MENDEZ, RAELLA ELISHA R.

TOPIC: MANILA SQUARE HARBOR: Cultural Restoration and Environmental

Rehabilitation of the Harbor Strip through Ecological Urbanism to achieve Sustainable
Tourism

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Manila has been known for having a scenic view because it is beside the Manila Bay.
With then Manila's Mayor Lito Atienza's program "Buhayin ang Maynila" was implemented in the
year 2002, the local government made an action in improving the seaside promenade through
improvements, urban renewal, and building of commercial establishments. One of its improved
arts is its seaside later became known as the "Baywalk", a place once known for its exuberance
and exhilaration. The renovation of the public space aimed to creating a zone for interaction and
recreation. However, this development caused a major problem in Manila Bay. Besides the fact
that the seaside became a hub for social interaction it has accumulated so much waste enough
to contaminate not only Baywalk, but also Manila Bay as well. With this, the tourism rate of
Manila suffered and slowly fluctuated.

PROBLEM STATEMENT
The pollution at the Manila Bay has been a major problem of the city for years now. It
does not only contribute to the degradation of the environment but also, it has a huge health risk
to the residents surrounding the area. Considering that a large fraction of wastes generated in
the Manila Bay came from commercial establishments, this means that it is important to treat
the wastewater that comes from these establishments. In the year 2016, the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources has produced a regulation: DAO 2016-08 Water Quality
Guidelines and General Effluent Standards, that prohibits the establishments from disposing
their wastewater straight to the Bay. The regulation imposed a standard for the type of water
that can only be discharged to the Bay. Given the distinctive characteristic of the problem, this
recommends a call for action to address the importance of rehabilitating the environment.
In connection to this, according to the Department of Tourism, the country’s tourism
growth percentage has dropped from 12.04% to 6.37% (December 2012 to December 2017).
And the occupancy rate in Manila also dropped from 67.25% to 66.08% (Year 2012 to Year
2016). Along with security issues, tourists also find it difficult to enjoy the scenery because of
the increasing pollution. With this, tourists have been decreasing and pollution has been an
ever-growing problem in Manila. A huge contributory to the pollution in Manila is the Seaside
Developments. These developments usually only consider how to contribute to the economy of
Manila but having their wastes neglected and discharged to Manila Bay. “Most of the pollution
was from land-based human activities, including the discharge of municipal, industrial and
agricultural wastes, land runoff and atmospheric deposition. About 21 percent of the organic
pollution load to Manila Bay came from the Pasig River basin, with 70 percent of this load
derived from households and the others, came from industrial and commercial wastes.
(PEMSEA, n.d.)” This means that a large fraction of wastes generated in the Manila Bay came
from commercial establishments, making it harder for a normal environment intervention to take
place and be effective.

RATIONALE
Manila is considered as the center of all things. It is well known for a culture that
distinguishes itself from other cultures. Being located near the Manila Bay, commercial
establishments began to rise and has helped in shaping Manila’s image. Although it is true that
these developments have increased the economic standing of Manila, it does not erase the fact
that it has also caused problems like the increase in pollution. This problem has contributed to
the loss of tourists visiting the city, which also further damaged the economic standing of
Manila. The project proposal is important because it is seen to be an effective way of increasing
the tourism growth and also in reclaiming Manila’s name again.
Manila, being a populated city as it is, is experiencing a major difficulty in trying to
contain its problem with its waters…blah blah blah…which heavily affects its tourism specifically
at the Baywalk area. BLAH BLAH BLAH

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. How will the given problem be addressed through architecture?
2. What are the aspects and characteristics of the environment that will contribute in
establishing the Harbor Strip’s identity?
3. What are the factors caused by seaside developments that contribute to the pollution of
the Manila Bay? And what can be a possible solution to alleviate it?
4. How will this development provide a solution to spread awareness in protecting and
rehabilitating the environment?
5. How will this development help in connecting the people to the environment?

 How could architecture solve an environmental problem such as Manila’s Baywalk

pollution while also promoting tourism as well?
 What theories and concepts can be used to the proposal that can strengthen and fuse
the solutions together to offer a unique innovation.

RESEARCH GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Goal
This study aims to provide a solution to alleviate the environmental and ecological
degradation of the Manila Bay through the principles of the concept of Nature Needs Half. This
will promote sustainable tourism. The goal is to revitalize the Harbor Strip that will connect the
people to the built environment and to the water which is generally the idea of Ecological
Urbanism. It suggests a more holistic approach in planning a development and with the help of
its framework, it will be possible to develop a master plan that is environmental.
 It is the goal of this study to be able to alleviate Manila Bay’s sea water problem by
proposing an architectural structure that has the capability to clean the water, such as
a________; while also turning it into a tourist destination by ______. This way it can solve two
problems at once by combining the solutions together with the use of the __________ theory.

Objectives
1. To design a master plan that will not only help in alleviating the problem of the bay but
will also connect the people to the natural environment. This will be further explained
through the framework of Ecological Urbanism.
2. To delve into the site’s historical aspects and characteristics that will help in establishing
the Harbor Strip’s cultural identity so that it can be further considered according to M.L.
Kenny’s concept of heritage.
3. To be able to provide a solution that will help alleviate the pollution in the Manila Bay that
will also help in spreading information on the importance of taking care of the
environment through the idea of the Nature Needs Half Concept.
The objectives of the research are as follows:

 To find out the extent of the pollution to the area in order to find possible solutions,
typologies, innovations or structures that can improve the area’s condition.
 To find the key and interest points of the city that can be integrated to the
uniqueness of the city and the proposal…

FRAMEWORKS
Conceptual
Theoretical
Coevolution and coadaptation describes the process of mutual change and adjustment
between the environment and human social systems. The people's actions have negative
results on the environment. And the environment also influences human activities. To evaluate
Human Environmental Interactions, it is important to consider the specific characteristics of the
Human Social System. The type of society strongly affects people's attitude towards nature,
their behavior, and their impact on ecosystems. Values and knowledge strongly affects people's
view of life and consequently define the way people act. Manila is known to be the National
Capital Region of the Philippines and is one of the advanced cities because of its developments.
Coevolution, is a term first used by ______ in his research about _____ during the
_____. It is a concept that explains… The said concept can be used in this research as it aims
to ______
Through the years, development has been the one of the top priorities of a city. Because
with this, it proves that the city is in a successful state. This also contributes to how people
perceive developments as the only way a city can be successful. But some of these
developments tend to be uncontrolled and unmanaged that it becomes a huge contributory to
the pollution that is happening in the city. And this results to the degradation of the environment
that leads to having problems in health and disinterest of the tourist. In the figure below, it
shows the connection and the process of human activities and environmental degradation.

Figure 1 Source: ISTAT, C. Costantino, F. Falcitelli, A. Femia, A. Tuolini, OECD-Workshop,

Paris, May 14–16, 2003)

With this in mind, it is time that we consider the effects of these developments to the
surrounding environment and realize that it is more important that we consider building
developments that is more sensitive to the environment, to the culture of the surrounding, and at
the same time, alleviate the worsening problem of the pollution. And with that, this project sees
a viable solution of designing the strip with the use of Ecological Urbanism through the
combination of the Nature Needs Half Concept, M.L. Kenny’s Concept of Heritage, and Cultural
Ecology Theory. Ecological Urbanism proposes a framework that is more inclusive and
sensitive to the environment. The design serves as a key to connect ecology with an urbanism
that is not in contradiction to its environment. This gives a more holistic approach to how the
project will be designed.
The Nature Needs Half Concept is a science-based vision of a relationship between
people and nature that ensures enough natural areas of land and water are protected and
interconnected (and of sufficient size and resiliency) to provide life-supporting ecosystem and
biodiversity services that are essential to both human health and prosperity and a bountiful,
beautiful legacy of wild nature. It is defined as “a new concept of urbanism where nature is
highly valued, and its conservation is a conscious part of human life in cities worldwide”.
According to M.L. Kenny’s Concept of Heritage, the using of the memories of the past
contributes to providing routes for the new generations to further discover new ideas about their
inherited traditions and values. It is a process in the present that allows a more dynamic
understanding of culture production. It defines heritage as activities or understandings and can
be sustained by means of remembering. This concept will help in creating a plan into which the
culture can also be used as a tool to restore the identity of the area.
The Cultural Ecology Theory focuses on how cultural practices and beliefs affect
humans in adapting to their environments and live within the means of their ecosystem. It
interprets cultural practices in terms of their long-term role in helping humans adapt to the
environment. Cultural Ecology uses the environmental pressures as a tool for cultural change.
This simply means that humans can adapt to the changes of their environment most especially
when it is threatened. It means that the protection of the environment and the restoration of
culture should coexist in the plan of making a better advancement.
When all these theories are combined, it gives a clearer framework of how the Harbor
Strip should be designed. Thus, this project proposes to build both a Wastewater Treatment
Plant and Waste to Energy Plant to alleviate the problem. These plants will be formed using
innovative technology and will be designed in an architecturally aesthetic manner.
Within the entirety of the plant, parks and gardens, amphitheaters, exhibition areas, and
outdoor exhibition areas will be built to harmonize the cultural ambience within the CCP area.
These plants will itself be an income-generating structure as all the wastes will be accepted by
the plant will be paid by surrounding establishments for treatment. Since the plants will be
designed in an aesthetically attractive manner, this will also be a drive for tourists and locals to
visit. This will bring forth sustainable tourism.
And with a proper application of this will probably result to a more cultural-sensitive and
environment-friendly, development that can also be a landmark for tourism.
 Methodology

BAY

This analytical framework discusses the process of the data analysis of the methodology
used. It started with the current status of the Manila Bay which will be validated through recent
news and articles regarding the matter. After the identification and validation of problems, it will
be further explained through the framework of Ecological Urbanism which by the definition of the
author, is more socially inclusive and sensitive to the environment. And the concept of Nature
Needs Half will be incorporated.
As for the theories of cultural restoration and innovation, it will be further discussed by
M.L. Kenny’s concept of heritage and the Cultural Ecology theory. After, it will be discussed by
design planning concepts and ecological design solutions that will best fit the location of the site.
Upon further study and analysis, it is possible to provide an architectural intervention based on
the theories to be able to create a comprehensive master plan for the Harbor Strip with the
consideration of the regulations and standards for tourism, environment, external factors, and
perform a feasibility study.
After, related case studies that are successful will be reviewed and will be analyzed to
understand how to set up a sustainable development of the Harbor Strip. Incorporation of
innovative concepts will also be done. Followed by the gathering of data using qualitative
components. As conclusion, it will provide a planning strategy for the revitalization of the Harbor
Strip to be able to connect the people to the built environment and to the water. As affirmation, it
will be validated by urban planners, landscape architects, and chemical engineers that
specializes in water.
 1. First, the researcher aims to prove the extent of the damage in the said area byt
conducting a __________, getting information here______ blah lahb ah!!!!
2. Fuck alamin mo susunod na need gawin…duh!

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROPOSAL

This study is seen significant, because it will establish the cultural identity of the Harbor
Strip so that it will serve as a landmark for tourism.
It will also help in spreading awareness in protecting and sustaining the natural
environment.
It is also seen beneficial to Manila’s government as the results can be used in future
studies and future seaside developments.
The study can be significant to the people of the planet earth as it aims to create an
architectural solution to the problem in water shit cleaning while promoting a tourism shit than
can educate stupid people while making them so saya like what is happening sa the national
museum now that the millennials can go to because they are isisero and its free so they can
make pauso and make gaya gaya to whoever made pauso this movement in the first place
making it effective for the present and future setting…GANERN!!!!

ASSUMPTIONS
The expected outcome of this study is a Self-Sustaining Development that is
environment-friendly and user-friendly. Aside from reviving the area through this development, it
will also help in providing an opportunity to display the area’s cultural heritage and an effective
economy.