Ang sakit ng kalingkigan, sakit ng buong katawan.
(The pain of the little finger is the pain of the whole body.)
Philippine proverb
I once held a copy of the Commercial Club’s 1909 Plan of Chicago. Designed by Daniel H. Burnham, Edward H. Bennett, and associates, the Plan aimed to create “a well-ordered, convenient, and unified city” (p. 4). It was heavy – both literally and figuratively – in physical weight and in historical significance. As I thumbed though the leather-bound book, my eyes
fell upon intricate pastel-colored maps of the lakefront and detailed architectural drawings of buildings. What touched me most, though, were pictures of public education booklets aimed at instilling within young citizens-in-training a sense of civic pride, duty, and honor. Upon reading Burnham’s Plan, the Vincentian commitment to social responsibility emerges. Mindful of St. Vincent de Paul’s call for us to serve the needs of the underserved, I assert that the continued development of our urban areas relies on placing the poor at the center of our plans. In effect, the pain of one is the pain of all. Personal experiences in the Burnham-planned cities of Chicago and Manila have shaped my perspective. I now realize that planning does not start and end with planners, but with those who inhabit our cities, our neighborhoods – and our barangays.
Plans are heavy for a reason. Besides carrying the visual and written representations of designers’ ideas, they also bear profound influence on the lives of citizens, particularly those at the margins. The exclusion of public housing within the Plan of Manila has bearing on city life today: A recent national redevelopment project displaced informal squatters who had built makeshift communities alongside the railroad tracks of Metro Manila. Due to the lack of public housing space within the city, the slum dwellers were relocated to areas north of the city in Bulacan and south of the city in Cabuyao. As we saw in Southville, thousands of former
slum dwellers now live in relative isolation from other communities in Cabuyao. Disparities in public services, social services, and infrastructure exist between Southville and Cabuyao residents. How is it possible to instill a sense of civic pride, duty, and honor in an ever-factioned society? Does creating a sense of community within smaller entities such as barangays inevitably lead to the division of a region?
Philippine proverb
I once held a copy of the Commercial Club’s 1909 Plan of Chicago. Designed by Daniel H. Burnham, Edward H. Bennett, and associates, the Plan aimed to create “a well-ordered, convenient, and unified city” (p. 4). It was heavy – both literally and figuratively – in physical weight and in historical significance. As I thumbed though the leather-bound book, my eyes
fell upon intricate pastel-colored maps of the lakefront and detailed architectural drawings of buildings. What touched me most, though, were pictures of public education booklets aimed at instilling within young citizens-in-training a sense of civic pride, duty, and honor. Upon reading Burnham’s Plan, the Vincentian commitment to social responsibility emerges. Mindful of St. Vincent de Paul’s call for us to serve the needs of the underserved, I assert that the continued development of our urban areas relies on placing the poor at the center of our plans. In effect, the pain of one is the pain of all. Personal experiences in the Burnham-planned cities of Chicago and Manila have shaped my perspective. I now realize that planning does not start and end with planners, but with those who inhabit our cities, our neighborhoods – and our barangays.Plans are heavy for a reason. Besides carrying the visual and written representations of designers’ ideas, they also bear profound influence on the lives of citizens, particularly those at the margins. The exclusion of public housing within the Plan of Manila has bearing on city life today: A recent national redevelopment project displaced informal squatters who had built makeshift communities alongside the railroad tracks of Metro Manila. Due to the lack of public housing space within the city, the slum dwellers were relocated to areas north of the city in Bulacan and south of the city in Cabuyao. As we saw in Southville, thousands of former
On the other hand, seeds of change and hope have been planted in Southville. During my short, but significant, immersion in the Philippines, I became inspired by the actualization of St. Vincent de Paul’s commitment to solidarity with the poor. The community development strategies implemented by Adamson University’s Vincentian Center for Social Responsibility have led to the formation of bonds of kinship between strangers, families’ participation in entrepreneurship programs to save money on a weekly basis, and the empowerment of women who feel comfortable voicing concerns about health, nutrition, and
neighborhood well-being. The authors of the Plan of Chicago used citizens’ preferred standard of living as a rationale for urban development, noting that “there is a great forward movement in the direction of transforming cities to adapt them to the improved conditions of living which the people everywhere are demanding, and which, moreover, they feel that they have the power to enforce” (p. 29). It follows, then, that the planning and development of urban communities starts with citizens, particularly those whose standard of living is in most need of improvement: The poor and the marginalized.
However, as Filipino architect Paulo Alcazaren noted in his speech during the Conference on University Engagement in Urban Poverty Reduction, the design and implementation of a plan rests within the hands of those in power – in the case of Manila, Spanish colonizers used urbanization as a tool to subjugate native populations. Later, upon U.S. occupation of the country, Chicago planner Daniel H. Burnham became responsible for the master planning of Manila. Burnham’s Plan of Manila never reached completion, due to a complex political and economic situation. In today’s Chicago, nuanced issues such as gentrification, Tax Increment Financing districts, public housing, and the bid for the 2016 Olympics are directed by people
who possess political and economic clout. And what becomes of the voiceless? As critical needs of the urban poor persist, how must we plan for the future in order to alleviate poverty?
A comprehensive, strengths-based, and citizen-centered approach to planning is possible. Acknowledgement of the varying levels of political, socio-cultural, and economic capital between stakeholders will inform the process. Utilizing expertise in a wide range of areas is necessary. Interdisciplinary and participatory approaches to community research and action have been undertaken by professionals who link Community Psychology and Community Development (see work by Douglas D. Perkins, Ph.D., at Vanderbilt University, and his associates). A promising regional campaign through the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) relies heavily upon community input (see Vision 2040). Systems change can occur when planning starts and ends with citizens. The pain of one is linked to the pain of all; your liberation from suffering is intrinsically bound with mine.
However, as Filipino architect Paulo Alcazaren noted in his speech during the Conference on University Engagement in Urban Poverty Reduction, the design and implementation of a plan rests within the hands of those in power – in the case of Manila, Spanish colonizers used urbanization as a tool to subjugate native populations. Later, upon U.S. occupation of the country, Chicago planner Daniel H. Burnham became responsible for the master planning of Manila. Burnham’s Plan of Manila never reached completion, due to a complex political and economic situation. In today’s Chicago, nuanced issues such as gentrification, Tax Increment Financing districts, public housing, and the bid for the 2016 Olympics are directed by people
who possess political and economic clout. And what becomes of the voiceless? As critical needs of the urban poor persist, how must we plan for the future in order to alleviate poverty?A comprehensive, strengths-based, and citizen-centered approach to planning is possible. Acknowledgement of the varying levels of political, socio-cultural, and economic capital between stakeholders will inform the process. Utilizing expertise in a wide range of areas is necessary. Interdisciplinary and participatory approaches to community research and action have been undertaken by professionals who link Community Psychology and Community Development (see work by Douglas D. Perkins, Ph.D., at Vanderbilt University, and his associates). A promising regional campaign through the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) relies heavily upon community input (see Vision 2040). Systems change can occur when planning starts and ends with citizens. The pain of one is linked to the pain of all; your liberation from suffering is intrinsically bound with mine.
[Images from Southville I, Cabuyao, Laguna - Photos taken by Liezl Alcantara]
LINKS OF INTEREST
- The International Vincentian Family
http://famvin.org/en/ - An interesting blog article about Burnham in the Chicago Tribune: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2009/01/burnhams-gift-t.html
- The Burnham Centennial
http://burnhamplan100.uchicago.edu/
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