AS part of Valenzuela City government’s public work projects in the pipeline, the P21 million worth rehabilitation of Polo Park has been recently inaugurated with a fresh, green landscape.
The enhanced landmark, formerly called as The Old Town Square of Polo (Liwasang Rizal), is now teeming with a fountain, a memorial marker commemorating war veterans, a statue of Dr. Pio Valenzuela and Dr. Jose Rizal made by esteemed artist Julie Lluch, and the refurbished Rizal Monument.
Parkgoers can enjoy the scenery while seated on the benches. Wi-fi is provided for added convenience.
What makes it a standout are the untouched, growing trees surrounding the park and breathable space, providing not only shade but a “cooler, fresher” air.
Studies show that even a single tree can have a profound cooling effect in cities through the process of “evapotranspiration,” where leaves release water into the air.
Trees are also found out to lessen a person’s physiologically equivalent temperature by 7 degrees Celsius to 15 degrees Celsius, making the usual 32-degree Celsius day out here cooler amid the scorching heat of the sun.
Surrounded by rivers and swamps, Polo Park is a center of trade, symbolizing the city’s economic prosperity.
Funded by the Department of Budget and Management via the “Green, Green, Green” program, this is the first in a series of restoration and conservation projects of the local government unit (LGU).
Prior to this, the city has opened parks for urban renewal since 2015. First of which is the Valenzuela City People’s Park, which opened on February 14, 2015.
The 1.3 hectares of land adjacent to the City Hall is known as a family-oriented place equipped with CCTVs and has an interactive dancing fountain with lights, exercise area, a pavilion, life-size chessboard, picnic tables, children’s area, playground, Aero Circle, zoological spaces and an amphitheater that can house up to 2,000 persons.
Likewise, the LGU ventured into a public-private partnership to build the Valenzuela Town Center just beside the park, providing options for food choices, event gatherings and the like.
On February 17, 2019, the city opened its first Family Park located at Barangay Karuhatan, a main convergence area known for its accessibility.
With the projects slated to preserve heritage sites and provide more parks in the city, Valenzuela is expected to receive more accolades in improving its livability index.
In 2014, the city was ranked second at the Liveable Cities Design Challenge for its Comprehensive Disaster Preparedness Plan.
It bagged the second spot in the Cleanest Air in Southeast Asia in 2018 by IQ AirVisual Switzerland and Greanpeace International, as well as the second safest city in Southeast Asia in the same year by Numbeo.
With the objectives to create more sustainable parks, improve on landscaping and provide for more environment-friendly street fixtures and shading, Polo Park’s inauguration is just one of the many projects to watch out for as the city marks its 400th foundation anniversary in 2023.
Restoration and conservation efforts of the Arkong Bato, Dr. Pio Valenzuela’s Residence and the Church of San Diego de Alcala’s 400-year old belfry are also under way.
Image credits: Clinton Ramos/VC PIO