The EnP Board Review Series – Part 1: Why

take the exam, getting the right mindset, and

preparatory activities
 Ragene Palma September 23, 2015 11 Comments

This is the first entry on the series of board review posts. I shared here
some thoughts on taking the exam, having the proper mindset, and
some preparatory tips.
Going through the Environmental Planning Licensure Exam review was one
of my most defining experiences. I’m lucky to have had a close and
supportive circle of students, teachers, fellow UP Plano members, and alumni
from the School of Urban and Regional Planning, as well as my very
supportive family, love, and officemates who encouraged me every time I
felt drained from reading volumes of environmental laws and practicing all
those statistical planning techniques. But I can’t say the same for someone
who doesn’t have that planning circle, and who doesn’t have the resources
or guidance to review. That’s why I’m going to make a series of blog posts
that can serve as a guide for those who are planning to take the exam. 
Why take the exam?
Ask yourself this question, before anything else. This is what will drive you to
study and learn as much as you can during the review.

When I was in PRC, about to submit my file for the book of registry of
professionals, the person next to me, who had just passed the real estate
broker exam, asked if the EnP exam was easy, and if he could take it without
studying. I was taken aback at that time, but it dawned on me that some
people choose to gather licenses for higher credentials or to lead them to
covering a whole range of documents they could sign by themselves in their
respective businesses. That’s up to you, if you’re into selling lots and
developing estates. But holding the title of an EnP has a much bigger
responsibility than just selling and profiting from condominiums and
residential units. It entails understanding of the law,
appreciating environmental conservation and protection, studying
international- to local-scale spatial plans and frameworks, working for
general welfare, and looking into the complexity of human behaviour. An
CLUP or CDP that you will sign will determine the development or the
downfall of entire cities or regions. You will have to master process flows of
assessments. Those responsibilities are things you have to understand
throughout your review process. Once you understand that, then you would
know if you’re up to taking the exam or not. If you’re willing to be
responsible for big things ahead, congratulations on taking the challenge.

Set your mindset
This is equally important with having to know why you’re taking the exam.
You have to have a determined mindset. You will encounter many moments
of doubt and discouragement in your review period because of the exam’s
scope, which seems like a whole universe in itself, and your mindset is what
will hold you together. What worked for me was Nike’s slogan:

Source: http://business.lesechos.fr/images/2013/09/19/9144_1379593355_nike-
slogan-just-do-it.jpg
If you’re not a reader, you might rant about heavy reading. If you’re not a
math person, you might get discouraged by planning techniques and
statistics in projections and transportation basics. Keep going. Push. Get
excited to learn, instead of thinking you’re doing something dreadfully
frightening. Move forward. Just do it. You can do it.

First things first

There are things you have to work on before your review. Some things that
helped me get things in place:

o Set your timeline. You have to review ahead. I started reading leisurely six
months ahead of the exam, but with my many work trips, field work, and
multiple meetings, the six months became, in actuality, a little bit more than a
month. If you’re a newbie in planning (masteral freshie or a planning officer but
with no educational planning background) or you’ll have to read books and
reference materials for the first time, setting your review timeline at six months
or more before the exam will give you enough time to read leisurely and take a
second or third look at your books. That’s if you’re taking a leave. But if you’re
combining your review time with other engagements, such as work and school,
like what I did, set it earlier, because you’ll always face emergencies and
distractions that will force you to deviate from your study schedule. Remember,
this is your board exam, not an entrance test, and not a school test which you
might be used to taking with overnight cramming. Your board exam will help
determine on your being a professional. Take it seriously. And again, it’s just
right thing to do if you’re going to prepare properly.
o Set a study schedule. This will help train your mind on studying every day.
Do what has worked for you in the past. If you’re a student, you can allot extra
time to your current study schedule, and plot out your study topics. If you’re
working and/or studying at the same time, you’ll have to make an effort to insert
study time into your busy schedule. In my experience, early mornings, lunch
breaks and evenings, as well as weekends, were dedicated to studying.
o Choose your study places well. Find your comfort spots that are
conducive to studying. Choose places which have less distractions. Coffee shops
will do, since these provide an internet connection, which is very helpful when
you’re researching about different topics, and you get to concentrate. The
library is a good choice as well. Your own bedroom could also make some room
for your review, since you can stick review notes and posters all you want on
your walls, and you can easily grab resource books and reviewers, but make
sure to have a comforable chair and wide table because you might end up
craving for the bed, which is the ultimate source of comfort when you’re tired
from reading or when your back is aching. But you should sleep too, to get your
brain recharged.
o Keep healthy. Speaking of having a recharged brain, you have to keep
yourself healthy. As cliche and basic as this sounds, this is still in the preparatory
list because it’s so easy to skip your running habits and resorting to coffee
overdose when reviewing. Remember, when you’re down, it’s no good. You
wouldn’t be able to concentrate and it will take a toll on your stress levels. Get
enough rest, and eat the right food to keep your brain at maximum power.
o Get organised. With the numerous laws, books, guidebooks, notes and
presentations that you’ll be using, you’ll might have the tendency to get
scattered or forget which resource you read about a particular topic. It will be
helpful to separate your work documents and novels from your review materials.
It will also be very helpful to have filers if you’re going to compile journals and
presentations. Keep a shelf row for your review books. Use tabs, sticky notes,
and highlighters close to your study table. A notebook where you dump all your
thoughts would also help, just so you don’t forget your eureka realisations. When
I was reviewing, my whole bedroom was “wallpapered” with poster-sized
flowcharts, sketches, and measurements. The only uncovered areas were my
ceiling, windows, and the floor.

o Take care of your posture. Heavy reading hurts beyond the eyes and
brain. Stay up in a sitting position, you get back and neck pains, lie down and
you fall asleep. What can work is a book stand (the one where the Bible is placed
when on top of the mass altar), so you don’t have to stoop and strain your neck.
Also get a comfortable chair.
o Have a study buddy or study group. Although concentration is the key,
conversing with people who are on the same boat as you are in will keep you
encouraged, and will be your hotline if you want to discuss a topic or if you’ve
 suddenly gone blank and had forgotten this study topic you’ve already gone
through. Choose your study buddies or study group well.
o Talk to board passers. They’ve been there and done that. Ask them to
relay their experience and ask for their advice. Don’t be shy on asking questions
or giving clarifications, even if you think they’re too basic, and even if you know
you’ve covered them in your URP core courses. It’s the way you learn and
understand what you need to know.
o Schedule your review sessions. Review sessions are helpful especially
when you’re finding difficulty in comprehending a topic because you only know it
by theory or you haven’t encountered it in the past. They also give you the
convenience of having a structured program, which you can use as your guide in
covering the many topics. The review sessions I’m familiar with are the ones
conducted by UP Plano and Ecopolis. UP Plano taps the most recent board exam
passers to lecture about the exam coverage, and charges a minimal fee to cover
the venue rental expenses of the coaching sessions. Last year, a total of six
sessions were conducted every other Saturday for two months, where
participants were charged at PhP100 per person, per session. Ecopolis, on the
other hand, is conducted by consultants and long-term professionals in the
urban planning field. Their sessions are held on four consecutive days on a
whole day schedule, and charge participants a total of (at least) PhP8,000 per
head for the entire review course, inclusive of snacks. Both provide a
comprehensive scope of topics, provide their attendees with review materials
and application documents, conduct Q&A for session clarifications and mock
exams, and give tips on taking the boards. In my experience, I attended the UP
Plano sessions (being the organization’s Vice Chair for Internal Affairs at that
time), and I found the lectures and discussions very stimulating. Friends who
have attended the Ecopolis sessions also gave good feedback and described
their review there as very comprehensive.

The EnP Board Review Series – Part 2: Exam

overview
This is the second part of my board review blog series. Here, I’m giving
an overview of the board exam.

Now that we’ve set your mindset and listed down your preparatory activities, you’ll want
to know more about the exam.

Schedule
The Environmental Planning Licensure Exam is held by the Professional Regulation
Commission in June. Check out the PRC announcements for the exact dates. The
boards are held once a year, and are held on weekdays. The exam lasts two whole
days. It is usually held in Manila, Cebu, Legazpi, and Davao. I took mine in Manila, and
our venue was the Manuel L. Quezon University (MLQU). 
Exam Type
The EnP board exam is written, and there are no practical parts, such as mapping or
drawing. It is a multiple choice type of exam, where you have to shade the one correct
answer out of four choices.

Coverage
There are three subjects covered by the exam, namely:

1. Planning history, concepts, theories, and principles (3 hours)

2. Planning processes, techniques, and strategies (6 hours)
3. Environmental plan implementation, legal aspect, and administration (4
hours)
I’ll be covering these in more detail in my next blog posts.

Tips
Although PRC will be handing out the details and checklist of things to bring upon your
application, I’ll share my experience so you get to visualise your exam day beforehand.

When I took the exam, the second topic (processes) was given on the first day, while
topics 1 (history) and 3 (implementation) were given on the second day. The six-hour
exam did not have any lunch break, so if you get the same schedule, be prepared. Eat a
regular breakfast and don’t drink too much, because even if examinees are allowed to
have restroom breaks, proctors strictly have to accompany you to the comfort room to
ensure compliance to no-cheating procedures. Snacks are allowed during the exam.

Examinees have to wear a white polo or blouse. For men, the polo should be tucked in.
Pockets are turned out and inspected by proctors before the exam starts.

Checklist of things to bring

A checklist is also provided by PRC, but I’m writing it here as well:

1. Exam permit. This is a one-page sheet given by PRC upon application.  

2. ID.
3. Pencils. You can bring about two to three. I brought Monggol #2. Sharpen all
your pencils before every exam.
4. Sharpener.  Keep it close, it comes in handy, especially during math
questions.
5. Eraser. But please, as much as possible, do not erase. You can write on your
questionnaires and scratch papers, just transfer your answers afterwards. Why?
The answer sheets are checked by machines, so erasures give a 50-50 correct-
 wrong chance, or can be read by the machine as a double answer, making your
answer invalid.
6. Black ballpen. This is used for filling up your basic details and your sworn
statement before the exam.
7. Brown envelope. You’ll be submitting this to the proctors, this is where they
are going to keep your exam answer sheets for the second day.
8. Non-programmable calculator. I brought a scientific calculator, which was
allowed. Proctors may reset them to ensure that there are no programmed
formulas.
9. Packed lunch, snacks and drinks. Place these in a plastic bag. Proctors
will ask you to place these in front of you, and the plastic bags will be checked
and left opened. I brought chocolates and water. You can also bring a
sandwich for the six-hour exam as a snack. During my time, a lunch break was
given between subjects 1 and 3 on the second day, so you can also bring packed
lunch. In MLQU, a canteen was open and sold rice meals, but since all the
examinees flocked there during the given lunch break, you’ll have to wait in a
long line and there might be shortage on bottled drinks.
All your things should be in a transparent plastic envelope. Reviewers are not allowed
inside the exam room. You can bring bags, but you have to leave them on a separate
area inside your exam room.

A lot of vendors were present outside MLQU, selling pentel pens, calculators, pencils
and white polo shirts to examinees. Pentel pens aren’t really needed, but you can bring
one or use your ballpen to label your brown envelope.

For the ladies, it’s useful to tie your hair, clip your bangs or wear a headband so you
don’t get distracted during the exam.

When I took the exam, the air conditioning of our exam room was faulty, so we had to
whip out our hand fans. You might want to bring a fan when you take the exam, just in
case that happens, but since the standard venue has air conditioning, also make sure to
bring a light jacket.

The EnP Board Review Series – Part 3: Your

application
This is the third part of my EnP board review series. This is where I’m
going to help you get through your application.
Now that you’ve visualised the exam days and you know what’s coming, let’s have a
walk through of your board application process and the documents needed.

Eligibility check
Before going through your application process, you have to know whether you’re eligible
or not to take the exam. RA 10587, Section 18 discusses this, but for  convenience, I’m
putting the content right here
SEC. 18. Qualifications for Taking the Examination. – Any person
applying to take the licensure examination as herein provided shall
establish to the satisfaction of the Board that he/she has the following
qualifications:

(a) A citizen of the Philippines or a foreign citizen whose country or

State has a policy on reciprocity in the practice of the profession;

(b) A holder of any of the following degrees from schools, colleges or

universities duly recognized and accredited by the CHED:

1. A graduate in environmental planning, urban/city and regional

planning, or town and country planning or its equivalent;

2. A Post-Graduate Diploma in Environmental Planning, city and

regional planning or its equivalent, and with at least one (1) year of on-
the-job training as required herein;

3. A Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Planning, city planning or

urban and regional planning, or town and country planning, or its
equivalent, and with two (2) years of on-the-job training as required
herein;

4. A masters or doctorate degree in either architecture, engineering,

ecology, economics, geography, geology, public administration,
business administration, sociology, social science, law, environmental
science, environmental management, development management,
natural resources planning and development, and related disciplines
acceptable to the Board, and with three (3) years of on-the-job training
as required herein: Provided, That a person falling under this
paragraph shall be allowed to take the licensure examination only
within the next five (5) years from the effectivity of this Act;

5. A bachelor’s degree in architecture, engineering, economics, public

administration, law, social work and community development or
sociology and other related disciplines acceptable to the Board and
with five (5) years of on-the-job training as required
herein: Provided, That a person falling under this paragraph shall be
allowed to take the licensure examination only within the next five (5)
years from the effectivity of this Act; and
6. Incumbent holders of planning positions in the national, regional or
local government offices or agencies including government-owned and
-controlled corporations and have been engaged in development
planning functions acceptable to the Board: Provided, That they are
holders of professional civil service eligibility and they have undergone
at least eighty (80) hours of in-service training or distance learning in
developmental planning from a government agency, school or
institution recognized by proper authorities: Provided, further, That a
person falling under this paragraph may be allowed to take the
licensure examination only within the next five (5) years after the
effectivity of this Act.

(c) Of good moral character; and

(d) Not convicted of an offense involving moral turpitude by a court of

competent jurisdiction.

The on-the-job training required in this section shall be undertaken

under the supervision of a registered and licensed environmental
planner or the applicant’s immediate supervisor in an agency or
organization acceptable to the Board, which is engaged or involved in
environmental planning functions or programs.
It’s best to review the whole law so you know the scope and details of the EnP
profession. You’re going to go through this during the review anyway.

Filing period
Since the EnP Licensure Exam is in June, the filing period is usually around April to
May, and has a duration of about a month. Double check with PRC from time to time for
announcements of the filing period.

Application Form
There are two ways to file your application in PRC: manually or online. Manually, you
have to secure the printed application form from PRC or download the e-copy. This is
what it looks like:
Printed application form.
Source: http://image.slidesharecdn.com/applicationformprc-131015071127-
phpapp01/95/applicationform-prc-1-638.jpg?cb=1381821117
You can also file your application online at the official PRC application page. This is
what the system looks like:

Source: http://www.prc.gov.ph/online/application/apply.aspx
If you choose to use the online application, you will still have to fill out a few more
details when your form is printed in PRC, because you’ll stilnol have to sign, attach your
photo and stamp, and they’ll have to make sure you’ve paid your fees. But online gives
your the convenience and makes your application process faster.

Submission of applications should be made within the filing period, because otherwise,
PRC might not accept the documents. In the online system, it is impossible to fill up the
form if you’re applying outside the filing period. The date and place of examination will
not be available, as seen in the image above.

Checklist of requirements
There are quite a lot of documents needed for your application. PRC will be providing
the official list, but again, here it is anyway, so you can prepare earlier:
o NSO birth certificate on security paper
o NSO marriage certificate on security paper (for married women)
o Transcript of Records (TOR) with a scanned passport-sized ID and the
remarks “For board examination purposes.” Since all of my records are in UP
Diliman, I got my TOR from the Office of the University Registrar for PhP300.00.
The processing time is ten working days or two weeks.
o NBI Clearance
o Four pieces of coloured passport ID photos with your full name on the photo
tag. Since this is the photo that will be printed on your PRC ID when you pass,
make sure you’re okay with how you look like in the photos that you will use.
o Community tax certificate (CTC) or cedula. This can be sourced from your
barangay or city / municipal hall.
o Any valid ID
o Three certificates of experience. In this certificate, you will outline the details
and timeframe of all your experiences related to environmental planning. This
will be signed off by your immediate supervisor, your professor, or other
environmental planners you’ve worked with. Upon accomplishment, have your
certificates notarised. This is what it looks like:

Certificate of Experience
o Certificate of employment. You can get this from your office’s human
resource department.
o Certification of good moral character. You can get this from your employer,
your school, your barangay, or any organization you’re currently affiliated with,
and is willing to certify your good character.
Make sure you have both the original and photocopies of each required document.
Keep them in an envelope to be organised.

Application process
Once you’ve accomplished all the forms and compiled all the application requirements,
it’s time to file your application. Try to file in the early or middle part of your filing period
because if ever there are complications or clarifications in your application, there will still
be time to address these.

Try to go as early as possible to PRC when you file. This is because you’ll be with so
many other applicants for all the other board exams. In my experience, 5:30 AM was too
early, but come 6AM, there was already a long line. Buy your stamps and official
envelopes inside PRC, from the official source. Stamps are at PhP25.00 each.
Afterwards, proceed to the third floor for the application process.
There are signs on all the windows indicating the steps throughout the application
procedure. Step 1 is where you drop one photo into a box. Step 2 is waiting for the staff
to call your name, verifying your exam’s filing period, and initially checking your
documents. This is where the famous EnP Jun Torres comes in for Step 3. He’s
probably the only one with the know-how and knowledge of the EnP board exam
requirements. When I met him, EnP Jun was actually very nice and loved to talk, but
sometimes he’s got too much work on his table, so just be very courteous and friendly.
He’ll be assisting you throughout the application process. Give him your application
documents (except the envelope, which you have to bring during exam day), and he’ll
advise what you need to do–attach the stamps, stick the photos, and pay your
application fee at the cashier. Step 4 is payment, and the fee is PhP900.00. Once
you’re paid, get your receipt and you’ll be given a slip with a number, so you can call
PRC to check if the Board has already approved of your application, and if you’ll be
allowed to take the exam. The announcement is about a week’s time.

There are cases wherein the board disapproves applications, and I was one of the five
unlucky ones in our batch to get this feedback. My disapproval was due to my
undergraduate course being BS Tourism, which is not included in the related courses. I
had to submit a letter appealing for reconsideration to the Board and wait one more
week for them to evaluate my documents, and after that, I was allowed to take the
exam.

Once you get your notification that you’ve been approved, you can go back to PRC and
retrieve your exam permit. This is a one-sheet permit where your examinee number is,
and where your schedule for the exam will be. Keep your permit, do not lose
it. You will also be given instructions, a checklist of things to bring, and other
reminders. Yup, these are what I wrote in Part 2.

Filing your application gives you the finality of your decision to take the exam. It’s as if
someone’s telling you, “There’s no turning back.” But hey, you made a brave decision

The EnP Board Review Series – Part 4: Exam

expectations

This is the fourth part of my board review series. Since the EnP boards
are very hyped, I’m sharing things as clearly as possible in this post.
There’s quite a lot of talk on the EnP board exam. Many say that it’s the most
difficult exam, because planning is an art itself and is not absolute. Even
some lawyers who have taken the exam have said that it was even more
difficult than their bar exam. Passers and SURP alumni repeatedly say that
you can never really prepare enough for it.

I’m going to go with the third one (because I’m not a lawyer and I haven’t
taken any other board exam): you can never really prepare enough for
it. 
How so? Several things: 
o Too focused on details instead of looking at the essence. This is when a
question that is too particular comes up from a recommended reading, but it’s
something you did read through but need not have memorised, because it was
supposedly the gist of the article that was needed.
o Subjective questions. These come in “double multiple” choices, which are
subjective given different cases, so in the exam, you make your own
assumptions and create your own situations, since the context is not given.
o Questions outside the Philippine setting. Something like the geographic
nature of somewhere in the United States, which isn’t really familiar to most of
us in the Philippines.
o Questions where all answers can be correct given different justifications, but
are not detailed in the choices. Again, there’s a lack of context. If you have the
choice “All of the above,” then good for you, but it’s difficult when different
voices debate inside your brain and there’s no one right answer for you.
o Law numbers. This is something I’ve long said to be irrelevant, because law
numbers are only there for reference. Also, this forces you to blindly memorise
the laws by number, which I believe to be inefficient, because memorising a
hundred of them and retaining only ten in the next few months seems useless.
But since this gives you extra points if you get them correctly, go ahead and
memorise. In my case, repeatedly reading the laws made the numbers stick. Oh,
and by the way, the article numbers also come up. Same comments, same
advice.
o Questions on repealed laws. Given that our laws and guidebooks are
updated, some questions still look at the old versions of the policies. So when
you review, don’t just review the newest laws, also take a look at how the laws
evolved through the decades. This is actually helpful in looking at the trends and
changes that influenced planning in the Philippines throughout the years, but it
takes a lot of patience to research and read through all of them and study the
differences, which are sometimes just a paragraph or two.
o Too wide a range of topics for coverage. There are 150-200 questions per
exam subject, and the topic changes every two to three questions, which means
you cover too many topics in one subject. For example, Daniel Burnham covers
questions 1-3, by question 4, it’s already about politics, and move down another
question, and you’re supposed to think of logarithmic frames.
And there was a wrong math set given during our exam, which caused us
confusion in solving our population projections, and cost us our precious time
in reviewing our other answers.
You’ve been warned. If you studied comprehensively but still get frustrated
because of the questions that come up, welcome to the club. But you’ve also
got to understand where the exam is coming from. The reason it’s like that is
because it’s designed to see if you can grope at whatever strings you have,
at whatever resources you can remember and use.

And that’s actually how planning feels like in practice. You have to work with
what you have. Planning is also a little bit of everything, and is central to the
five development sectors. Think of how a C/MPDO is central to all other
offices in the local government, connected to engineering, connected to
social welfare, connected to employment, connected to education, health,
the administration, the budgeting, and all that. The exam feels like that. It
gives you how practice feels like. (And that’s why in the application
requirements, years of experience matters.)

I’m not saying it’s perfect. I believe there are a lot of flaws, and that it should
be improved for the next batches who will take it. But until that time, there’s
no use just complaining, so let’s work around it.

The best advice is for you to cover as many topics as you can. Cover all
the topics, don’t just focus on one subject and not know anything about the
others. The computer generates the questions, and what if it leaves out that
one topic you’re good at? Doom. But if you at least covered many of the
materials, you’ll have a fighting chance. Remember, even if you just read
through an article once, if you fully understood what it said, the information
will easily come back when you need it. It’s just stored in your head. So
reach out and read everything you can read for now.

The EnP Board Review Series: Part 5 – Your

planning bibles
This is the fifth part of my EnP board review series, where we start off
with the basic reading materials you’re supposed to know as a planner.
And there are three of them:

1. Rationalized Planning System in the Philippines by Ernesto Serote

2. Republic Act 7160: The Local Government Code
3. HLURB CLUP Guidebooks and Supplemental Guidelines (since this is a series
of books, it’s technically 3++ bibles)

Rationalized Planning System in the Philippines

Let’s start with the RPS, because this is the ultimate book for the exam. Believe me,
studying it doesn’t stop at the board exam. I actually carry this book to wherever I travel
for planning workshops, it stays with me in every hotel.

As Serote puts it, planning is scattered, and for me, dysfunctional, in our country.
Rationalizing the planning system brings together the principles, your baselines, the
planning process, who’s in it, what its output is, and basically, how everything
works out in Philippine planning.
What we get from the book
It lays the foundation of planning through the structure and the inevitability of local
government function, and second, it provides in detail the combined process of the two
mandated planning documents: the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and the
Comprehensive Development Plan. If you’re a SURP student or graduate, you’ve gone
through this in Plan 203, Plan 210, and Plan 210.1. Or if you work for a local
government, you may be familiar with some of the parts. But don’t be complacent. You
may have produced plans, but there’s much more to just going through the process
once or twice, or just contributing a portion of the plan.

I’m not making a book review, and I won’t write the questions or answers outright. But I
can give a guide you can refer to while reading the RPS.

Tips
o Remember that the CLUP has the four policy areas and equates to land use
categories, while the CDP follows the five development sectors. There’s a
difference.
o Take note of the tools and techniques, especially in making socio-
economic analyses (yes, Rachel Racelis’ Plan 214), these comprised the math
component when I took the exam.
o Master the urban form stereotypes in the book (yes, Plan 201). Not just the
name and drawing; understand what the forms’ growth characterises in a city
setting.

5 stereotypes from the many urban forms: Dispersed sheet, galaxy, core, star,
and radial/nucleated. Sources: Rationalised Planning System; Kevin Lynch
o Read all the success and development indicators. Don’t just breeze through
the table, even if it lasts some pages.
o Take note of who made which technique throughout the book, especially in
evaluating urban forms. Also take note of the differences per technique. You’ll
get to know Kevin Lynch, Nathaniel Lichfield, Morris Hill, and so on. (On the work
of the latter two, look up GAM and CBA.) Look them up. Even if they’re in the
 footnotes, read what they wrote. As I said, RPS is your planning bible. The gods’
contributions are already summarised here.
o The five development sectors depicted as a flower is important.
o There are references made throughout the book. While most are from the
Local Government Code (i.e. General welfare goals, the political-technical
differentiation), some come from the 1986 Constitution, while others stem from
laws and national plans like the Philippine Development Plan. After your first go
on the RPS, read the references, then go through RPS again. You’ll have more
understanding on the what’s, why’s, who’s and how’s. Remember, the more
umbrella-ish in scope and nature, the deeper the context. RPS stems mainly
from the LGC, while the LGC stems from the Constitution. Oh, and these
references also pop up in the exam.
o Remember that while the chapters of the book are read flat, its entirety is a
cycle. And it is intercrossed with larger area plans and frameworks.
o Don’t ever take the monitoring and evaluation chapter for granted.
o The mandated planning documents are the CLUP and the CDP. Take note of
the interplay with the EP, AIP, the LDIP, and ELA. These are all in the many
frameworks in different chapters of the book.
Refer to this book again, and again, and again, and again. You learn from it every time
you read it. Make a test to see if you really understand the contents. For example, make
a blank chart of the four book modules and try to fill in the planning stages and outputs.

Aside from the online DILG version, RPS has an available regular circulation copy in the
SURP Library.

The Local Government Code (RA 7160)

The annotated copy I have at home is almost 2 inches thick. But reading it a couple of
times furthered what I read from the RPS.

So, why go through the LGC? Aside from being the legal basis for local planning, the
planning functions and the justifications for the political and technical aspects of
planning are embedded in this law.

What we get from the law

Basically, we go through everything a local government is about. The whole LGC was
written to devolve the national governmental functions to the local, and the provisions
govern local. It covers provincial, city-, municipal, and barangay levels.

If you haven’t worked under a local government before (like me, I’ve only experienced
national), reading the LGC will provide you the structure and functions of the local
government. Down to what every officer in it does, what they’re responsible for, how
funds and taxes are shared and utilised, and the rationale for how the local government
is designed to tick like a well-oiled clock.

Bookmarks
I encourage you to study the whole law, but I’m going to lift the sections which are
always discussed in environmental planning. Place a stick-on on the following:

o Sections 15 to 20, because they spell out the basis of local planning
activities. Section 15 is the political and corporate nature of local government
units, Section 16 is the general welfare clause, Section 17 lists all the basic
services and facilities that should be provided (yes, read through all of them,
and it’s good to make a matrix), Section 18 is the power to generate and apply
resources (implementing development plans, levying taxes, creating revenue
sources all go here), Section 19 is eminent domain (the right to take property for
public use), and Section 20 is the reclassification of agricultural lands (15% for
HUCs, 10% for component cities and first to third class municipalities, and 5%
for fourth to sixth class municipalities).
o Sections 106-116 tackle the Local Development Council’s composition and
functions, among other related information.
o Section 130 letter r discusses municipal waters, specifying the 15 kilometer
boundary from the coastline (if water is shared by 2 municipalities, the boundary
line is equally distant from the shores).
o Section 285 discusses the allocation of IRA (internal revenue allotment) to
local government units: Provinces and cities get 23% each, municipalities get
34%, while barangays get 20%. This is dependent on a formula: 50% for
population, 25% for land area, and 25% equal sharing (meaning the balance of
the IRA is divided equally among all recipients).
o Section 384: The Barangay, Section 440: The Municipality, Section 448: The
City, Section 459: The Province. And here’s the summary for the unit creation:
Just to “clarify” the issue of HUC city income differences: Section 450 of RA 7160 states
that the average annual income of a city should be at least 20M. Section 452 states that
HUCs must have at least 50M.  BUT RA 9009 amends the LGC and specifies the
amendment on only Section 450, changing the income of a city requirement to be
100M. The question we had during our review was if the HUC would follow suit and be
required to have an income of 100M as well. The logic here is that the HUC has the
higher requirements than the component and independent component cities. So my
final answer for HUCs’ required income will be 100M. (Consult a lawyer, anyone?)
Other things you will find handy: The history of Philippine local governments. The
annotated versions of the LGC have these in the introduction (I’m copying these from
Rufus Rodriguez’ fifth edition). Let me put them here, as I almost took these for
granted during my review:
o Barangay was a settlement of 30 to 100 families and a governmental unit
o Datu was the chief of the barangay and an absolute ruler, having all three
powers of the government: legislative, executive, and judicial
o Encomienda is the granted land that dissolved the barangays, superimposed
by the Spanish government. Encomiendero collects the natives’ tributes.
o Pueblos are municipalities, headed by the gobernadorcillo
o Cabildos are cities, led by the 2 alcaldes
o Provincias  are provinces, led by the Alcalde Mayor
o Barangays became barios while dates became cabezas de barangay
o Jumping to the first Philippine republic (Aguinaldo x Mabini), the Malolos
Constitution stated “the organization and powers of the provincial and municipal
assemblies shall be governed by their respective areas,” moving away from the
Spanish-dictated local government forms
o During the Americans: Councils were instituted, and oversight by the central
government to the local units was introduced
o Prior to the LGC, there were the Revised Administrative Code, the
Decentralisation Act, the Revised Barrio Chapter, until the LGC took into effect in
1991
Tip
o Study the offices within the LGU, especially Planning and Development. Take
note of the officers, budget guidelines, functions, and main outputs per office.
With their embedded planning functions, try to link them all together. Draw a
blank hierarchy to practice.
—

Aside from the online version, copies of RA7160 (also annotated ones) are available at
National Book Store and Rex Book Store. Or you can borrow from lawyer / law student
friends.

HLURB Guidebooks
There are 3 updated CLUP guidebooks, and there’s the new supplemental guidelines
on DRR/CCA. What’s the difference with the old guidebooks? In the updated ones, we
incorporate the ridge-to-reef approach in planning, as well as the new mandated
elements of the CLUP.

While some board takers are worried about whether they should study the updated
versions or the old ones, I recommend the updated ones. For the reasons that 1) you
become up-to-date, and 2) it’s up to you to undertake a guidebook or law history trace,
but I’ll help you with that in the post that covers the reading list. The updated versions
have improved technical writing and illustrations which will aid in your study.

Difference with the RPS

So if this is about the CLUP all over again, what’s the difference with the RPS?

As the titles suggest, the RPS rationalizes the planning system, therefore it goes

beyond the CLUP, which is the sole focus of the HLURB guidebooks. Also,
while RPS has the same essence of going through the CLUP,  the HLURB guidebooks
provide a very layman friendly, step-by-step, Gantt-chart inclusive plan, ready to be
used by LGUs. It also provides a wide range of techniques, adding to Serote’s list, and
illustrates all the technical analyses which are justified by the RPS.

What we get from the guidebooks

Volume 1: The Planning Process
The HLURB has a 12-step planning process, and this process is the entirety of Volume
1.

The CLUP Process. Source: HLURB CLUP Guidebook Volume 1

This volume discusses the rationale of the CLUP from the different laws, and its linkage
to other development plans.
Hierarchy and linkage of plans. Source: HLURB
Since this volume was written to be the reference for actual workshops, you may find
this more useful when you’re doing actual facilitation. However, while it echoes the
RPS, it also provides the more detailed and systematic system of doing land use
planning. Every chapter provides an introduction, objectives, key inputs, expected
outputs from the working groups, key participants, and the substeps per all of the 12
steps in the CLUP process.

Tip
Focus on the substeps provided. It’s not necessary to memorise anything, not even the
order, because logic will guide you throughout the process. What’s important is that you
know the essence of the steps in the cycle. For example, in preparing the land use plan
(Step 7), you should know that the land demand and supply, overlay, and identification
of land uses are to be undertaken. In this regard, Step 7 would also essentially require
you to know what the land use categories are (Forestlands, Agricultural Lands, Water,
etc), and it will also require you to conduct your analysis (i.e. land use conflicts and
compatibilities).
 

Volume 2: Sectoral Analyses and Tools for Situational

Analyses
Volume 2 is a compilation of all your Plan 214 techniques and Plan 299 research
methodologies. It spans from pre-planning, analysis, to IEC. What we get:

o Sectoral studies (according to development sector, so social, economic,

etc…). These are the tools for gathering baseline data. In practice, this is what
we put in the EP. Mainly, these cover data sourcing, surveys, filling in data
tables, workshop games and activities, etc.
o Ecosystem types and how to approach them for analysis.

Horizontal Transect of Ecosystems. Source: HLURB

Issue Mapping. Source: HLURB.
o Volume 2 also provides special area studies, namely, green growth, urban
design, heritage conservation, and ancestral domains. I’ll tackle the latter two
more in the post on environmental laws.
Tips
o If you’re a fellow SURP student, this is a review of Plan 203, Plan 214, and
Plan 299. The sectoral analyses, as I said, is what you do in the EP. Therefore, an
analysis of the social sector will contain the demographics and projections
(population pyramids, cohorts) and social services (health, education, protection,
etc). Economic analysis will have the location quotient, the base economies, and
so on.
o Take note of how the most basic analyses are done. Practice the math and
stat.
 

Volume 3: Zoning Ordinance

Volume 3 basically translates your Volume 1 output, because the Zoning Ordinance is
the implementation tool of the CLUP.

What’s very useful about this guide is that it pulls together all the laws, technical
regulations, standards, and definitions you need to know before making the ZO. Per
classification, the allowable uses and building regulations are outlined. For example,
regulations in a Residential-5 (R5) Zone allows all uses from the R1-4 zones (such as
single-detached dwelling units, residential subdivisions, etc.) and the building
regulations are governed by the National Building Code and Presidential Decree
957.
Discussions on variances, exceptions, easements, buffers, green spaces, and other
mitigating measures are in this volume.

Tip: Have your copies of the environmental laws beside you when you read this volume
for quick reference.
Supplemental Guidelines on Mainstreaming DRR/CCA in
the CLUP
RA 10121 (Philippine Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Act of 2010) and RA
9729 (Climate Change Act of 2009) require the mainstreaming of disaster risk
reduction and climate change into frameworks, policies, and processes. The
supplemental guidelines were created for this purpose.
This volume is highly technical, but with the steps given, is also easy to follow. It also
provides sample tables and outputs–maps, exposure tables, adaptive capacity scores,
and the like–so you get to have a basis in practicing the methods.

The supplemental guidelines look at two main things: Climate and disaster risk, and the
formulation of a risk-sensitive land use plan. The reduction of risk (exposure to loss or
danger) is how the guidelines enhance the land use plan strategies.

Tips
o Be familiar with the technical definitions.
o Study the key information of the steps, as well as the assessment
implications.
—

What’s very handy about the HLURB guidebooks is that each chapter is formatted, so
you can easily locate the text you want to review. The basic tasks and activities per step
are all outlined, and a Gantt chart format can be used to keep the planning activities on
track.

During my time, the new guidebooks had only been released. Some were concerned on
whether they would have to read the books because the contents might not be included
in the exam. But then again, what’s the point of being called a professional planner
without knowing the official guidelines to the most basic planning output? And as they
say, knowledge is power.

As far as I know, the HLURB guidelines are only available online. If you’re planning to
print (since you will also be using this thoroughly during practice), have about a ream of
paper ready because the guidebooks are thick, except for Volume 3.
The EnP Board Review Series: Part 6A – Urban
and Regional Planning History and Principles

This is the sixth part of the EnP board review series. I’m going to
provide a timeline and discussion on urban and regional planning
history.
This lengthy part 6A post is going to cover the subject on history and principles. As
much as this is the most enjoyable part of the review (it is for me, anyway), only a mere
portion of this may crop up in the exam.

Tips
o Cluster the contributions according to their similarities, don’t memorise one
by one. It’s what I already did for this post, so you don’t go back and forth on
sudden, familiar terms.
o Repeatedly read through the timeline to appreciate the development of
urban planning.
o Names are important, dates are for reference. Works are for deeper
appreciation. Principles matter the most.
o I’m linking the names of the urbanists to the most concise biographies I can
find online. Refer to those for backgrounders, and to this post for their roles in
urban and regional planning history.
Let’s start with the Ancients.

~~~
First off: The Fertile Crescent and Ancient Egypt. These civilisations
started the spread of urbanisation. I will start with Mesopotamia, which
dates all the way back to 10,000 BC.
Mesopotamia (presently Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, Turkey, and Iran) (10,000 BC – 7th century
AD)

o Is the scope of the Tigris-Euphrates river systems. Water was the basis for

the earliest urban development.

The Fertile Crescent was called so because of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates
and their adjoining water bodies.
o A major civilisation was Sumer, and the people created 15 city-states. These
cities used water canals and stones for their boundaries, and had a temple in its
centre, dedicated to a patron god/dess.

The Ziggurat (temple) of Ur (one of the city-states) showed how religion was
very important to the early civilisations. Source: purpleteal.wordpress.com
The ancient city-state of Ur. Observe how agricultural spots are present in the
far north of the city, and that the temple and special houses for leaders, which
are the source of power, are protected inside the walls, surrounded further by a
moat. There is only a drawbridge to connect this special area to the surrounding
houses. Source: 2.bp.blogspot.com
Ancient Egypt (3,000 – 300 BC)

o The power of and respect for religion extended all the way from the earliest
of Mesopotamia all the way to the Egyptian civilisation. Ancient Egyptians
worshipped their kings as gods, and once they died and were buried, lived
forever. Thus the monumental temples, mortuaries, and tombs.
o The pyramids were constructed in capital cities, tying the power with the
largest settlements. The city of the dead is called a necropolis.
The temple of Hatsephsut (left) and the Pyramids of Giza (right) are examples of
how the ancients worshipped their buried kings. These grand tombs also
exhibited perfect symmetry. Sources: Wikipedia and cdni.condenast.co.uk
~~~

Ancient Greece spanned three centuries (8th to 6th centuries BC). It

saw the flourishing of philosophy, art, and science in Classical Greece.
Religion and politics directed movements and development during this
time.  Ancient Greece is an influence to the Roman Empire and
eventually Western Civilisation.
Hippodamus of Miletus (498-408 BC)
o “Inventor / father of formal city planning”
o Made the Hippodamian Plan or the grid city to maximise winds in the
summer and minimise them in winter. This shows his geometric, arranged style
in design
o Also worked on the Piraeus Port and Alexandria
Piraeus grid. Source: museumofthecity.org
The grid pattern was adopted worldwide. Satellite images give us appreciation:

Grids have their pros, such as the ease of mobility and administrative organization, but
are also criticised for lack of identity, and in some cases, lack of liveability. In the
book Image of the City, Kevin Lynch pointed out three observations about the grid of
Los Angeles City. To quote:
As the core of a metropolis, central Los Angeles is heavily charged with
meaning and activity, with large and presumably distinctive buildings,
and with a basic pattern: its almost regular grid of streets. Yet a
number of factors operate to result in a different, and less sharp, image
than that of Boston. First is the decentralisation of the metropolitan
region, whereby the central area is still by courtesy, “downtown,” but
there are several other basic cores to which people are oriented. The
central area has intensive shopping, but it is no longer the best
shopping, and great numbers of citizens never enter the downtown
area from one year to the next. Second the grid pattern itself is an
undifferentiated matrix, within which elements cannot always be
located with confidence. Third, the central activities are spatially
extended and shifting, a fact which dilutes their impact.
 

Plato (428-347 BC)
o In his Dialogue, Plato established one of the oldest environmental law
principles and an economic idea: The Polluter Pays Principle. It states: “If any
one internationally pollutes the water of another, whether the water of a spring,
or collected in reservoirs, either by poisonous substances, or by digging, or by
theft, let the injured party bring the cause before the wardens of the city, and
claim in writing the value of the loss; if the accused be found guilty of injuring
the water by deleterious substances, let him not only pay damages, but purify
the stream or the cistern which contains the water, in such manner as the
laws… order the purification to be made by the offender in each case.” 
o This principle is reflected in our Philippine environmental laws. For example,
in the Environmental Code (Presidential Decree 1152), Section 20 discusses
clean-up operations with regard to water pollution:
It shall be the responsibility of the polluter to contain, remove, and
clean-up water pollution incidents at his own expense. In case of his
failure to do so, the government agencies concerned shall undertake
containment, removal, and clean-up operations and expenses incurred
in said operations shall be against the persons and/or entities
responsible for such pollution.
Aristotle (384-322 BC)
o Aristotle, in his distinction of corrective and distributive justice, provided the
foundation for the concept of intergenerational equity by stating
that “Human well-being is realised only partly by satisfying whatever people’s
preferences happen to be at a particular time; it is also necessary for successive
generations to leave behind sufficient resources so that future generations are
not constrained in their preferences.” This is what is referred to as ‘for our
children’s children, and their children.’ (Source: An Introduction to Sustainable
Development)
o Intergenerational equity is an approach of the United Nations for sustainable
development, climate justice and solidarity.
~~~
The Roman Empire (29 BC – 393 AD) excelled in military science and
engineering. This is reflected in their designs and inventions, which
were built to ease transport and enhance military movement and
strategies.
The City of Rome, the Imperial City 
o The city was a military camp or castra, and had grand walls for protection
o Rectangular and grid-iron street patterns were used

Source: the-colosseum.net
o Notable infrastructure: The Forum, the Appian Way (Roman road or via
appia), the Basilica, arches, the Colosseum, and so on. The significance of all
 these infrastructure is, aside from reflecting the Roman culture and needs, these
were carried on to be used by the next civilisations, even to the present time.

o More notably, the Romans were heavily dependent on water from the Tiber

River, thus the engineered sewerage, canals, hydraulics, and the Aqueduct.

The Roman Aqueduct. Source: roman aqueducts.info

o Despite the excellence in physical planning, engineering and architecture, the
downfall of Rome came from mostly socio-political reasons. The Vikings
destroyed the Aqueduct, which cut the city’s lifeline. Religious divisions, absence
 of military discipline, murder, and citizen unrest also brought about instability
which eventually led to the fall of Rome.
~~~

The Medieval Period or the Middle Ages

Cathedral Cities
o Focal point of radial city growth was the cathedral or any similar monumental
structure
o Retained the walled city from Roman practice
o The enclosure of the cities posed problems for growing populations because
of the limited resources, epidemics, and generally unhealthy environment.
Munich, Germany on Google Maps. Notice how growth radiated from the
Frauenkirche or Cathedral of Our Dear Lady (centre). It is also “walled” if you
look at the street perimeter.
~~~

The Renaissance Period

Settlement growth during the renaissance is very similar to that of the middle ages, so it
was also radial in pattern.
Commerce was a driving factor of the renaissance period, calling for accessibility and
easier mobility. This led to the development of plans that follow the topography of an
area.
Radial growth with fingers in Venice. Take note of how the settlements conform
to topography.
The radial pattern that Venice exhibits is the star-shaped urban form. Doesn’t this look
familiar–on a 20-million population scale? But this one is a combination of star growth

and really bad sprawling. 

You can see the “fingers” of the settlements in Santa Rosa, Dasmarinas, and
Tanza (south), and in Bulacan, Rodriguez, and Binagonan (northeast).
Anyway, this star is characteristic of what Leone Battista Alberti (1404-1472) came
up with in his study of architecture. With principles from Plato and Aristotle, he
wrote the De Re Aedificatoria, which contained ten books of planning and design
principles.
As I said, the growth of commerce played an important role in the different renaissance
cities. Try to find the similarities in the following maps of Florence, St. Petersburg,
Amsterdam, and Vienna.
Paris is a hallmark in European planning, so I’m devoting a part to have a closer look
at the city.
Georges-Eugène Haussmann (1809-1891)’s work on the renovation of Paris is a
distinguishable accomplishment in planning. In his plan, the Arc de Triomphe became
the center of twelve avenues, radiating outward, connecting to the city. Baron
Haussman also assured green spaces by lining the avenues with trees and by using
pocket parks all around the city. To date, this planning design is still used for the
development of other cities, making Paris the best planned city.
Arc de Triomphe. Source: travellingandfood.com

~~~
The City Beautiful Movement (1800s to mid 1900s) emphasised beauty
and aesthetics in design. Think monuments, great and grand buildings,
parks, perfect landscapes and lakes,  and circular road systems.
Daniel Hudson Burnham (1846-1912)
o Called the Father of American City Planning
o He designed the World’s Columbian Exposition, together with Frederick Law
Olmsted and John Wellborn Root. The plan for the expo was the first
comprehensive planning document in the US.

The World’s Columbian Exposition. Source: radford.edu

o He gave the famous quote: “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir
men`s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim
high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once
recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing,
asserting itself with ever- growing insistency. Remember that our sons and
grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be
order and your beacon beauty.” 
o His plans include Chicago (the greatest feat; was described as “Paris on a
Prairie”), San Francisco, Cleveland, and locally, Manila and Baguio.

Burnham’s plans for Chicago (left), Manila (centre), and Baguio (right). Sources:
wikimedia.org and burnhampi.files.wordpress.com
Canberra, Melbourne, and Washinton DC are cities that reflect the City Beautiful
movement. Sources: edu-geography.com, central equity.com.au,
cdn.boulevards.com
Sir Ebenezer Howard (1850-1928)
o Wrote the book Garden Cities of Tomorrow. The book was first printed as
“Tomorrow: A Peaceful Path to Reform” in 1898, and was reprinted as Garden
Cities of Tomorrow in 1902. Howard addressed the population and pollution that
came about during the industrial revolution by creating garden cities.

The concept of the three magnets, an illustration of the garden city, and the
diagram of how the plan will work. Source: scodpub.wordpress.com
o Howard’s umbrella concept was to create a 5,000-acre central city of 58,000
people with 1,000-acre garden cities of 30,000 people (each) surrounding it so
that anthropogenic activities and growth would be controlled. (If 1 acre = 0.4
hectares, then the central city would be about 2,000 has. and the garden city
would be 400 has. That’s like a city as big as Marikina surrounded by garden
cities as big as UP Diliman. Those would be really dense cities.) These cities had
greens and spaces all over, and would be connected by roads and railways for
mobility. The logic behind it was the three magnets, where he gave value to
the relationship between town and country (in Philippine terms, urban and
regional areas).
o The garden city was continued by Howard’s followers, among them Sir
Raymond Unwin, who was the architect-planner for Letchworth, Sir Frederic
James Osborn, who championed garden cities, and Louis de Soissons, who was
the architect for Welwyn. Unwin also wrote the book Nothing Gained by
Overcrowding.
 

Here’s how the garden cities actually look like:

Letchworth, the first Garden City. (Hertfordshire, United Kingdom) Sources:

cashewnut.me.uk and letchworth.com

Welwyn Garden City. Sources: cashwenut.me.uk and medias.photodeck.com

London’s Greenbelt, as shown in Unwin’s plan, and together with

other greenbelts in Britain. Sources: mediaarchitecture.at, theplanner.co.uk,
and rtpilondoncalling.wordpress.com / Wikipedia. Here‘s an interesting article
that shows the greenbelt as a social space.
 

Read about the garden city movement in detail in another post by the

SCOD Public Blog.
Charles Edouard Jeanneret, known as Le Corbusier (1887-1965)
o Created the Radiant City, where he designed very heavily with cubist
aesthetics. With the objective to decongest an entire city, he sought to house 3
million people in 60-storey buildings, box-type houses, and orderly and rational
city blocks. While this plan was modernist or futuristic and very aesthetic, it was
critiqued to be socially disadvantageous and unrealistic for settlements because
there were too many standards that catered to what was only temporary. It also
became a planning paradox in the sense that congestion was being solved
by more congestion. 
o Le Corbusier also wrote the books Urbanisme and The City of Tomorrow and
Its Planning.

Le Ville Radieuse or the Radiant City. Sources: adsttc.com and

rosswolfe.wordpress.com
Between Ebenezer Howard’s garden cities and Le Corbusier’s radiant city, the former
was favored. It also paved the way for new towns, where social and community issues
were addressed. The separation of people and cars also came into play, as well as the
separation of homes from factories.

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959)

o Champion and proponent of urban decentralisation, and involved
communities in his plans
o Designed the Broadacre City, a 1,000-hectare city complete with socio-
economic amenities. This planned city included social services in the forms of
schools, trains, and museums, as well as employment in the forms of markets,
offices, nearby farms, and industrial areas. The one big criticism on this plan was
that Wright included a helicopter in it.
The Quadruple Block Plan (left) and the Broadacre City (right). Sources:
mediarchitecture.at and metropolismag.com
Henry Wright (1878-1936) and Clarence Stein (1882-1975)
o These two go together because of their plan of Radburn, a garden city in New
Jersey. Radburn was designed to separate vehicles from pedestrians. It also used
the concept of a superblock and exhibited cul-de-sacs (meaning dead ends).

Radburn’s gardens and paths. Also, the plan showing the separation of people
from cars. Sources: Wikipedia and flickr.com,
o The superblock was created by Henry Wright. This was a series of homes
surrounded by green pathways.
The superblock. The cul-de-sacs (those little circle dead-ends), the garden
walkway or “green island” in the middle, and the thoroughfares are very obvious
from this perspective. Source: pinimg.com
o Clarence Stein, on the other hand, initiated plans to produce greenbelt
resettlements all over the US. He wrote the book Toward New Towns for
America.

These are the resettlement towns with garden city themes. (Left) Sunnyside
Gardens, NJ, (centre) Chatham Village, Pittsburgh, and (right) Baldwin Hills, LA.
Sources: queensnyc.com, pittsburghartplaces.org, amoeba.com
Clarence Perry (1872-1944)
o Perry made the concept of the neighbourhood unit. Similar to the
superblock, it is bounded by major streets and caters to its community with a
church, a school and shops. This concept highly values open spaces. This unit is
very small, at only 200 sqm. up to 2 sqkm.
The neighbourhood unit. Source: Wikipedia
 

~~~

The Regional Planning Movement

Sir Patrick Geddes (1954-1932)

o Introduced the notion of region and became the Father of Regional Planning.
This came up from his being a biologist, sociologist, and geographer all at the
same time; he dissected the planning environment by analysing the
occupational activities, used observation, and combatted the gridiron tradition
with “conservative surgery”  in planning. He came up with the Valley Section,
shown below.
The Valley Section. This shows the major occupations per area. Source: spur.org

Yes, the Valley Section is exactly what we’re using in land use planning today.
That’s the ridge-to-reef transect. Source: HLURB CLUP Guidebook Vol. 1
o Also introduced the term conurbation, which means “an aggregation of
continuous network of urban communities.” Or simply, “A large area consisting
of cities that have grown so that there is very little room between them.”
(Merriam Webster) This is what it looks like:
Tel Aviv’s conurbation. Source: israel.travel
o Geddes emphasized the relationships of people and cities, thus the city-
region term.
o He also used the rational planning method of Survey Analysis
o Wrote the book Cities in Evolution
I found an online presentation all about Patrick Geddes, his works, and real life situation
of his works. Here it is:

Sir Leslie Patrick Abercrombie (1879-1957)

o Created the post-war plans for London, and combatted sprawling by
resettlement
o Made the London Country Plan (1944) and the Greater London Plan (1943)
The Abercrombie Plan. Source: thesemaphoreline.wordpress.com
If you zoom in to the legend, this is what’s written:

Read more about the Abercrombie Plan in another blog by Sam Hind at
thesemaphorline.wordpress.com.
Lewis Mumford (1895-1990)
o A historian-sociologist who studied cities and architecture
o From his 23 books, the most prominent in city planning is The City in History,
which pointed out how technology and nature could be harmonious. This also
gave the concept of an organic city and rationalised how planning has
various disciplines.
o Mumford was friends with City Beautiful advocates Frank Lloyd Wright,
Clarence Stein, and Frederic Osborn. Mumford and Wright exchanged
transatlantic letters on professional and personal matters.

One of Wright’s letters to Mumford. Source: news.rracution.com

 

Benton McKaye (1879-1975)
o Originator of the 3,500 km Appalachian Trail in the eastern US
o Was a forester and conservationist, and co-founded the Wilderness Society.
He championed regional conservationism
The Appalachian Trail extends from Georgia to Maine. It is the home to at least
2,000 plant and animal species. Millions of people take a shot at this hike-only
trail. Sources: atc.civicore.com and daveallenphotography.com
Several of our great urban thinkers were good friends and colleagues. And it was from
there that they created the Regional Planning Association of America, with
Clarence Stein as the founder. The group meticulously assessed the city, shared
knowledge and ideas, and rallied political action. The RPAA lasted ten years (1923-
1933).

The RPAA group. From left to right: Clarence Stein, Benton McKaye, Lewis
Mumford, Alexander Bing (a real estate developer), and Henry Wright.
Sources: personal.umich.edu, Wikipedia, ak-cahce.legacy.net,
boiseplanning.wordpress.com
 

The City Functional Movement

Edward Bassett (1863-1948)
o Urban planner and lawyer who was the Father of American Zoning. He was
the first to use zoning as a means of implementing land use in New York. He
wrote books about zoning.
o Also coined the term freeway and parkway
Don Arturo Soria y Mata (1844-1920)
o  Made the concept of the Linear City, which has many parallel and
specialised functions.

Ciudad Lineal. Source: Wikipedia

o The linear city gears away from the usual centric urban forms. The lines help
control the expansion of a city.
Linear growth. Source: prezi.com
Here’s a Prezi presentation on Arturio Soria y Mata and his work on the
linear city.
 

Tony Garnier (1869-1948)
o Followed Soria y Mata’s linear city and created the concept of a
linear, industrial city. He envisioned the plan to cater to 35,000 residents, and
followed the principles of function, greeneries, open space, and exposure to the
sunlight.
o The industrial city is linked by circular patterns
o He also already used the concept of zoning and labeled spaces into leisure,
industry, work, and transport.

Une Cite Industrielle. Sources: aria.archi.fr and s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com

Thomas Adams (1871-1940)
o As an architect, he worked primarily on low-density residences or garden
suburbs
o Founded the British Town Planning Institute, became the Town Planning
Advisor to the Local Government Board, then moved to Canada and yet again
became an adviser to the Commission of Conservation
o Wrote the book Rural Planning and Development
o Pushed for planning legislation by mandate, local plans, zoning, building
regulations, and recognised the responsibility of a licensed or professional
planner. (This stems all the way to our present laws.)
~~~

City Efficient Movement

Constantinos Apostolos Doxiadis (1914-1975)

o Jumping some millennia after ancient Greece, another Greek planner-
architect, best known as Konstantinos, studied the science of human
settlements, known to us today as ekistics. This branch of science is vast and
looks into the culture, economies, and society in varying scales, let’s zone in on
the principles most used in the practice of urban design and estate planning.

o Following the Greek grid and the principles of ekistics, this was how
Konstantinos designed Islamabad:
Source: skyscrapercity.com
 

Francis Stuart Chapin (1888-1974)

o As a sociologist and educator, he stressed the importance of
quantifying social activities in an evolving city through statistics.
o He was the first to write the textbooks on urban and regional planning:
 

Source: Amazon
Let’s go to a couple of economic and transport concepts, as these had lots to do with
this movement. But to relate that to how the movement is called–city efficient–let’s state
the premise that human activity (employment, settlement, transport, traffic, and mobility)
follow land use. Just so we’re all on the same page, and we know why this suddenly
crops up here.

Ira Lowry

o Published A Model of Metropolis, which is a computer model for spatial

organization of anthropogenic activities in a metropolitan area. The model
generates an assessment that can be the basis for urban policy decisions.
o Lowry worked with Robert Garin on a model. This model came up after a
series of research on land use and transportation. Population densities, transport
zones, and land use forecast techniques were already being done.
 

The Lowry Model. Source: Wikipedia

o The model became a tool for urban and regional planning. Simply, it looks at
the relationship and logic to the spatial arrangement of human activities.
o In this model we learn about gravity modelling (in transport planning, trip
distribution), which means, in English, the farther the distance, the more
interaction declines. That’s also more commonly known to us as distance
decay.
Other concepts that are part of the “social physics” include agglomeration economies,
economic equilibrium, … But we’ll get to that in the next post.
Let’s continue to the dawn of the automobile and its effects.

~~~

Urban Renewal

William Levitt (1907-1994)
o Father of American Suburbia / The King of Suburbia / The Inventor of the
Suburb
o Mass produced houses that were affordable
Suburbanization was also when people put the car on the pedestal. This created
gated subdivisions that catered to people with cars. As a result, urban
sprawl became a disease. (Check out how bad in this other blog post.)

This is what a sprawl looks like. Such a terrible waste of space. Eden Prairie,
Florida, US. Source: twisted sifter.com
This socio-geographical disease was coupled with pollution, rapid population growth
rates, and many more urban problems, which led to the Urban Renewal Movement.
Catherine Bauer Wurster (1905-1964)
o An advocate of social and public housing. She authored the American
Housing Act of 1937 and was an adviser to five presidents.
o Wrote the book Modern Housing
o She also worked with Lewis Mumford
Robert Moses (1888-1981)
o Known as the Master Builder of New York, because of his plans that had
parkways, expressways, and housing development all over the city

Moses’ proposed Lower Manhattan Expressway.

o The catch with Moses’ grand masterplans is that they require the destruction
of existing communities and neighbourhoods to be built. This was an irony in
doing supposedly public works.
o The urban renewal under Moses was also done through gentrification,
which means that renewal and rebuilding for investments and “improvements”
really displaced the poorer residents. This was a problem of social exclusion,
which is, in fact, just a step beyond racism. Social exclusion drove away the
poor, black neighbourhoods, and the “smaller” people of the community.
Robert Moses was one of the most controversial figures in the history of urban planning.
I’m leaving some articles on the matter:

o 5 things in NYC we can blame on Robert Moses

o The legacy of Robert Moses
o Tracing the legacy of a controversial master builder
 

The problem of social exclusion gave rise to Advocacy and Equity Planning,

where planners advocated for and sided with those who were socially excluded.
Paul Davidoff (1930-1984)
o Father of Advocacy Planning. He paved the way to stand against the
destructive effects of urban renewal
o Wrote the famous article Advocacy and Pluralism in Planning
Here is a good read on Advocacy Planning.
Saul David Alinsky (1909-1972)
o Founder of modern community organizing
o Wrote the book Rules for Radicals
o Worked with the poorer communities, and influenced neighbourhood
organisations
Sherry Arnstein (d. 1997)

o Social and health worker

o Published an article on the ladder of citizen participation, which gave not
only a voice  but power to the citizens. This addressed how citizens were being
victimised, and led the way to participatory planning.

Eight rungs on the ladder of citizen participation. Source: lithgow-schmidt.dk

 ~~~

New Urbanism

Jane Jacobs (1916-2006)
“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only
because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”

— Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities

o An urban activist who was strong and vocal against urban renewal; she
fought for new urbanism
o Wrote the powerful book The Death and Life of Great American Cities,
which was an open attack on urban renewal. In this book she provided insight
into the decline of neighbourhoods in New York, and gave a voice to how
planning should be for all people, including thriving slums and the communities
that were thought to be eyesores to a city, and which were scheduled for
destruction to build Robert Moses’ expressways.
o Her book and activism led to the eventual fall of urban renewal towards
city diversity, mixed-use, dense neighborhoods, and vibrant communities.
o Also wrote the book The Economy of Cities
 

Here’s a cool graphic novel panel I found portraying the face-off between Jane
Jacobs and Robert Moses. Source: planetizen.com
From the graphic novel Robert Moses: Master Builder of New York City.
Source: archdaily.com
Read more about the fight between urban renewal and new
urbanism here.
~~~

Environmental Planning

Rachel Louise Carson (1907-1964)

o A marine biologist
o Wrote the powerful book Silent Spring, a haunting compilation and
narrative of research about the detrimental and even lethal effects of pesticides
and fertilisers on the living environment. This book launched a global
environmental movement. (It will also scare the hell out of you when you read
it. It changed many aspects of my lifestyle.)
Read more about her life and her writings here. She’s called to be the
“best nature writer of the century.”
Ian McHarg (1920-2001)
o Was called an “architect who valued a site’s natural features” (New York
Times)
o Transformed efforts of traditional planning into environmental planning by
using the technique of sieve mapping or overlay, which took into account the
varied features of the environment.
Sieve Mapping. Source: saylordotorg.github.io
 

o Wrote the book Design with Nature, which triggered responsible planning of

landscapes, respecting natural features
o Laid the foundation for Geographic Information Systems (GIS). 
A timeline of GIS history may be found here, as created by GIS Lounge.

The EnP Board Review Series: Part 7 – Laws

governing Environmental Planning

This is a list of laws governing the practice of environmental planning.

This list links the law titles to online sources for easy reference.
Any profession is governed by specific laws, and it’s no different in environmental
planning. I’ll try to keep this as concise and organized as possible, since you’re going to
be reading through a whole lot of legal terms and frameworks.

When I first started studying environmental laws, I couldn’t get myself to move forward.
It took practice and constant reading to understand the pattern that appears in every
law. Each one is structured, and when you get to read a couple, you get the hang of
how to analyze the contents. I’ll group the laws together the way I studied them when I
was reviewing for the boards.
Tips:
o Take note of the frameworks, plans, and bodies created to implement the
plans
o Take into context the year the law was created, and know the background of
the administration and the international declarations that were passed (for
example, most laws that deal with policing environmental activities are in the
law series numbered in 9000’s and were passed in the years 2000’s-2010’s. This
is because the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997 and the enforcement of
commitments was done in the 2000’s.) This might help:

Designations used for Philippine laws. Source: Wikipedia

 

Let’s get started.

The overall basis is our Constitution. Take note that other laws’ objectives, or
the Declaration of Policy, always refer to the what is best for the State, as is written in
the Constitution. Tip: Sometimes Article numbers come up in the exam.
o The 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines  
Then before we go into the institutions and environmental laws, there’s the basis of
environmental planning and practice.
o RA 10587: Environmental Planning Act of 2013 (The old law is PD 1308: Law
Regulating the Environmental Planning Profession in the Philippines)
o Res. No. 01 Series of 1997: Code of Ethics for Environmental Planners in the
Philippines
o Then I’ll just put this here because professionals have to know: RA 8981: PRC
Modernization Act of 2000
It is helpful to understand how government entities were created so that before
going into the laws that discuss their further activities and what they should be policing,
you will have a sound structure of what their mandates and functions are.
o RA 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991  We understand here the
devolution of powers and functions to the local governments.
o For the housing, shelter and urban development agencies: PD 933:
Creating the Human Settlements Commission, which is now Housing and Land
Use Regulatory Board (HLURB); EO 90: Identifying government agencies for the
National Shelter Program and the creation of HUDCC; PD No. 757: Creating the
National Housing Authority and dissolving the existing housing agencies,
 defining its powers and functions, providing funds therefor, and for other
purposes. Here are the links to trace the histories of NHA, HLURB, HUDCC,
and SHFC.
o EO 192 s 1987: Providing for the reorganization of the Department of
Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources, renaming it as the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources, and for other purposes
o PD 107: Creating the National Economic Development Authority
o For entities that have to do with waterworks: Amended PD 198 (2010) and
other related issuances: Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1973, Local Water
District Law, Local Water Utilities Administration Law, etc.; RA 6234: An act
creating the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System and dissolving the
National Waterworks and Sewerage Authority; and for other purposes
o RA 4850: Creating the Laguna Lake Development Authority

Housing, shelter, estate development, urban developexment

o RA 7279: Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 (with IRR and

amendment: RA 9397)
o EO 71: Devolving the powers of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board
to approve subdivision plans, to cities and municipalities pursuant to RA 7160,
otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991
o EO 72: Providing for the preparation and implementation of the
Comprehensive Land Use Plans of Local Government Units pursuant to the Local
Government Code of 1991 and other pertinent laws
o Batas Pambansa 220  (with revised IRR of 2001): An Act Authorizing the
Ministry of Human Settlements to establish and promulgate different levels of
standards and technical requirements for economic and socialized housing
projects in urban and rural areas from those provided under Presidential decrees
numbered 957, 1216, 1096, and 1185
o PD 957: Subdivision & Condominium Buyers’ Protective Decree (with IRR)
o RA 4726: The Condominium Act of 1995
o RA 7835: Comprehensive and  Integrated Shelter Financing Act of 1994
o RA 9507: Socialized and Low-cost Housing Loan Restructuring Act of 2008
o EO 184 of 1994: Creating socialized housing one-stop processing centers to
facilitate the processing and issuance of permits, clearances, certifications, and
licenses appropriate and necessary for the implementation of socialized housing
projects, and directing all government agencies concerned to support the
operations of the said centers
o House Bill 3769 / Senate Bill 2458: Local Housing Boards
o RA 9904: Magna Carta for Homeowners and Homeowners Associations (IRR)
 

I found that reviewing laws according to development sector was effective for me, so
that’s the way I’ll list them here.

Environmental laws
I’ll group the environmental laws according to land, mineral resources,
energy, wildlife, water, air, and pollution control. These all interlace at some
point, but for for organization purposes, let’s study it as grouped.

Introductory and general laws on the environment

o PD 1151: Philippine Environmental Policy
o PD 1152: Philippine Environmental Code
o RA 9512: National Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2008
Land Management
1. Commonwealth Act 141: The Public Land Act. Yes, this was enacted in 1936
and is enforced to date.
2. PD 1517: The Urban Land Reform
3. PD 27: Decreeing the emancipation of tenants from the bondage of the soil,
transferring to them the ownership of the land they till and providing the
instruments and mechanism therefor
4. PD 1529: Amending and codifying the laws relative to registration of property
and for other purposes
5. RA 11023: An Act Authorizing the Issuance of Free Patents to Residential
Lands
(I placed all laws on agriculture and agrarian reform later on in this post,
under the heading of economic laws for agriculture.)

Mineral Resources
1. RA 7942: Philippine Mining Act of 1995 (with DMO 99-34 Clarificatory
Guidelines)
2. RA 7076: Peoples’ Small Scale Mining Act
3. PD 1899: Establishing Small Scale Mining as a new Dimension in Mineral
Development
Energy
1. RA 9367: Biofuels Act of 2006
2. RA 9513: Renewable Energy Act of 2008
 Forestry 
1. PD 705: Revised Forestry Code
2. PD 953: Requiring the planting of trees in certain places and penalizing
unauthorized cutting, destruction, damaging, and injuring of certain trees,
plants, and vegetation
3. EO 263: Adopting community-based forest management as the national
strategy to ensure the sustainable development of the country’s forestlands
resources and providing mechanisms for its implementation
4. RA 9175: Chainsaw Act of 2002
Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation and Protected or Critical Areas
1. RA 9147: Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act
2. RA 7611: Strategic Environment Plan for Palawan Act, which created
the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD)
3. RA 9072: National Caves and Cave Resources Management and Protection
Act
4. RA 7586: National Integrated Protected Areas System Law of 1992 (with IRR,
also DENR AO 2008-26)
5. PD1586: Environmental Impact Assessment
6. DENR DAO 1996-37 Environmental Impact System
7. Proclamation No. 2146: Proclaiming certain areas and types of projects as
environmentally critical and within the scope of environmental impact statement
system established under PD 1586
Water Use and Management
1. PD 1067: Water Code of 1976 (with IRR)
2. RA 9275: Clean Water Act of 2004 (with DAO 05-10 and IRR)
3. RA 8041: National Water Crisis Act of 1995
Air Management
1. RA 8749: The Clean Air Act of 1999
2. DENR DAO 2003-51: Revised Vehicle Emission Standards
Waste 
1. RA 9003: Ecological Solid Waste Management of 2001 (with IRR)
2. RA 6969: Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of
1990
3. PD 825: Anti-Littering (Garbage Disposal)
4. PD 856: Sanitation Code of 1975 (with IRR)
Climate change adaptation and Disaster risk reduction (CCA-DRR)
1. RA 9729: Climate Change Act of 2009, which created the Climate Change
Commission
2. RA 10121: The Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Law of
2010, which created the NDRRMC
3. I’ll put the Fire Code here because it’s part of DRR. RA 9514: Revised Fire
Code of 2008
Social, cultural, and institutional laws

1. RA 8371: Indigenous People’s Rights Act of 1997, which created the National

Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)
2. RA 10066: National Culture Heritage Act of 2010
3. RA 9418: Volunteer Act of 2007
4. RA 9710: Magna Carta of Women of 2009 (IRR)
5. RA 7877: Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995
6. RA 9485: Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007
7. RA 9184 Procurement Law (with IRR as per EO 40 of 2001). Brace yourself for
how long and detailed this law is. Here’s a presentation by the Government
Procurement and Policy Board to sum up the law and present it in the simplest
way.
(#s 5 and 6 were referenced during my exam, so best to include them here.)

Economic Laws

Agricultural, agrarian reform, and fishery laws

1. For the series of laws on agrarian tenancy and reform, we have a list: RA
1199: Agricultural Tenancy Act; RA 3844: Agrarian Reform of 1963 (this link is a
direct download); RA 6657 Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988; RA
 7907 Amended Code of Agrarian Reform of the Philippines; RA 9700 Extension of
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.
2. RA 8435: Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA), which brought
about the delineation of SAFDZs (strategic agriculture and fisheries development
zones) which are very important in land use
3. RA 8550: Fisheries Code of 1998 (with IRR). This law gives guidance on the
privileges of fishing within municipal waters (as does RA 7160), as well as the
FARMCs (fisheries and aquatic resources management councils)
4. EO 481: Promotion and Development of Organic Agriculture in the Philippines
Commerce and credit, services, and economic zones
1. RA 7916: The Special Economic Zone Act of 1995 (with IRR), which
established the Ecozones and created the PEZA (Philippine Economic Zone
Authority) that is attached to the DTI.
2. RA 9593 Tourism Act 2009 (with IRR), which created the TIEZA (Tourism
Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority), and designated the TEZs (Tourism
enterprise zones), greenfield tourism zones, and brownfield tourism zones
3. EO 226: Omnibus Investments Code of 1987, which protects our Philippine
enterprises and states our business rights
4. RA 9520: Revised Philippine Cooperative Code of 2008
5. RA 9510: Credit Information System Act of 2008
6. RA 6977: Magna Carta for Small Enterprises
7. RA 9501: Amendments to Magna Carta for Small Enterprises, which became
inclusive of micro-, small-, and medium enterprises (MSMEs)

Infrastructural laws

1. RA 6541: National Building Code (with IRR of 2004–IRR link is a direct

download)
2. RA 6957 and RA 7718 (amendment): Financing, construction, operation, and
maintenance of infrastructure projects by the private sector (with IRR and Joint
Venture Guidelines), where guidelines are given on build-operate-transfer (BOT)
and build-and-transfer schemes with the private sector
3. RA 9295: Domestic Shipping Shipbuilding

International Covenants and Commitments

1. UN Declaration of Human Rights

2. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
3. International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights
4. Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination
5. Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment
6. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
7. Convention on the Rights of the Child
8. International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant
Workers and Members of their Families
9. Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the
Exploitation of Prostitution of Others
10. UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. I wrote a little bit about our
history of climate change commitments and efforts in another blog post (just
scroll down to the part of Philippines and COP21).
11. Lastly, given the much-disputed Philippine Sea / China Sea territory, here’s
the UNCLOS or UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. While we’re at it, here’s RA
9522: Baselines of Philippine Territorial Sea.
 

So there’s the long list of laws. Gather up the perseverance to study all of them, but if
your time is limited, learn to prioritize. Good luck!

EnP Board Review Series: Presentation on

Planning & Information Management

I had the pleasure of helping out during the 2016 UP Plano Board Exam
Coaching Sessions, and was tasked to give a review on planning and
information management. This is a compilation of selected topics on
planning data, beginning with hierarchies and structures, and
continuing well into frameworks, statistical analysis on socio-economic
information (population projection and demography, location quotients,
etc.) familiarisation with research terms, and an overview of GIS
history. I picked out said topics because the exam questions on data
and information revolve around these.
Items needed: Calculator, pen and scratch paper

And here are some of the games we played during my lecture. I used the games as a
chance to review the earlier sessions on the origin of the city, and theories on urban and
regional planning. This may be helpful for your review, too, especially with your study
buddies. (Try to see who gets the most points!)

The presentations are downloadable and set to public in Slideshare, so feel free to use
them.
I asked participants to solve population projection and location quotient
problems for practice. Photo courtesy of Lala Magayanes.

Thanks to everyone who gave very positive and wonderful feedback.   If you need
help reviewing other information (such as IRA, land areas, and other baseline in
different sectors), just leave me a comment and I will be glad to help.