Balancing modernization with heritage

My family spent the New Year’s Eve and half a day at Bai Hotel in Mandaue City. It has been sort of an annual practice in our family to head off to a staycation in a hotel every New Year’s Eve. The idea is to gather around in a small, cozy setting and avoid the smoke and haze that builds up in the neighborhood from all those firecrackers. The bonus is the view from the hotel window; we can see the fireworks all over the city from our room.

This hotel which is located in the reclamation area also offers a good view of the city from the hotel window. One could see the high-rise building developments that have changed the skyline of Metro Cebu in a span of just a few years. The view evokes a sense of pride and accomplishment. But one also feels the need to warn against mindless development that compromises the city’s character and heritage.

The issue on the demolition of the historic Patria de Cebu highlights this threat. Heritage advocates Eileen G. Mangubat and Architect Melva Rodriguez-Java have urged Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma to save the Patria de Cebu building. Mindful of the need to develop the area, Java and Mangubat suggested that the design of the modern, commercial development could still incorporate the old Patria structure.

I am glad that the real-estate developer Cebu Landmasters Inc. sat recently with heritage advocates in a meeting presided by Archbishop Palma. It was reported that a compromise might be reached regarding the redesign of the building development that will save the heritage value of the Patria de Cebu.

Developers in Cebu should be mindful of the concept of sustainability in the context of developing cities. The idea has been there for a while and case studies and best practices all over the world are plenty. The principle pushes for “desirable and necessary integration between spatial planning and sectoral politics, where cultural heritage is effectively taken as a structuring and aggregating element.”

We will miss the point of urban development if we lose the city’s core character and identity in the process. A major mistake that a city could make is in the lack of discipline in the development of structures that disregard the psychology and well-being of citizens. In many parts of the world we see cities choked in its own pollution, citizens wearied by the sight of seemingly endless dense, concrete structures without the break provided by green parks and heritage sites. Certainly we do not want Cebu to be like those cities.

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The modern Public Utility Vehicles or Beeps (bus jeeps or Bagong Jeeps) have been seen operating in Cebu City’s streets since the holiday. Each airconditioned Beep can accommodate up to 24 passengers and is equipped with a dashcam, CCTV, and free wifi. There are those who think these modern PUVs may not last long because of their higher fare and costlier maintenance.

I hope the skeptics will be proven wrong and the so-called beeps will be here to stay. As a car owner, I am looking forward to try these new PUVs as a more convenient and relaxing alternative to driving my car in heavy traffic. It’s cheaper than taxis and TNVS like Grab and Angkas but offers the same airconditioned comfort. It’s far from replacing the jeepneys as our primary mode of transportation but definitely I think there is a market for it.

With climate change warming up many parts of the globe, even up to killer levels during the summer season, the trend for warmer cities like ours, especially with the “heat island effect,” is to offer modes of transportation that are convenient and safe against the elements. I’ve recently watched a documentary in Channel News Asia about the killer heat that will affect cities like Singapore in the near future. But in Singapore, as long as you are indoors, you will remain comfortable. And by indoors that includes the airconditioned subways and its ecosystem of terminals, services, malls, and convenience shops underground which function like a city within a city.

Here in Cebu, we should start planning out our transport ecosystem of terminals and vehicles in order to prepare for the “killer heat” brought about by climate change. We should factor in the design of our transportation system the location of our malls, government offices, and other vital services, and maybe build terminals that directly connect to these establishments, or are provided with the refreshing ambiance of nature.