DB25

CREATED DATE: Apr 16, 2023

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The projects’ success motivated the city to launch the ‘Cocina de Ideas’ (Kitchen of Ideas) to
train restaurateurs, while reaching out to include the poor and marginalized residents of the
city in their efforts. Lima’s gastronomic industry now represents about 11.2% of Peru’s economy.

Green Hat

A story about food heritage I could not forget from one of my classes three years ago was a
story about how Japan and Thailand were able to capitalize on a local product that I cherished
my whole childhood. This was the story about Nata de Coco, traditionally produced in the
Philippines, that was globally popularized by Sappe, a family-owned company in Thailand
through their product widely known as Mogu Mogu. After such an incident, our own nata de
coco industry fell behind, and until today it is something I rarely see our people take pride for.

The safeguarding and promotion of food heritage are often considered as a possible way for
achieving social and cultural sustainability objectives, and I suppose local gastronomical
systems, including kitchens, can be locations where both creative and social innovations are
popularized in order to support the local food industry. The protection of our farmers and their
produce can be institutionalized by law and by practice.

One legal example is an institutionalization of geographical indications (GIs) on local products.

GIs benefit producers by protecting their product's unique reputation, fostering rural
development, and providing consumers with reliable information about the product's origin and
quality. Additionally, GIs may, rather than put a premium on historicity and tradition, ultimately
protect local farmers and old local varieties of produce that are vital to a country’s resilience, all
at the same time being open to entrepreneurial innovation that can increase product values.

On the other hand, I am reminded by local kitchens attempting to popularize local products
through gastronomy. One example is the Gourmet Gypsy Art Café owned by Chef Waya
Araos-Wijanco who uses local produce for her cooking and serves local dishes with a twist.

However, I think there is still a lot to be explored in terms of linking local food systems in cities
and in the local regions where they came from, especially within the premise of building
agricultural and community resilience.
DB24
CREATED DATE: Apr 13, 2023
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Culture has an obvious correlation with climate action (SDG 13(link is external)).
Several traditional occupations and crafts draw on local knowledge of ecosystem
management, natural resource extraction and local materials (Learn more about
indigenous people and climate change(link is external)).

Green Hat

Despite the historical neglect of Indigenous peoples' viewpoints and issues in climate change
adaptation research and practice, there is now a growing body of literature that is reshaping
and decolonizing the approach to climate adaptation to align with the lived experiences of not
only indigenous communities, but also of local communities from the Global South1.

According to a guest lecturer2 from one of my classes, the impetus for such a shift in the
pathways of climate adaptation can be justified through the lens of sociologist Boaventura de
Sousa Santo’s Epistemologies of the South, who talks about how whenever there is knowledge
that is not seen, there becomes a monoculture of knowledge, of classification, and of capitalist
productivity among many other things. The existing ways of understanding adaptation and
deliberately choosing “concrete” knowledge can marginalize local knowledge and local
communities which in turn can also exacerbate the negative impacts of climate change in their
lives and areas. This begs for the emancipatory opportunities brought by such diversification
and a broad and deep inclusion of culture in all our existing political, economic, and knowledge
systems.

I feel that this rigorous shift in the study of value systems is something that will also be
significant in shaping and planning for regional and urbanizing spaces. Despite the challenge of
its ever-changing nature, I hope that this is a step that can address issues of narrow
representations of groups and individuals in the city that are manifested through city designs
and institutions as this new openness can be a growing philosophical position that can
contribute to such.
DB23
CREATED DATE: Apr 10, 2023
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Smart Cities May Be The Death of Privacy As We Know It

Would you trade your privacy for technological progress?

Competition has driven this growth, Cassandras believes. "The private companies are so under
pressure to compete globally," Cassandras said. He added that "all it takes is two or three
players who are moving forward faster than other" to rapidly advance the entire industry.

Cities, similarly, are under pressure to become much more sophisticated in a short timeframe.
Many metropolitan areas are expanding very rapidly, so some government officials may choose
to use smart technologies to prevent problems like pollution, dangerous overcrowding, and
unsafe streets. A city that fails to address those problems can be plagued with health issues,
legal challenges, and a drop in population — citizens and businesses alike could be tempted to
relocate to cleaner, more modern centers.

Blue Hat

I am particularly enamored but at the same time skeptical about the acceleration of
Panopticonism worldwide. On one hand, the article covers how companies and
governments will tell you that the more cameras, sensors and connected devices it
has, your city will become more efficient, sustainable and secure, particularly for
advertisement, density issues, and watching out for the elderly. It shows how laws can
be put in place to control the economic competition that is very much driving the
proliferation of such technology.

While it is true that it is the state’s responsibility to provide citizens the legal tools that
protect themselves and their data, I am particularly curious/concerned about the level
of influence citizens actually have in shaping these policies and systems that in turn
will shape them (e.g in data-driven participation, algorithms, consumer/user vs.
citizen). The right to privacy and political emancipation can be entirely re-defined in a
(smart) surveilled city, and “the most valuable contribution of digital civics to
participatory planning is in how it moves technological innovations from
behind-the-scenes analysis to the frontlines of community engagement”.

One idea to illuminate such power dynamics and promote digital inclusion is through
the concept of “Smart Citizenship”, where existing civic engagement is enhanced
rather than controlled by technology.
DB22
CREATED DATE: Mar 26, 2023
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Youth Cultures and Youth Spaces

DB 22: Human Security in the City

There is no correlation between crime and poverty.

The phenomenon of urban crime is multi-causal and derives from different variables
depending on the urban context. In effect, it is the social fabric and the institutional
and historical dimension of each city that explains the variation of crime rates in a
determined period.

For example, prevention policies need to take into account the plurality of family
models; the search for a leading role for youth; the exclusive, stressful and sometimes
violent character of schools; the presence of unlawful neighborhoods; and, in some
cities, the destructive omnipresence of organized crime and urban speculation.

Proximity is not only political. It is cognitive

A focus on technical approaches is important, but methodological rigor is also

relevant. Without the formulation of a global plan for the city, as is the case in many
cities worldwide, there is a risk of enacting preventive measures that are dispersive,
dislocated and with little or no impact in the mid and long term.

A third relevant aspect to urban security is the evolution of the institutions of

socialization, such as the family, the school and the neighborhood. For example, there
is a coexistence of family structures that is different and culturally legitimated.

The protagonism of young people is forcing us to rethink the relationship between

different generations…

Formal education, which is necessary albeit not sufficient for social mobility,
sometimes transforms the school into a factor of exclusion and a place where violence
is learned, and some critical neighborhoods are breeding grounds for organized crime.

Parents, teachers and local leaders sometimes do not feel prepared to face the
changing scenarios.

The degradation of social values, the absence of common references and institutional
failure are increasing, as is the vulnerability of the disadvantaged population(s).
Furthermore, technological evolution creates a universe of new forms of
communication which increases the gap between generations. Although it offers wider
opportunities for prevention, it generates new types of delinquency such as
cybercrime and pornography.

The critical fields within the policies of urban prevention include mainly the sphere of
public spaces, the issue of critical and vulnerable neighborhoods, the vulnerability of
youth sectors and gender violence.

The current challenge is tackling these issues within the framework of an articulated
process of co-production of security with a coalition of local actors, in collaboration
with the police and in alliance with central governments. Indeed, this is what is set
forward by the Global Network on Safer Cities, launched in 2012 by UN-HABITAT.

“The protagonism of young people is forcing us to rethink the relationship between

different generations… The degradation of social values, the absence of common
references and institutional failure are increasing, as is the vulnerability of the
disadvantaged population(s)...The critical fields within the policies of urban prevention
include mainly the sphere of public spaces, the issue of critical and vulnerable
neighborhoods, the vulnerability of youth sectors and gender violence.”

Youth Cultures and Youth Spaces

DB 22: Human Security in the City
Vanderschueren: The Evolution and Challenges of Security within Cities

Red Hat

The excerpt highlights the need for a more holistic and inclusive approach to urban
prevention policies that take into account the perspectives and experiences of young
people. It also underscores the importance of creating safe and inclusive spaces for
young people to express themselves and engage with their communities, rather than
simply regulating and policing them as delinquents.

The spaces that the youth occupy have always been seedbeds for curiosities and
innovations against problematic streaks of mainstream culture. Younger generations,
especially teenagers, usually go through a phase of differentiation, where they go
against their parents, traditions, and cultural systems that do not serve their current
needs, curiosities, and interests. When given a safe space, or when an unrelated
mentor is founded, however, they are able to breed new forms of youth culture that
usually makes a life-long impact on the development of their generation’s cultural and
social values. Unfortunately, their vitality and vigor is usually controlled and regulated
through curfews, criticism of dress, etc. and their creativity is usually a cause for moral
panics amongst adults. Such is the case for various youth cultures like skating and
hip-hop (although there are many more). Their expressions are closeted rather than
directed to alternative spaces such as public spaces where they can be safe and
accessible yet at the same time comfortable to get creative. Especially in cities where
the youth are vital contributors to its spaces and places,

The excerpt highlights the need for a more holistic and inclusive approach to urban
[crime] prevention policies that take into account the perspectives and experiences of
young people. It also underscores the importance of creating safe and inclusive
spaces for young people to express themselves and engage with their communities,
rather than simply regulating and policing them as delinquents, or at worst, marking
them as aliens or terrorists.

The spaces that the youth occupy have always been seedbeds for curiosities and
innovations against problematic streaks of mainstream culture (Williams, 2011).
Younger generations, especially teenagers, usually go through a phase of
differentiation, where they go against their parents, traditions, and cultural systems
that do not serve their current needs and interests. When given a safe and welcoming
space, however, they are able to breed and reflect on new forms of youth culture that
usually make a life-long impact on the development of their generation’s cultural and
social values. Such weight can be traced to changes brought about by many
long-running youth subcultures and new youth movements that undulate from purely
cultural (e.g as per the birth of Hippie Movements, Hip-Hop, Punk, etc.) to overtly
political processes that call for change (e.g. the Fridays for Future by Greta Thunberg,
Black Lives Matter, EDSA I and II, and many more).

Unfortunately, their vitality and vigor is more often than not controlled and regulated
through curfews, criticism of dress, and the like. Their creativity is also usually a cause
for moral panics amongst adults. Such is the case for various youth cultures in the
Philippines like cycling, skating, and hip-hop. Their expressions are closeted rather
than directed to alternative spaces such as public spaces where they can be safe and
accessible yet at the same time they are allowed to get comfortable and allowed to
get creative.

Especially in cities where youth activities can be vital contributors to its placemaking
processes, integrating them into visible spaces where they can also learn a variety of
social skills might be a case for change regarding crime prevention and also in the
rekindling of social values within the processes of city and community making.
DB21
CREATED DATE: Mar 26, 2023
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Heritage, Climate Justice, and Stewardship in the Context of

Pasig River and Parex
For Discussion Board 21: Sustainability of the Urban Environment

“Central to this mission is the recognition that humans are an integral part of the
ecosystem and much of our economic success and personal enjoyment depends on
local ecosystems. In cities we have the capacity to nurture the relationship between
people and nature in ways that benefit both urban communities and the surrounding
environment.”

““It is a scientific fact that the occasional contemplation of natural scenes of an

impressive character... is favorable to the health and vigor of men and especially to the
health and vigor of their intellect…

It [Puget Sound] is a place that promotes the latest technology practices for
commerce, medicine, and learning, and also sustains ancient cultures of numerous
tribes that have called the Salish Sea home for millennia.”

Black Hat

Heritage, Climate Justice, and Stewardship in the Context of Pasig River and Parex

Historically, the city of Manila grew around the 27-kilometer Pasig River. It has become
foundational for Manila’s growth as a port-city dating back (or even beyond) the times
of the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade1, and was once filled with mangroves allowing for
the conception of the city’s name “Maynila”, coming from the saying “May Nilad” which
translates into the abundance of mangroves in that area2.

Due to our rapid urban development through the years (that has prioritized the
transport and mobility of private cars and road vehicles), there has been a growing
perception that it has just become a stinky, polluted, and dead waterway.

1
Which lasted for 250 years.
2
An important resource in the archipelago with wide-ranging socio-ecological services, such as
buffering storm-waters
That was until local communities and grassroots movements who constantly engage
with the river massively voiced out their stories with the river last 2019 when a
private-public construction of an elevated expressway (also known as Pasig River
Expressway or PAREX) was proposed to circumnavigate above and around the river.
Stories of the residents, commuters of Pasig Ferries, and heritage conservationists
and practitioners became more visible to the general public sphere alongside the
previous efforts of the rehabilitation programs of the river that first began in 1990
through the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC). They continue to oppose
PAREX due to its negative effects on the livability of the area.

This is a historical case in our city highlighting the struggle for spatial and climate
justice in the city that is centered around human activities and relationships with the
river as a natural resource. While minority voices advocate for state stewardship of the
city’s natural resources, corporate and road-centric interests that exclude existence of
such valuable human resources seem to prevail in processes of socio-spatial
redistribution. This case reveals great imbalances within the redistribution of space
and exclusion in its procedural processes. The given article highlights how natural
resources function as key human resources for mental and cognitive health, cohesive
communities, recreation and leisure, heritage awareness, stewardship, and ultimately,
resilience; and I hope that we are in some way, moving towards realizing these kinds of
valuations for the natural resources in our cities.

REF

https://www.philstar.com/business/science-and-environment/2019/07/28/1938828/pa
sig-river-our-nations-lifeline#:~:text=Pasig%20River%20made%20Manila%20famous,b
anks%20of%20the%20Pasig%20River.

https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/96888505/Is_the_proposed_Pasig_River_Express
way_highway_project_truly_sustainable_critical_sustainabilities-libre.pdf?1672984674=
&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DIs_the_proposed_Pasig_River_
Expressway_h.pdf&Expires=1679820181&Signature=VlFd3LmvyCCVjCHOKMfCH6adqE
2vzqIMNmdskfOYiI4v1V1yZ492hKMwifn6GlvrEdkaa7v7nXyJL-6Ao0GGwdAyEl-NUzV7
CMmTCUwHl3q6mcDx7ZjQMsGzrXtkxeyXW3tAnHLDTuVo~30uLHdirRNEHg8rQudLW
UYKlwT3EGECtnZ2--wxByGFBEcffd2OMGmqbdoT67qfURbhtMYiJaXBMCgd1Bj8gI9biz
PTbEQJeiXYgAntXjf3rTHLMoR3Y5I1I9T1O5dOjOzCQoMeBL0kLLgdxQnlLgD0SzVNMRd
KqoAFvtkEVKunKg3rKpYqn5lMCAJZ6alxstBAXX0mgA__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GG
SLRBV4ZA

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/10/14/2216660/commuter-group-supports-u
pgrade-pasig-river-ferry-calls-review-parex
Even as I write this now, it is 3:59 pm in Manila, March 26, and it is scorching hot and I
can't go out to pay my bills because I have asthma. I’m thinking enough trees should
have allowed me to go outside and be able to achieve important errands without being
compromised.