68th Anniversary of the Battle of Manila

Urbanismo Filipno remembers the Battle of Manila on its 68th Anniversary February 3-March 3

Check out special content shared by the Philippine Government with pictures and videos of horrific scenes that devastated our city and our heritage. The glorious city of Manila, dubbed the "Pearl of the Orient" had been reduced to ash and dust from World War II. 

Check out:
http://malacanang.gov.ph/battle-of-manila/

  

Through an exclusive partnership with Tiger Films, we [Malacañang Palace] are making available a rare, colored film featuring the devastation of Manila in the aftermath of the Battle of Manila. The footage, shot on Kodak colour film, showcases the extent of the destruction on the city of Manila, which was the second most devastated Allied capital of World War II.

Ortigas unveils Industria mall

MANILA, Philippines - Quezon City mall-goers will soon have a new place to dine and shop in as premiere property developer Ortigas & Co. unveils Industria.

Industria is the latest retail development venture of Ortigas & Company. Photo courtesy of Ortigas & Company

In a statement on Tuesday, February 19, Ortigas said the P400 million-worth mall with a total leasable area of 14,000 square meters will feature an indoor-outdoor retail concept.
The new complex is expected to become the neighborhood commerical center for Circulo Verde, a P25-billion flagship residential development of Ortigas & Co., composed of 15 towers, located along Calle Industria in Quezon City.

"The name Industria alludes to the roots and legacy of the site. It has reference to the adjacent street ‘Calle Industria.’ The architecture of the proposed development also relates to industrial design elements," said Ortigas & Co. Shopping Center Division General Manager Cathy Casares-Ko.
It is designed to be a hang-out place for Circulo Verde’s residents as well as a young, edgy, and artsy crowd. It will be accessible to the public via two main entrances.

One access point is located along Calle Industria, and an alternative access bridge linking Circulo Verde to Amang Rodriguez is being developed.

It aims to have mix of tenants composed of a neighborhood grocery, unique gastronomic concepts, a fitness center, weekend markets featuring organic choices, as well as craft fairs.
It is also envisioned to be a venue for street art shows and music festivals. A special section of Industria, called the Lab, will house novel concepts in arts, culture, and design.
The new mall is expected to be fully completed in the first quarter of 2014, while the anchor supermarket should be ready by December 2013.

Industria will be the newest addition to the company's other retail developments, like Tiendesitas, Greenhills Shopping Center, and Estancia at Capitol Commons.
"Ortigas’ retail developments each have very distinct characteristics. While people flock to Greenhills Shopping Center for bargain finds, Tiendesitas for all-Filipino goods, and soon Estancia for high end destination retailers, the young and artistic personality of Industria would make it a haven for individuals who are looking for alternatives in food, fashion, and entertainment," Ko said.
The launch of Industria is the new addition to these ongoing projects of the Ortigas group:

• Greenhills Shopping Center which is undergoing a P25-billion redevelopment project, which is now on its 2nd phase;
• Tiendesitas which is going through a redevelopment process that will make it bigger by 20,000 sqm and cooler; and
• The construction of Estancia at Capitol Commons is well underway, with the mall set to open by 2014. 

- Rappler.com

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It would be great to see more development projects pay homage to the local surroundings and heritage of the community they are building in. As a developer, you must understand the context of where you are building these urban spaces, keeping in mind the urban design and its connection to the greater fabric. This projects seems very promising...although...another retail mall? The Philippine economy is based on local consumption and it seems as though there will always be demand for these spaces as the population continues to grow, especially if this development is trying to attract the yuppie and artsy segment of the population. 

'Paradores' en Filipinas

At least five major private-public partnership projects have been offered to Spanish firms to enhance the tourism and cultural agenda in Intramuros.

Intramuros Administration chief Jose Capistrano Jr. announced during the 6th Tribuna España-Filipinas at the Asian Institute of Management today that a master plan for the walled city has been finished, but “we (now) need to work on Phase 2 of the Master Plan which is a more detailed planning. After that, we can come up with a [terms of reference] for this package.”

Among the projects that are being developed are the establishment of a boutique hotel, fine dining restaurant, a theme park replicating the Old Intramuros, integrated parking and the Maestranza Park, which will be open to the public on February 11.

He said the long-term plan, which should be implemented by 2016, is the establishment of a row of cafes, shops and restaurants similar to Clark Quay in Singapore.

‘Paradores’
He also noted that the Department of Tourism is implementing programs for the restoration and conversion of 27 lighthouses in different parts of the country for “bed and breakfast” inns, similar to the Paradores chain of hotels in Spain.

Spain Tourism Attache Angela Castaño said Paradores are old structures like historical buildings, castles and chateaus developed and refurbished as hotels with modern services, the first of which was established in 1928. There are currently 98 Paradores operating in Spain.

“The bidding will be open to all (interested developers and investors). What is important is that we finish the terms of reference under our private-public partnership plan and then we bid it out to developers but that would mean a further study,” Capistrano said.

Visiting Permanent Secretary Luis Ramon Enseñat said the two countries should now work together because of their shared history. Enseñat is with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of Spain. For his part, Instituto Cervantes Sec. Gen. Rafael Rodriguez-Ponga pressed for education in bridging the gap between the two countries.

“With 500 million Spanish-speaking people in the world, and 50 million in the US and 40 million who speak Spanish everyday, learning the language helps the young professionals improve their job opportunities. This goes beyond historical relations, it is not just about bridging the gap to the past but also charting the pathway to the future,” he said.

“We should recognize that relationships between the Philippines and Spain, whether it be in stone or paper, is working for the future of both countries,” he added. (ABS CBN)

Town of Vigan - UNESCO World Heritage Site - Best Preserved Hispanic Colonial Towns

The Plan to have 'Paradores' around the Philippines is a wonderful idea. I hope the government can formalize legislation and policies such as tax incentives and preservation standards to attract private investors who interested in rehabilitating, and creating value out of these under-utilized structures. Historic preservation-wise, it will save a lot of these structures from demolition and will contribute to the patrimony of the Filipino.

These Paradores will help stimulate local economies, create jobs and supply the demand of the burgeoning hospitality industry in the Philippines. Philippine policy-makers should really take this seriously and make it a priority for the preservation of Philippine heritage and also would enhance ties between Spain and the Philippines. I support the creation of PARADORES in the Philippines.
-- J.G. Apelar

Journal Article: Colonial Urban Planning and Land Structures in the Philippines 1521-1898

Pilar Chias y Tomas Abad, 2012
Escuela de Arquitectura, Universidad de Alcalá
Madrid, España

Abstract: The Spanish Colonial period in the Indies extends from 1492 to 1898, when last colonies - Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines - attained their independence. The Philippines depended on the Spanish Crown from 1521, the date of the first settlement on the island of Cebu.  More than 200 new cities were founded along the archipelago with the traditional grid structure, but some with other urban typologies have not been studied before. At the beginning they were mostly located on the coast and later became port cities, but the ensuing exploration of inland territories led to the construction of new settlements, later linked through a network of roads, railroads, and navigational routes. Based upon the ancient cartography of the Philippines that the authors recently discovered in the principal Spanish repositories, the present article studies the unexplored and unpublished fields of research, analyzing the different urban patters, as well as the territorial structures that were consolidated during the Spanish Colonial period in the Archipelago.

Journal Article: Click Here

Keywords: spanish colonies, urban typology, land planning, Philippine Islands, Islas Filipinas, ancient cartography