In my over 40-year experience as an architect and urban planner, I
have been quite vocal about our country’s lack of focus to consistently
provide resilient and sustainable infrastructures and buildings to
combat the prevalent issues in planning and housing in our cities,
especially since our country is the third most vulnerable to natural
disasters. We should look at disaster prevention as a basic tenet in
environmental planning, architecture, urban development, construction
and education through policies and measures that suit the individual
characteristics of each community, town, and city.
Last year, the Philippine Institute of Environmental Planners (PIEP),
together with the Japan Foundation, hosted a National Convention aimed
at planning toward sustainable communities. The convention put forth a
shift from the old perception of urban development into the new
generation of sustainability, prioritizing people and environment first
before economy. As President of PIEP for 2013 and 2014, this year’s
National Convention theme tackled Disaster Preparedness and Sustainable
Development, in light of the recent disaster event that affected the
Central Visayas region last October 15, a national convention that we
held the day Super Typhoon Yolanda devastated the Visayas region. It is
our hope that this year’s convention will stress the urgency toward a
more resilient Philippines by confronting the challenges facing
environmental planners and the private sector groups and how the PIEP
could play an active role in the development process of local
communities.
Being situated in a region within the Pacific Ring of Fire primarily
calls for vigilance in disaster preparedness. Protection of life and the
enhancement of the built environment are the foremost responsibilities
of architects, urban planners, and engineers. In its stand of pushing
its accountability toward Nature, God, and Country, Palafox Associates
prepared a brief list of recommendations on urban planning,
architecture, and engineering to address hazards toward safer cities,
towns, and communities. These recommendations were expounded and further
developed hand-in-hand by the government, the people, and the experts.
The past administration was given this list after the catastrophic storm
Ondoy that crippled most of Manila. In the first week of the subsequent
administration, the same recommendations were reiterated.
In the midst of several disasters and emergencies, awareness must be
given due priority. These are among the essential steps toward a more
progressive economy, tourism, and national growth.
The 10-year program
One of the most important parts of the recommendations that we sent
Malacañang in 2010 after the devastation of Ondoy and the earthquake in
Haiti was a 10-year program. To be accomplished from 2010 to 2020, the
program is an initial plan and tentative scheme toward safer cities,
towns, and communities. The government must promote flood-proof,
fireproof and earthquake resistant measures by designating open spaces
as evacuation places in urban areas, develop and strengthen urban
facilities which can be used as comfortable disaster-proof living zones
by creating individual citizen awareness for disaster prevention and
response.
Among the adaptation and mitigation measures proposed by Palafox
Associates is the regular deepening of silted lakes, rivers, creeks, and
other waterways, coupled with pollution abatement measures and proper
solid waste management. This way, our water bodies can hold more
floodwater and reduce flood levels. In line with this, the hills and
mountains near the catch basis should be reforested to help absorb more
floodwater.
But more importantly, however, is the need to update Daniel Burnham’s
1905 plan for Metro Manila, the 2004 MMEIRS Report, the 1976-1977
Mmetroplan, and the 2003 Manila Megalopolis Concept Plan 2020 to serve
as guidelines for the LGUs, national government, and the citizens to
follow.
Immediate action needed
However, since mitigation measures like flood control and drainage
infrastructure being made by the government will most likely see results
more than 10 years from now, adaptive measures are the immediate
response our country needs since we get flooded every year and
earthquakes, fires, and other disasters may happen anytime.
In this case, it is imperative that we try to provide immediate
mitigation measures since our country gets its fair share of natural
disasters. By identifying the areas that are liable to disasters,
auditing the codes, and controlling development in these areas by
imposing restrictions and regulations will help save hundreds of lives
every year. Creating flood zoning overlay maps using the area’s 100-200
year flooding history to separate living spaces from flood-prone areas.
Special attention should be given to the Laguna Lake and Pasig River,
where essential adaptive infrastructures should be constructed, among
them, the construction of the Parañaque spillway and road dikes around
Laguna Lake. When constructed, the spillway will flush out floodwaters
out of the low-lying areas during typhoons more quickly and thus prevent
lasting damage to properties.
Earthquakes and floods
In the aftermath of the Bohol and Cebu earthquake last October 15, it
has been brought to light how some of the buildings affected in the
earthquake were not structurally fit enough to withstand a high
intensity earthquake. These brittle skeletons were laid bare after the
earthquake and exposed the grim truth that cheap, substandard materials
and shortcuts in labor procedures were employed in the structures,
worsened by the bureaucracy and red tape in securing building permits.
There may be building officials and government engineers who do not
review the structural calculations/seismic analysis of particular
projects reportedly because of bribes.
When designing a building/ establishment, performance-based design
should be used, among them, implementing an “under reinforced system” on
the structural design of a building/establishment to see the cue of
failure/cracks on the concrete before it reaches its maximum tolerable
stage, follow technical specifications provided by the structural
engineer. Routine inspection and structural audit of all buildings
particularly the old ones in our cities and provinces should be done,
and if found unsafe, should be immediately put up for demolition.
Seismic evaluation and rehabilitation designs of existing buildings
using carbon fiber and dampers should be integrated. Developers should
also identify the location of earthquake fault lines within the vicinity
so that structural engineer can make adjustments in their structural
design.
Since earthquakes and tsunamis go hand-in-hand for those living in
coastal areas, there should be a provision for the construction,
improvement, and security of residents in case of tsunamis. Anti-tidal
wave facilities like breakwaters and embankments and geotechnical
studies should be included as well. In terms of infrastructure,
evacuation sites should be at least 10 hectares and 1 square meter per
evacuee, and construction of quakeproof conduits with utility tunnels,
safety devices and facilities should be done as well.
For flood-prone areas in the country, necessary infrastructures
include securing water supply stations within 1.5-2 km from every
household, roads should have permeable pavements, parks and apartment
complexes should enable non-building spaces as flood control lakes to
serve as multi-purpose flood-control lakes, and buildings should have
underground water holding capacities.
Due to the rising sea level, our country can minimize flood damage to
lowlands by finding out past flood records and promoting vertical and
adaptive architecture. By enabling the sewerage systems to store
rainwater and installing filtration boxes, it helps strengthen drainage
systems in urban areas. To prevent landslides caused by heavy rainfall
in mountain and hillside villages, sand-arresting works and
reforestation through tree planting is needed.
The biggest challenge architects, designers, engineers, and planners
face in developing countries today is redefining the architecture and
planning of the rapid urbanization to meet the demands of the growing
economy and population. As the number of disasters brought about by
climate change, inadequate infrastructure, and obsolete practices in
planning, zoning, and urban development increase, our response to the
built environment will reflect how we perceive our immediate
surroundings as well as our roles as its caretakers and stewards for
future generations.
source: Manila Times Column of by Felino A. Palafox, Jr.
