Words and Images Josephine Javier (Baclaran Linear Market)
Prospectus Ar. Enzo P. Belandres
Editing The Kanto team
Editor’s Note: For this Kanto Futurespace series, we are featuring six student proposals from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s Architectural Design 6 Studio class. Below is the course prospectus by mentor Ar. Enzo P. Belandres, followed by a proposal for a pedestrianized linear market in Baclaran that champions inclusivity and economy by architecture student Josephine Fairouz Javier
Prospectus
“This course involves students re-imagining a station of their choice, with a designated development area of one kilometer. The 14-week program encourages creative exploration and challenges conventional design notions, integrating cutting-edge technologies and sustainable practices. Regular feedback sessions and critiques provide insights to enhance designs and ensure quality.
In the first 4 weeks, the class is presented with urban disruptions to examine and address collectively, affecting the entire line across various domains. These disruptions can be significant or minor and can have both positive and negative effects. The collected responses are used to improve individual projects and identify possible strategies to optimize or alleviate the effects of disruptions. A mirror of what could be a real-life design situation.
The objective of this activity is to address the urgent needs of communities along LRT Line 1 and make a positive contribution to their long-term development and welfare. The exercise employs intelligent social design, architectural and urban interventions that influence human behavior and psychology. The students are encouraged to implement their personal aspirations for each site and aim to achieve them throughout the course.”
Coexistence of a Linear Dignity-bound Market and Transit-Oriented Development
Sitting at the boundaries of Pasay and the northern portion of Parañaque is the booming trade and commerce district of Baclaran. This highly commercialized district was once primarily an agricultural area with vast rice fields and fishponds.
Baclaran’s past greatly differs from its present, though its trading history perseveres. In the 1960s, fishermen sold their catches along Baclaran Beach on Dewey Boulevard (now Roxas Boulevard). However, urbanization quickly took hold: The construction of the Osmeña Highway improved accessibility to the area and spurred urban development, ushering Baclaran’s transformation from rural to urban. This transition resulted in the vibrant commercial center we see today, luring the numerous merchants and informal traders that are now synonymous with the area.
At present, Baclaran has become densely populated due to the constant activity of individuals commuting from LRT-Line 1, its inhabitants, shoppers, and labor force, as well as both public and private vehicles traversing EDSA, Pasay, and Parañaque. This has resulted in the area becoming one of the largest informal hawking areas in the Philippines, further exacerbating the congestion.
Hawkers dominate Baclaran’s walkways and roads, blurring the lines between pedestrians and vehicles. Initially, I attributed the district’s congestion to these vendors, frustrated by maneuvering among vehicles under the metro station. Silently, I thought relocating them could simplify life for the people of the community, but this notion troubled me morally as a designer.
In my architectural studies, I learned that design involves complex considerations. A central question persists: What matters most? A designer’s decision stems from understanding stakeholders, as Jane Jacobs said, plans must fit people, not just buildings.
Engaging the people of Baclaran, a 70-year-old vendor’s surprising perspective shifted blame from vendors to vehicles for congestion. Her view prompted questions: Why don’t vendors recognize their role? Why blame vehicles? Digging deeper, I questioned their presence in the area.
Roughly a third of the Philippines’ labor force engages in informal work, with street vending prominent among urban informal jobs. These vendors sell to make a living, driven by limited prospects for marginalized groups. They hold rights as citizens, with their economic contributions enhancing urban employment and the vitality of public life (UN-Habitat, 2009). Like formal employees, they deserve the means to support their families. This is relevant as Transit-Oriented development goes beyond vehicular flow; it centers on mobility – encompassing the movement of all individuals, goods, and services. This interrelation between trade and transit thrives as many vendors depend on bustling pedestrian zones near active streets and transit hubs.
It then becomes evident that Baclaran’s core requirement is an all-encompassing and secure environment where commuters, informal vendors, workers, and residents can harmoniously coexist. This involves establishing a setting that empowers every individual to exercise their fundamental rights. It is also imperative to establish an inclusive and rights-focused framework for urban labor that acknowledges ‘the legitimacy of urban informal economies.’ This leads to my project, a new typology: Coexistence of a Linear dignity-bounded Market and Transit-oriented development.
The Linear Market will transform a segment of Taft Avenue Extension in Baclaran into a pedestrian-only zone, rerouting vehicles to another path due to persistent traffic issues. Relocating vendors isn’t ideal due to potential socio-economic obstacles, as seen in instances like London’s Boundary Estate, where returning to their original locations is common when moved to unfamiliar places. This emphasizes the need for vernacular solutions, leading to the choice of integrating them into the familiar streets of Baclaran.
“It then becomes evident that Baclaran’s core requirement is an all-encompassing and secure environment where commuters, informal vendors, workers, and residents can harmoniously coexist.”
The streets serve as their familiar environment, where they thrive and earn their livelihoods. They play a significant role in the vibrancy of these public spaces, infusing life into them. This underscores the importance of public spaces as inclusive and secure venues for urban livelihoods.
The market contains design interventions catering to the needs of the stakeholders. Starting with the hybrid interventions, which are hybrid modules spread out on the streets that act as the space for secure and inclusive trading. Elements of these modules mimic chicken wires used by these vendors, as well as proper sitting arrangements. Part of these hybrid modules includes public toilets. In creating a dignified space, provision, and integration of proper basic amenities such as clean water, sanitation facilities, and waste management systems are crucial as adequate infrastructure contributes to the vendors’ overall quality of their work environment.
In line with this is the integration of proper lighting. Lighting holds paramount significance in designing a dignified space due to its multifaceted impact on ambiance, functionality, and emotional resonance. It contributes to safety and accessibility, ensuring safe movement for all individuals.
Moreover, lighting influences mood and perception, fostering a sense of comfort, tranquility, and dignity. In essence, it transforms a space into an inviting, functional, and dignified environment that respects the occupants and their experiences.
These are simple and small-scale design interventions projected to positively impact not just the streets of Baclaran, but the lives of its people as well. I have learned after this 14-week design activity how design solutions don’t necessarily have to involve empty lots and four walls. It can be interventions that work around and manipulate present systems of circulation, wayfinding, materiality, texture, and the like. I have also seen how even small design interventions can greatly impact the lives of the stakeholders; this is why it is vital to not just scrape the surface of communal issues but to really immerse and converse with your partner community in order to truly understand the issues they face. Only then is it possible to co-craft a respectful and sustainable solution that is truly suited to the community. Lastly, this activity serves as a reminder that when certain lives are left behind and when rights are in jeopardy, we cross the line and interfere. •
