Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Sumacab Campus, Cabanatuan City
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

PAGLINGAP: Redevelopment of the Cabanatuan Urban Park

with the Integration of Biophilic Architecture

An Undergraduate Research Study

Presented to:
The Faculty of College of Architecture Nueva Ecija University of Science and
Technology
Sumacab Campus, Cabanatuan City

In Partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree

Bachelor of Science in Architecture
Research Methods for Architecture

Prepared by:
Rolf Deronn Ringor
BSAR 4-C

Submitted to:
Ar. Ana Roberta Burgos
 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

I. 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; 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.

 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

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.

 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

II. 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
 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

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?

III. 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.

IV. 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

 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

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

V. 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,

 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

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.

VI. 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

 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

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:

Abdelhamid, M. M., & Elfakharany, M. M. (2020). Improving urban park usability

in developing countries: Case study of al-shalalat Park in Alexandria. Alexandria
Engineering Journal, 59(1), 311-321. Retrieved from:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1110016819301905

Vasquez, A., & Wood, M. (2022). Urban parks are a refuge for birds in park-poor
areas. Retrieved from:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.958572/full

Ellis, D., & Schwartz, R. (2016). The Roles of an Urban Park System. Retrieved
from: https://www.worldurbanparks.org/images/Documents/The-Roles-of-an-
Urban-Parks-System.pdf

Urban Growth. (2021). Biophilic Design: What Is It and Why Is It Important?

Retrieved from: 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