A PROMINENT Filipino architect urged the government to implement inner-city development and proper land use in urban areas to help alleviate the living conditions of the urban poor.
Felino Palafox Jr., president and founder of Palafox Architecture, said it is now high time to pursue socialized-housing projects for the marginalized in urban areas because relocation projects of the government in the past have failed. The firm of Palafox earlier joined an inner-city development project called Estero de San Miguel in Manila.
On the government plan for redeveloping of Laguna Lake, Palafox said 70 percent must be allotted to the urban rich, while 30 percent must be given for the urban poor, especially for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy. “I was inspired by this concept when I studied urban development in Harvard,” Palafox said. “The Massachusetts model for urban development is sustainable.It doesn’t have the social problems of Los Angeles in California,” he added.
He stressed that relocating the poor outside Metro Manila deprived them of livelihood and education. “Then the husband relocates in the city because of high transport cost and, eventually, creates a second family because of various reasons. It has added a social problem,” he pointed out. “However, they should respect easement and land rules and the proper use of government lands,” he added. Furthermore, Palafox stressed that the government should develop a program for the proper use of the lands. They should create sports and leisure such as golf courses in military camps.
“Why not use it instead for housing for the poor soldiers,” Palafox said. Since the Philippines is a disaster-prone country, Palafox said the government must construct evacuation centers in every city. Ideally, Palafox added, every city government should allot 10 hectares for the development of an evacuation center which is master planned and has facilities for food, water, education, helipad and parking space. “With the dearth of open spaces in Metro Manila, they can go vertical in building the evacuation centers,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA) said in an earlier housing forum held in Manila that if the government provides a P30-billion subsidy in the form of buildable land within Metro Manila, it is possible that private developers may produce a total of 103,440 units, approximating the number of informal-settler families in Metro Manila’s danger zones.
However, the SHDA said there are still hurdles to overcome in pursuing socialized housing for the poor in the urban areas. These are very slim margins, up-front laying out of capital, limited sites meeting tight cost parameters and locations of developments affecting the marketing viability of the project.
“Developers should be reeducated on why they should support inner-city development and socialized housing,” Palafox pointed out.
Image credits: Stephanie Tumampos