Rafael Antonio Gatan Lopez

PA 152
Bonus Points - Final Score (Maximum of 5 Points)

Answer the questions below:

1.) What is your most impactful/ favorite learning?

2.) What can be your new hope or vision because of your experience in class.

- I think my favorite lesson that really struck a chord with me was the discussion about
the urban and metropolitan development of the Philippines and the growth of cities in general.
Growing up, I always had this distinct fascination with cities, seeing as I lived in Bulacan. While
technically Malolos can be considered a city,it just couldn’t compare to the busy streets of
Makati, Bonifacio Global City, and Pasig. My fascination with these cities eventually trickled
down to learning more about how these cities came to be; their history. I didn;t know about the
Mandanas Ruling before attending the lecture, and it opened the floodgates for me on just about
how difficult it is to develop and maintain cities.

Moving forward, my love for anything related to history and theories made me immensely
appreciate the urban planning theories. Who knew there was a science to cities! It was certainly
quite fun and interesting to know about the concentric zone theory for example, which theorized
how a city can be loosely compared to the earth’s composition in my personal perspective. The
more concentrated the area, the more money and land value it accrues. Absolutely interesting
overall and a learning experience that I will always keep in mind during my journey in Public
Administration.

- My new hope in class is that there is always room for improvement, and it will always
be certain as long as people in power are genuinely interested in the development of urban
spaces. The beauty of our society today is our reliance on data and research, which propel
innovation and technological advancement in the area of urban growth and development. Urban
planning benefits from the students who are eager to join the work force and contribute to the
betterment of these city spaces. Personally, I would like to gain the opportunity of working in the
urban planning field in Makati, in order to learn more about its structure and history, coupled
with my genuine love and interest for city and urban spaces. Finally, I think the Philippines is still
ripe for growth in the urban sector. There are a myriad of things that we are yet to accomplish. It
would be extremely beneficial to us Filipinos if we look at what works for other countries, starting
from our close neighbors in the ASEAN region.