Mixed-Used Housing Developments

MIXED-USED HOUSING DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL
In most developing countries, the growth of informal settlements is a frequent feature of

towns and cities. The most prevalent types of informal settlements are slums or squatting
communities. For the urban poor, access to land or own at least one is back-breaking. Lack of
access to property leads to squatting on abandoned urban sites and they only assume that no
one owns it or the owner will not comeback. Within the Philippines, the issue of casual settlements
is respected as a national issue and globally addressed. Informal communities mainly grow on
creeks, riverbeds, and huge properties that is being almost abandoned by owners and
government properties are vacant. There is a recent study made this year about the growing
numbers of informal settlers in Philippines. It ranges starting from 470,000 since 1970s and grows to
2.5 million families today. Numbers are still growing along with every city urbanization; one reason
is due to climate change and act of nature disasters.
There are also problems that needs to be addressed for isolated communities on province.
People are too far from the basic help that they need. Like those who lived in Mindoro and Leyte.
Heavily affected areas where not able to get immediate assistance due to their isolation. Most of
the affected where not able to totally recover and forced to form an illegal settlement.
A survey study was made last 2000 to 2010 in Caraga region to try solve the increasing
numbers if illegal settlements. The number of households increase but the number of informal
settlers decrease. Low cost housing is the main solution that was implemented by that time. Thus,
other areas are still displaced and poverty is always a thing. In a 5-year span from the last decade
there are 165 million inhabitants who lost their home due to natural disaster and at the latter part
of 21st century, it is expected to grow to 500 million.
Over the past years, several urban planners and government officials are working together
to solve this issue. However, there is still a barrier in making an agreement to solve the problem.
Ideas and rationales of users’ needs to be addressed but emotions conflicts with studies and facts.
They said, we, Filipinos are resilient. Being a Filipino who lives in slum is a struggle. Many
typhoons have struck the Philippines hard but people still remained positive even if almost
everything was torn. Resilience has become a thing through unity by recovering as praying
together, "bayanihan spirit" and sharing a sense of humor.
Anyone can idealize being resilient, and coming from a poor community is something that
they can be thankful as long as everyone is happy. Everyone seems to have contentment with
the idea of being resilient leads to happiness and the value of kinship.
Let’s all agree that its more practical to think that we are dreaming for the betterment of
our community. Written in The Human and Peoples' Rights Declaration of the Philippines at SOCIAL
AND CULTURAL RIGHTS section number 18; “The State must establish a responsive social
welfare system that contributes to the continuous improvement of its people and their
lives. All public utilities should be accessible and affordable to meet the peoples’ basic
necessities. It is also beneficial for future architects to have this kind of advocacy.
Accessibility is a battle in disadvantage communities. Most of Filipino who lived in slum and
isolated areas are dying, and having no money is a given. There are other reasons like, hospitals
are too far in slump areas, and ambulance most of the time cannot access every house. One is
example is the poor community area that is too far in the Hospital. It is a small community that
ambulance can’t access. People are improvising their ways on how send their neighbors on the
most possible nearest hospital. This is a documentary made by Kara David entitle “Ambulansiyang
de Paa” situated in Little Baguio community in Mindoro.
Vehicles from first responders’ like fire truck can only reach the entrance of their
community during fire incidents. Worst is some fire men need to walk and park their trucks in main
road. Water hose are not long enough to reach the location of fire. Locals with fire men use bucket
and fill it with water from fire trucks, and that takes a lot of time. Example of this is the fire accident
in Barangay Varsa, Quezon City happened last December 31, 2019 on a New Year’s Eve. In this
situation, firemen needed to climb on roofs because there is no direct access inside the
community. That added difficulty for them stop the fire and what saddens more is people affected
lose their home on a New Year’s Eve.
People are mixed up in slum areas, and it’s like the neighbors are separated by only a
hollow block. However, it is not something that is comparable to condominiums. Example is a two
man that is one meter away from someone’s doorstep and having a fist fight can be said that
they are respecting someone’s privacy. That does not even exist in a condominium setting. This is
not to belittle anyone but only to make observation that can help provide improvements. Health
is always a risk even without Covid and people are left out of a community, actively or passively.
Nevertheless, houses in slums and squatting communities can be converted into condominium
type of housing. Assessing the risk on how the users will be able to adjust is a study that experts are
considering. Improvement itself cannot assure safety and will lead to relocation and in terms of
place for relocation, people might not want it for they are not sure who are they going to deal in
a new environment. Indeed, government and urban planners do have history on doing such thing
but up until now implementation is the problem.

Mixed-Used Housing Developments

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MIXED-USED HOUSING DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL

In most developing countries, the growth of informal settlements is a frequent feature of

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