FIGUERRA, SHANE R.

PROF. JOEL GARGALLO

URBAN PLANNING

“THE DEATH AND LIFE OF PHILIPPINE CITIES”

“The vitality of a city street or block is the result of a mix of building types,
including commercial and residential spaces, and a mix of people from a variety of
economic levels and backgrounds.”

“A city is not a work of art and cannot be dealt with as if it were another form of
architecture.”

There is a wistful myth that if only we had enough money to spend– we could
wipe all our slums in ten years, reverse decay in the great, dull gray belts that were
yesterdays and day before–yesterdays suburbs, anchor the wandering middle-class and its
wandering money thus, perhaps even solve the traffic congestions problems existing
within the great city. But look what we have built with the first several billion,
low-income projects that become worse centers of delinquency, vandalism, and general
social hopelessness than the slums they were supposed to replace. According to Jane
Jacobs in “The Death and Life of Great American Cities,” the “death” of cities is caused
by the combination of misguided urban planning and architectural practices that disrupt
the intricate social, economic, and physical fabric of urban neighborhoods. The central
theme of this book is a critique of urban renewal and modernist planning strategies that
were popular in the mid-20th century. Jacobs argues that approaches characterized by
large-scale demolitions of existing neighborhoods and the creation of isolated, single-use
zones, are detrimental to the vitality and functionality of cities. She emphasizes the
importance of preserving and fostering the complexity and diversity of urban
environments as she believes that vibrant cities are created by a mix of different uses,
varying building ages, and a constant interplay of people on the streets. This book entitled
“The Death and Life of Great American Cities” written by the urbanist and activist Jane
Jacobs would be the anchor and basis of my analysis regarding the possible death and life
of Philippines cities across our country, specifically the rundown of Manila, Manila.

Manila, the capital of the Philippines is entitled now a megacity with over 12
million inhabitants individual. The Mega Manila qualifies to be a global city because it is
one of the world's most densely populated cities, and continues to grow at an exponential
pace. It serves as the headquarters of one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
But have you ever thought why some of the districts of Manila are rotting and rundown
already even though it is where the civilization of economies started decades ago? What
is the reason for the death of these cities, and why the central business districts are
located in the outside cities of Manila pushed-through through the southern part of the
now renowned National Capital Region? To begin with, Quiapo which is now known as
“The Old Downtown of Manila” was once a thriving wealthy suburb decades ago. It
started as a small agricultural village and the population of Quiapo grew as a result of a
developing economy in the wake of the Manila galleon trade’s termination and the
subsequent opening of the county to world trade in 1800. Since the American insular
government and commonwealth periods through the late 1970s, it shared its status as the
center of the activities in Manila’s social elites as well as trade, fashion, art, and higher
learning with its surrounding vicinity of Avenida, Santa Cruz, and Escolta. Due to its
immersive status people around the areas of the rural province are blinded by the fact of
settling here due to its massive growth of economic performance. The population
increases until the affluent individual settling in this district decided to move out into a
more non-dense city area to start their civilization by moving out also carrying the
potential of generating central business districts. The construction of the Manila Light
Rail Transit System( LRT1) spanning over Rizal Avenue pave the way for the occlusion
of light. The trapping of smog and vehicle emissions leads the streets dark, and gloomy
thus increasing the existence of crime and illegal settlers. Due to these events, numerous
long-time establishments vacated the area which killed the flourishing life of this
once-thriving district city.
 As of now, Makati City on the southern portion of NCR becomes the financial
and economic hub of the Metropolitan Manila. It has the highest concentration of
multinational and local corporations in the country which houses major banks,
corporations, department stores as well as foreign embassies for international
transactions. This analysis aligns with the ideas of Jane Jacobs where she stated that “A
city is not a work of art and cannot be dealt with as if it were another form of
architecture”, as it embodies the act of demolishing an entire neighborhood to make way
for an isolated, single-use development which in the purpose of this discussion is a mass
light rail transport system. Thus, the death of cities from this analysis is resulting from
urban planning practices that disrupt the natural complexity, social interactions, and
diversity of once-thriving urban neighborhoods. Jane Jacob’s ideas that paved way to the
importance of mixed-use environments, walkability, community engagement, and
preserving the unique character of cities should be further emphasized as the major basis
of revitalizing urban design and development of mas urban communities.

References
Jacobs, J. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Retrieved from
https://www.buurtwijs.nl/sites/default/files/buurtwijs/bestanden/jane_jacobs_the_death_and_life
_of_great_american.pdf