 9, 2016

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore a methodology for the improvement of the design and usage
of public plazas in the Philippines. Most of the current public plazas in the Philippines are now
slowly becoming underutilized or ineffective as public spaces. This paper uses an ethnographic
approach to determine how these spaces work and analyze the behaviors of the users.
Furthermore, the study attempts to develop a system of indicators that can assess plaza usability
that enables designers to identify problematic plazas among the existing ones. Based on this
consideration, the results will lead us to develop a proper standard for plaza design and planning.
Additionally, this outcome will become a design principle for the improvement of the urban
plazas with a higher usability. To contextualize this proposed research framework, we will study
five (5) different urban public plazas in Cebu.

Keywords: Philippine Plaza, Urban design, Social Usability, Ethnographic Design Approach

1.0 Introduction:

There has been a debate on the nature of public spaces and what differentiates it from unpleasant
and livable (Jacobs, 1961 and Rapoport, 1977). Considerable amount of research have been done
on how to design better public spaces from a design point of view, however there have been very
few studies on what ordinary citizens want from a public space and what they recognize as good
public space (Shaftoe, 2008). In the midst of rapid urban developments and the increasing use of
social media, there has never been a time where we need public spaces to interact and socialize.
Moreover, public spaces such as parks and green spaces provide opportunities for increased
physical activity behaviors such as playing sports and walking (Kaczynski and Henderson,
2008). Urban spaces encompasses not only physical elements– buildings, streets, plazas, squares
and trees but also the people moving and acting on them (Thiel, 1996). Urban spaces are not just
spaces where people would want to have a good time, but these spaces are the heart of
democratic living (Carr et. al, 1992). Furthermore, urban spaces are important places where
people can join together to create an atmosphere and identity of community beyond the home
(Talen, 1999) as well as a venue for chance encounters that can serve to strengthen community
bonds (Langdon, 1994). Most of the public spaces in the Philippines are called plaza, which by
definition is a public square or a market that is usually found in Spain or Latin America (Curl,
2000). In the Philippines, the plaza is the most common public space which is accessible to all
members of the community and thus is of particular significance in urban design. These are open
public spaces that are typically located near buildings or structures of importance, such as a
church or a government hall. These plazas are critical but mostly unappreciated public spaces.
For decades these places have been used for political demonstrations, rallies and urban greening.
It is an important space where citizens have socialized, played, paraded, sold their merchandises
and witnessed city life. Plaza uses sometimes overlap and urban residents, designers and
planners try to include some users while excluding the others. The role of the public plazas in
twenty-first century will depend on what we want from these spaces and how we can balance
other competing spaces of interest. What was once a promenade for the wealthy and the well-
dressed, most of these plazas remain underused, empty and are socially unsustainable. There are
too many public spaces being constructed today that fail miserably. Why are these spaces
unpleasant? What are the dynamics that attract people to certain spaces? Can the urban
designers, architects and planners redesign a public space which is more engaging and inspiring
for the citizens? An abundant number of literatures have been studied on the reasons why these
spaces fail such as studies by Kaczynski (2008) that suggest lowering the traffic speeds
surrounding the access to public park usage. A study by Koohsari (2014) found that perceived
crime, traffic and aesthetics are associated with greater public use of these spaces. Zawidski
(2016) indicated that the architectural quality of a surrounding building in a plaza has a strong
positive influence on the perception and usage of public space. Nevertheless, in spite of these
studies, there is still little exploration on how residents’ behavior can affect the use of these
public spaces. By building an evidence base we can provide much needed information to urban
designers, architects and planners to provide and design better public plazas which attract the
most number of usages.

2.0 Study Background

2.1 The History of the Plaza in the Philippines

Plaza is a Spanish word related to "field" which describes an open urban public space. During the
Spanish colonial period, the Philippine towns were being laid out using the plaza complex
system (Hollnstiener, 1969). The influx of the Spanish conquistadors resulted in the imposition
of the Law of the Indies, which influenced the urban morphology of the plaza complex (Mata,
2010). Towns were divided into a grid-like pattern in which the Spanish church was the main
focal point. The church became a symbol for the new town plaza complex, it was also the most
important aspect for cultural change (Mata, 2010). The church also serves as a landmark and thus
is also the residences method of defining, comprehending and relating to their community
(Ozaeta, 2010). Clustered around the church are the convent, a municipio (government center), a
cemetery, stores, a school, a palengke (market) and some houses of the Spanish elites. The plaza
became the center of various religious activities like religious feast, catholic activities like
confessions and marriages. This also serves well in census taking and collecting taxes from the
natives as well as to render them forced labor (Funtecha, 2008). It was therefore the church’s
strong presence that influenced the over-all planning of the plaza (Corpus, 1965). To gather more
interest in the plaza, activities such as fiestas, dances, Moro-Moro shows and theatres are being
introduced by the Spanish missionaries (Gutierrez, 2000). The plaza also serves as a vital access
point and defense against marauding pirates because most of these plazas are located along the
seashores which also serve as tabuan (trading centers). Compared to its impact on South
America, the influence of the Spanish on Philippine traditions and culture was very minimal.
Spanish cultural influences were limited to a minority among the urban population (Center for
Migration Studies, 1992). The only significant impact of the Spanish colonization was more on
the economic and political aspects. When the Spanish colonizers left the country, the plazas
function and cultural dynamics went through an adamant transformation from its original
Spanish context (Mata, 2010). As the Philippines went through a political and economic
transformation under the American colony, the architecture and the urban public spaces went
through some different changes based on the urban concept fostered by Western principles. The
Americans influenced the design and style of the institutions, which were more affiliated to
Greek or Roman constructions (Tajar, 2015). As the country adopted the western method of
democracy, the urban fabric of the community likewise followed the American urban
philosophies. American urban interventions were based on the use of the automobile and this has
led to profound effects in the dynamics of the plaza complex. Thus the Philippine urban setting
that we see today are an influence of both local and western influenced brought about by the
gradual change of function and socio-cultural dynamics of the Philippines (Mata, 2010).

2.2 The Philippine Plaza Today

As the number of public spaces is being privatized, there has been a reduction of the number of
people that can meet and participate in public life (Low, 2000). Concerns such as security and
safety are also the reasons why some of these public spaces are being controlled and privatized
(Shaftoe, 2008; Kohn, 2004). The increasing privatization of public spaces restricts freedom of
speech, democracy and various political activities. The exclusion of certain activities and people
from privatized public spaces leads to segregation which leads to further erosion of democratic
rights and processes (Kohn, 2004). What do these public spaces such as plazas, the focus of this
study, mean to the Filipinos? The way the Filipinos define this public space warrants the research
of this nature. This research would therefore like to examine the following:

1. What are the indicators that make the plazas fail and other succeed?
2. What are the different causes that make a plaza under-utilized?
3. How are the urban public spaces being utilized in the urban and rural landscape?
4. What design features than can draw people to certain places?
5. Are there different patterns and behavior that can influence the success of the plaza?
6. How does our sensory experience affect plaza use?

The objectives of this research are:

1. To be able to identify the indicators why some of the plazas fail and succeed.
2. To investigate the different causes that makes a plaza under-utilized.
3. To examine how the urban public spaces are being utilized both in the urban and rural
landscape.
4. To identify the design features that can draw people to certain places.
5. To distinguish the different human patterns and behavior that can influence the success of
the plaza.
6. To be able to recognize the importance of our sensory experience that can affect the use
of the plaza.

3.0 Significance of the Research

There has been very few or limited study on the urban public spaces in the Philippines. Most of
these studies have been based on the design and policy point of view. This research will not only
deal with the design aspect of the urban space but will also study what the community wants
from these spaces. Thus, this research will attempt to use an ethnographic approach and analysis
to understand what makes a public plaza more successful than others. Through a more multi-
disciplinary approach we can learn how to make effective, functioning and livable public spaces.
The results of this study will then assist and inspire the local designers, planners, architects and
the government on making these urban spaces better. This research will be an important
contribution to the literature on the design of public plaza in the Philippine context.

This study will contribute to the existing knowledge on:

1. The value of ethnographically-inspired research approaches to public space.
2. Considers how ethnography can contribute to the improvement of the built environment.
3. Contributes to existing research on public spaces in the Philippines with particular focus
on Cebu.
4. Proposes an ethnographic framework for research to explore the urban space in the local
context.

4.0 Related Literature

William H. Whyte observed there were only a handful of plazas in New York that were
attracting people of different users and thus he saw this as a threat to urban activity. He wants to
know why some public spaces were successful while some are underutilized, cold or unused.
Whyte began to promote the importance of public spaces where people of different classes could
meet, relax and enjoy the city. This led to his personal and lifelong passion of studying the public
spaces of New York City in the 1970’s. For seven years, Whyte, together with a group of film
makers, did a film and investigated on the way people behave in public spaces. The team
recorded almost every detail: age, sex, weather, time of day, time of year, temperature, body
language, type of conversation, fountain location, bench size, bench location, railing size and all
other aspects that what he thinks affects people’s behavior in the streets. The result of his studies
is documented in the book entitled “The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces”, which was
published in 1979, drastically influences how we see the perceived urban space. This analysis of
urban spaces became the basis of his famous “guide for small urban spaces.” The study became
very useful and was later on being used as a guidebook by the New York City Planning
Department in transforming the public spaces in the city. Shaftoe (2008) pointed out that there is
no single blueprint for convivial spaces. He continues to discuss factors such as the design,
geographical location, managerial, sensual and physical elements that can influence public space.
Shaftoe added that urban design has undervalued the importance of non-visual senses, preferring
to instead concentrate exclusively on the visual aspects of a place. This is because the visual
imprint of a place is the most influential sensory experience for people with a good sight, leaving
out other important senses. We can easily define visual qualities with words and can be amplified
with drawings, maps and plans. Laundry (2006) pointed out how our sights are better articulated
because we have a rich language around physical appearance (Landry, 2006). Rasmusssen
(1959) and Madanipour (1996) agreed that one must not only see architecture visually but we
must also “sense” it and thus the importance of going beyond the appearance and start a spatial,
three dimensional experiences of urban spaces. Taylor (2008) explains the importance of the
non-visual aesthetics of a space; the pavement under our foot, the wind against our skin and the
effort of passing through a space and the different surface treatments. These experiences provide
the best sensory treatments for our urban space. A similar study by Low et al. (2005) found that
people from different ethnic backgrounds uses the public park very differently. Some residents
would play drums, play dominoes, play soccer and some would simply like to hike. Each
different cultural group uses urban space very differently and not everyone thinks alike (Low et
al., 2005). Though most studies about public space and urban behavior are of western cultures,
there have been very few studies about how the Filipinos use their urban space. Still, most of the
literatures on the Filipino urban space have tended to investigate isolated urban plazas and there
is little work done on the interactions between the Filipino users and the urban public space.
Such a study would help identify the best combination of variables that can maximize the
benefits of the urban public space.

5.0 Methodology:

Design alone cannot solve the problems that undermine a vibrant public space (Gallacher, 2005).
In order to understand these spaces, it is essential that we must gain an understanding of those
who use the space and ignore the perspective of those who control it (Inkster, 2015). Therefore
the primary research methodology in this study is ethnography, which requires the deep
understanding and comprehensive study of different cultures (Arkaraprasertkul, 2009).
Combining the methodologies of architecture and ethnography to investigate these spaces is now
widely being used (Mallory-Hill, 2012). Using the ethnographic study of the resident’s needs and
behavioral patterns, I can therefore propose an idea of a proper public plaza design development.
Moreover, I will also combine the etic and emic points of view in learning the occupants’
experiences of the urban public plaza. Through the gathered theory and research about public
spaces, hypotheses will then be formulated, determined and tested. This study will also attempt
to understand if there is a replicable formula for creating successful public spaces. The case
studies presented will be analyzed to see what is wrong with the present urban plaza and would
also determine what is right.

5.1 Research Setting:

This study is based on Five (5) different plazas located in the urban and rural areas of Cebu,
Philippines. These plazas are located in different cities and municipalities of Cebu which are
quite diverse in the terms of size, location, design and usability.

5.2 Research Instrument:

Field methods are being used in this study. The use of cameras, photographic analysis and videos
are being used to be able to examine the different behaviors and usage of the participants inside
the plaza. The key users of the plazas will be interviewed at different times of the day. An
ethnographic analysis of the users of the plaza will be done as well as casual conversations and
everyday observations that will naturally occur both inside and on the perimeters of the plaza.

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