Time Difference Between Continuous and Non-Continuous Paths in University of

Mindanao Mini Forest

Cheen S. Singson1 and Iluminado D. Quinto Jr.2

1
Student, BS in Architecture, University of Mindanao, Davao City, Philippines
neehcsingson@gmail.com
2
Professor, BS in Architecture, University of Mindanao, Davao City, Philippines
iluminadoquinto@umindanao.edu.ph

Abstract
A lot of students walk along the mini forest from DPT, GET and PS building going to the Food
and Services Area or known as the university’s food court or making their way vice versa. As
observed and interviewed, many students complained that the type of paving blocks in the mini
forest wastes their time since they need to always look on their feet while they’re doing a fast
walk, especially when they are almost late. The purpose of this research is to know the
difference between the time spent when walking along the non-continuous concrete paving
blocks considered as walkway that mini forest has and when walking along the continuous
unpaved path referring to the land path beside the paving blocks. Experimental-descriptive was
the method used in this study. Stop watch is the technology used for calculation of this research.
Additionally, statistics was used by the researcher. The data is gathered by comparing and the
difference of the time they spent is solved using scientific calculator. Upon the completion of
data gathering, the research shows the average time difference when walking along such paths.
Keywords: Path, Pavement, Stopwatch, Time difference, Walkway

Introduction
Walkway is a surface being paved that is used by people as a walking path (Beaulieu,
2018). It is purposed to lead people on their way (Walkway Paver Benefits) and to access other
places, areas or vicinities (Collins Dictionary). While unpaved paths, just as a green path or
land path, are considered as pathways which mostly used for recreational places, walkways
differ from it, since walkways count those which has hard paving materials (Beaulieu, 2018).
Usually, a walkway is an elevated path from the earth’s surface (Collins Dictionary).
Absence of walkways and inappropriate chosen materials used cause slipping and
tripping of most people whether young or old. Hence, when providing walkways, being wise
in handpicking materials should be considered since some of the materials available for
pavement usage are not durable and last only in a short time. Some also are not aesthetically
pleasing. Additionally, maintenance must not be neglected (Visitor Safety in the Countryside
Group, 2006-2018).
Walkways are important in a site, specifically in landscape architecture because of its
functional and aesthetic value. These paved paths permit a person to experience the vicinity of

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the area and not letting the footwear to be dingy. Moreover, walkways create a story in the
whole site which lead one to be a part of it and thus, it presents out its attractive features. When
walkways are neglected and not being provided in a particular site, then there will be breaking
of chains in the facilities. Hence, the link with each other will be cut off (The Platinum Team,
2017)
In relation to architecture, specifically with the building technology an urban design
and planning, a walkway pavement should be made with materials appropriate for the better
outcome and for its future usage. It must be used by people to lessen the time consumed in
walking, not to give stress to the users by not making it accessible at ease.
For the case of the mini forest walkway pavements in the University of Mindanao
Campus, the context of the research, many students are complaining about such pavement (G.
Orcajo, personal communication, October 9, 2018). They asked why the concrete pavement
blocks are distanced with each other (D. Minaling, personal communication, October 9, 2018)
and why there are some parts which the blocks are plainly constructed (M. Sibucao, personal
communication, October 11, 2018). Students, as the interviewees said that the way the
pavements are arranged affects their allocation of time (A. Bayo, personal communication,
October 11, 2018).
This study aims to know the average time difference when walking along the
continuous and non-continuous paths. The research is going to address the complaints of the
students about the delay in pacing through the forest. Also, it aims to inform the university’s
administrators that improving the walkway in the mini forest should be done.

Research Question
How many seconds will be the difference between the time spent when walking along
the continuous unpaved land path and along the non-continuous concrete paving blocks in the
mini forest of the University of Mindanao? The reason of this research is to know what path
the student can save time or whether both paths have the same amount of time being
consumed by the student when walking.

Methodology
To attain the objectives of this study, the researcher used experimental research design.
This is a quantitative type of research which aims to answer the main question using the
numerical or mathematical solving process. By the utilization of an application that works only
in a smart phone particularly the stopwatch (see Figure 2), which functions to measure the time
which one person consumed while doing something, the researcher gathered the data regarding
the difference of the time spent by the students in walking along the continuous land path and
along the non-continuous concrete paving blocks in the University of Mindanao mini forest.
Descriptive research was also used in this study for describing the kind of walk in the mini
forest whether slow or fast in consideration of the type of paths it has; for acquiring the insights
and comments of the students in walking; and for analyzing the similarities and differences of
both walking way.

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 Figure 1. Stopwatch Figure 2. Scientific Figure 3. Paving blocks near the
Application Calculator food court and chapel.

To achieve the goal of the study in order to answer the main question, the researcher
asked some students to participate on it. To be exact, twenty students were included. Each of
the participants, which are the students, were paired with one of them. Thus, in a twenty
students, there were ten pairs. Each pair has the same height, leg length and pacing rate so as
to avoid bias.
Experimentation started at the first concrete paving blocks (see Figure 3) near the Food
and Services Area in the rear portion of BE building and ended at the last concrete paving
blocks (see Figure 5) near the canteen which is in between the DPT and GET buildings. Each
one of the pairs walked with the normal pacing in the starting point. As they were walking,
each brought a stop watch and used it for knowing how much time they had consumed. student
paced along the continuous unpaved path which is in the land area while the other student paced
along the concrete paving blocks. Each block is distanced unequally with another block for
about seven to ten centimetres. The dimensions of one paving block is approximately 0.5
meters by 0.3 meters which were being placed randomly in horizontal and vertical pattern.
Some portion of the walkway has a bit of continuous paving for about two to four meters. The
student who walked along the blocks had minimized the pacing rate since he or she still need
to look on his or her feet while walking because the blocks are not equally arranged and the
distance between them are wide enough that the person who will walk on it without a careful
attention will accidentally drop his or her feet on the wholes. At the middle part of the pacing
momentum, there is a stair (see Figure 4) which has no path beside it. Thus, both the students
in a pair needed to walk there, hence, their pacing rate equalled only at this part of the walk.
At the end of the blocks, the students stopped pacing as they clicked their stopwatch on their
phones into a stop mode. The time consumed by the student who paced in the plain unpaved
land was deducted by the time consumed by the student who paced in the concrete paving
blocks in order to get the difference.

Figure 4. Stairs in the mini forest walkway. Figure 5. Paving blocks near the canteen
between GET and DPT building.

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 The students who were paired in ten are divided into two. Thus, there were five pairs.
The first group with two pairs were wearing sneakers and all boys, the second group with two
pairs were all boys wearing sandal, the third group two pairs were girls wearing sneakers, the
fourth group with two pairs were girls wearing flat sandals, and the last group with two pairs
were also girls wearing one-inched heels.
The experiment was conducted within three days, specifically last October 9, Tuesday,
October 10, Wednesday, and October 11, Thursday, in the year 2018. The first and second
group paced on the first day of the experiment particularly at 4:30 P.M., the third and fourth
group paced on the second day at 4:00 P.M., the last group paced on the third day at 4:00 P.M.
The whether on the three days during 4:00 to 4:30 P.M. was fine and the soil for the path was
dry. At the mini forest, during the said time when the experiment was conducted, it was not hot
since there are trees in the area. Thus, the temperature did not affect the way the participants
paced.

Results and Discussions

Shown in the tables below are the data being gathered from the experiment
Based on the Table 1 below, the difference of time consumed by walking along the
continuous unpaved land path and non-continuous concrete paving blocks is twelve (12)
seconds for the first pair and thirteen (13) seconds for the second pair, considering that the
students who paced were all boys who had worn their sneakers.
GROUP 1
MALE STUDENTS WEARING SNEAKERS
Pair Student Time Consumed When Walking Time Consumed When Walking Time Difference Between
in Non-Continuous Concrete Minus in Continuous Unpaved Land Equals Continuous and Non-
Paving Blocks (-) Path Area (=) Continuous Path
Student 1 1 minute & 43 seconds _
Pair 1 Student 2 1 minute & 31 seconds = 12 seconds
Student 3 1 minute & 44 seconds _
Pair 2 Student 4 1 minute & 31 seconds = 13 seconds
Table 1. GROUP 1.

Based on the Table 2 below, the difference of time consumed by walking along the
continuous unpaved land path and non-continuous concrete paving blocks is eleven (11)
seconds for the first pair and twelve (12) seconds for the second pair, considering that the
students who paced were all boys who had worn their sandals.

GROUP 2
MALE STUDENTS WEARING SANDALS
Pair Student Time Consumed When Walking Time Consumed When Walking Time Difference Between
in Non-Continuous Concrete Minus in Continuous Unpaved Land Equals Continuous and Non-
Paving Blocks (-) Path Area (=) Continuous Path
Student 5 1 minute & 47 seconds _
Pair 3 Student 6 1 minute & 36 seconds 11 seconds
=
Student 7 1 minute & 50 seconds _
Pair 4 Student 8 1 minute & 39 seconds 12 seconds
=
Table 2. GROUP 2.

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 Based on the Table 3 below, the difference of time consumed by walking along the
continuous unpaved land path and non-continuous concrete paving blocks is eleven (11)
seconds for the first pair and twelve (12) seconds for the second pair, considering that the
students who paced were all girls who had worn their sneakers.
GROUP 3
FEMALE STUDENTS WEARING SNEAKERS
Pair Student Time Consumed When Walking Time Consumed When Walking Time Difference Between
in Non-Continuous Concrete Minus in Continuous Unpaved Land Equals Continuous and Non-
Paving Blocks (-) Path Area (=) Continuous Path
Student 9 1 minute & 55 seconds _
Pair 5 Student 10 1 minute & 44 seconds 11 seconds
=
Student 11 1 minute & 54 seconds _
Pair 6 Student 12 1 minute & 42 seconds 12 seconds
=
Table 3. GROUP 3.

Based on the Table 4 below, the difference of time consumed by walking along the
continuous unpaved land path and non-continuous concrete paving blocks is fifteen (15)
seconds for the first pair and thirteen (13) seconds for the second pair, considering that the
students who paced were all girls who had worn their flat sandals.
GROUP 4
FEMALE STUDENTS WEARING FLAT SANDALS
Pair Student Time Consumed When Walking Time Consumed When Walking Time Difference Between
in Non-Continuous Concrete Minus in Continuous Unpaved Land Equals Continuous and Non-
Paving Blocks (-) Path Area (=) Continuous Path
Student 13 1 minute & 59 seconds _
Pair 7 Student 14 1 minute & 44 seconds 15 seconds
=
Student 15 1 minute & 58 seconds _
Pair 8 Student 16 1 minute & 45 seconds 13 seconds
=
Table 4. GROUP 4.

Based on the Table 5 below, the difference of time consumed by walking along the
continuous unpaved land path and non-continuous concrete paving blocks is fourteen (14)
seconds for the first pair and thirteen (13) seconds for the second pair, considering that the
students who paced were all girls who had worn their one-inched heels.
GROUP 5
FEMALE STUDENTS WEARING ONE-INCHED HEELS
Pair Student Time Consumed When Walking Time Consumed When Walking Time Difference Between
in Non-Continuous Concrete Minus in Continuous Unpaved Land Equals Continuous and Non-
Paving Blocks (-) Path Area (=) Continuous Path
Student 17 2 minutes & 17 seconds _
Pair 9 Student 18 2 minutes & 3 seconds 14 seconds
=
Student 19 2 minutes & 19 seconds _
Pair 10 Student 20 2 minutes & 6 seconds 13 seconds
=
Table 5. GROUP 5.

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Solve for the Mean as the Time Difference.
Mean = 12 seconds + 13 seconds + 11 seconds + 12 seconds + 11 seconds + 12 seconds
+ 15 seconds + 13 seconds + 14 seconds + 13 seconds
Mean = 126 seconds / 12
Mean = 12.6 seconds

Conclusion
Based, on the computation of the data, the average time difference in walking along the
continuous path and non-continuous path is 12.5 seconds. Thus, most of the students in the
university, if they will walk along the non-continuous concrete paving blocks, will be delayed
for approximately 12.5 seconds, depending on their footwear. Additionally, it is concluded that
continuous pavement is better than non-continuous pavement in the case of the University of
Mindanao Mini Forest since the pavement blocks are distanced wide and disorganized.

Recommendations
For the betterment of the walkway in the University of Mindanao mini forest, the
administrators and staff are recommended, if possible, to pave the whole path with continuous
paving made of concrete. Though the distanced blocks are beautiful to see, but the distances
are wide enough that the one who will pace will accidentally trip on it since the blocks were
not arranged in an organized manner. If they want to retain the blocks, they should arrange it
and should make the distances narrower so that no foot will trip and fall on it, especially the
one who is wearing heels.

References
Beaulieu, D. (2018). Tips for Planning Walkways and Pathways. Retrieved from
https://www.thespruce.com/walkways-and-pathways-2132017
Collins Dictionary. Retrieved from
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/walkway
ProjectLink (n.d.). How walkways and pavements can amplify your outdoor architecture.
Retrieved from https://www.projectlink.com.au/blog/top-walkway-pavement-ideas/amp/
Redmon, T. (2013). U.S. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration.
Safety Benefits of Walkways, Sidewalks, and Paved Shoulders. Retrieved from
https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/tools_solve/walkways_trifold/
The Platinum Team (2017, May 21). The Importance of walkways in landscape architecture.
Retrieved from https://www.platinumsdgroup.com/blog//the-importance-of-walkways-in-
landscape-architecture-on-long-island-ny
Visitor Safety in the Countryside Group (2006-2018). Retrieved from
https://www.vscg.org/good-practice/published/external-pedestrian-path-surfaces