RINGOR, ROLF DERONN G.

MARCH 7,2023
BS ARCH 4-C

PAGLINGAP: REDEVELOPMENT OF THE CABANATUAN URBAN PARK WITH

THE INTEGRATION OF BIOPHILIC ARCHITECTURE
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

1. Background of the Problem

Project Description

As cities continue to develop and sprawl to accommodate increasingly dense human

populations, there is growing concern about the degradation of urban green spaces. (Vallejo
et al., 2009; Wu, 2010; and Xu et al., 2018).

Public urban parks were designed to provide large open green spaces within cities, which can
help mitigate the negative effects of industrialization. Most developed countries have recently
realized the significance of the multi-functional use of public parks in the sustainable
development of cities. Nonetheless, many public parks already exist in underdeveloped
nations but are underutilized or abandoned due to a lack of public awareness, poor upkeep, a
lack of security and suitable amenities, and a lack of sports and social activities. (Abdelhamid
& Elfakharany, 2020).

According to Hermy and Cornelis (2000) and Khera et al. (2009), urban planners frequently
design and include features that benefit biodiversity and the environment, either intentionally
or unintentionally. Urban parks are one such prominent feature in urban areas. The collection
of managed park amenities, such as trees, shrubs, and lawn cover, is frequently associated
with wildlife.
In Cabanatuan City, there are some known existing urban parks that can be accessed by the
public. There is one called the "Cabanatuan American Memorial", a memorial park located in
Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, in the Philippines. Although the partial area of the memorial park
is maintained, the public park for visitors is neglected. The structures in the park have been
partially destroyed and have not been restored. As a result of these major issues, the park is
not visually appealing.
The said park is divided into two separate areas, wherein the memorial park is located on the
left side of the site and the right side is occupied by the public park. The area where the
shrine is located is well-maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission, but the
adjacent public park wasn't, although it is part of the said memorial park.
In addition to that, the value of the park was not well-founded. The public, especially tourists,
are not engaged to visit it because of the lack of public amenities and features that the park
can offer, such as recreational and sports facilities, event halls, public restrooms, a landscape
garden, shadings, and more.
2. Statement of The Problem
City parks provide access to recreational opportunities, increase property values, spur local
economies, combat crime, and protect cities from environmental impact. This study generally
aims to determine the effectiveness of redevelopment of the Cabanatuan Memorial Park with
the integration of Biophilic Architecture. Specifically, this study aims to answer the following
questions:
1. What are the benefits of the relevance of the study in terms of:
A. Public
B. Environment
C. Government
D. Historical Significance
2. Does the redevelopment of the urban park will provide proper design solutions and solve
the existing problems in the park such as:
A. Absence of facilities and utilities
B. Landscaping and vegetation
C. Aesthetical features
3. How can Biophilic architecture achieve benefits of contact between people and nature
within the modern built environment integrating nature, internally and externally, into
buildings, built infrastructure and across the urban space?

3. Definition of the Project

The project "PAGLINGAP: Redevelopment of the Cabanatuan Urban Park with the
Integration of Biophilic Architecture" is an urban park that is redeveloped and reimagined
to cater to the needs of the public in terms of social and recreational activities. The park will
offer multi-functional amenities and facilities such as a function or event hall, an accessible
playground, sports facilities and courts, food parks, etc. The said project will feature the
integration of biophilic architecture as the design concept to be used to give the park not only
a new lease on life, but it will also have a direct impact on our health and well-being.
4. Goals and Objectives
The objective of this study is to come up with a feasible design solution for the existing
problems in the park. It will also improve the park’s property values, boost local economies,
prevent crime, safeguard cities from environmental harm, and promote the historical
significance of the site to the public.
Furthermore, the research aims to address the following objectives:
1.4.1. To identify the benefits of the proposed redevelopment of the urban park for the public
and to the environment
1.4.2. To solve the existing problems with the redevelopment of the urban park and provide
proper design solutions and concepts in planning
1.4.3. To make the park more beneficial to people and environment through the integration
and application of biophilic architecture

5. Scope and Limitation

The study focused on evaluating the results of the execution of PAGLINGAP;
Redevelopment of the Cabanatuan City Urban Park with the Integration of Biophilic
Architecture opens a new opportunity to improve the Socio-Economic status of the City and
the Lifestyle of its residents. The proposed project is limited to the vicinity of Cabanatuan
City. The respondents profiles is limited to the city’s residents and tourists. The data
gathering method to be utilized are surveys and interviews. The accomplishment of
interviews will be implemented through the utilization of phone audio recordings and video
recordings, using the interviewer guide, and the surveys would be implemented both personal
and online through printed questionnaires and google forms that contains the researcher’s
questions.

6. Significance of the Study

The execution of the study entitled Paglingap; The redevelopment of the Cabanatuan Urban
Park with the integration of Biophilic Architecture will be instrumental to the following;
To the community of Cabanatuan City.
The result and findings of this study is beneficial to the community of Cabanatuan City as it
would greatly elevate the Socio-Economic status of the city, therefore providing greater
quality of life for the community’s residents such as: better job opportunities, greater income
due to the increased tourism, healthier physical and mental health, and other opportunities
that could further improve the resident’s lifestyle.
To the administration and the regional authorities of the Philippines.
The redevelopment of the Cabanatuan American Memorial would pose as an opportunity for
tourism growth, along with improved tax revenue and personal income, increased standards
of living, and more employment opportunities, thus, providing an another pillar of strength to
the Philippine Government. Especially to the National Economic and Development Authority
(NEDA) through improved economic state. Department of Tourism (DOT), through tourism
growth. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Department of
Education (DepED), and The Commission on Higher Education (CHED), through the
provision of new learning opportunities to the students owing to obtaining a better cultural
heritage, and other private sectors.
To the future researchers.
This research is prepared and developed to provide and serve as a reference to future studies
that correlates with the integration of the Biophilic Architecture.
References:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110016819301905
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.958572/full
https://www.worldurbanparks.org/images/Documents/The-Roles-of-an-Urban-Parks-
System.pdf
https://www.urbangrowth.london/blog/biophilic-design-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-
important#:~:text=Biophilic%20architecture%20also%20has%20significant,by%20opting
%20for%20biophilic%20architecture.