or A Glimpse of Land Distribution in the Country
Just now, I'm thinking what will happen to Alimall when the much hyped Gateway mall, developed by the country's elites, the Aranetas and the Ayalas, opens to the public come November or December. I tried to relate it to urban planning and thought that the unjust distribution of land in the country is made more inequitable by the country's flawed economic policies and our insufficient knowledge on sound land use management in the face of globalization.
As a student of
urban and regional planning, we were taught that given the scarcity of land in urban and urbanizing areas, it must be planned and designed in such a way that the land would be able to achieve its maximum utility while providing for the needs of the majority of its stakeholders. In the case of Cubao, particularly the Araneta Center, redevelopment is essential to spruce it up and entice more businesses, and because the land is privately-owned, the immediate stakeholders would be the Araneta & Ayala corporations. Now, what about the "other" stakeholders, meaning the small, hole-in-the-wall establishments and the residential areas around it?
The usual problem which besets redevelopment is gentrification. It is a term which connotes social classification, coined by the sociologist Ruth Glass in the early 60s. Gentrification is best described by the following experience of London:
"One by one, many of the working-class quarters of London have been invaded by the middle-classes - upper and lower. Shabby, modest mews and cottages - two rooms up and two down - have been taken over, when their leases have expired, and have become elegant, expensive residences....Once this process of 'gentrification' starts in a district it goes on rapidly until all or most of the original working-class occupiers are displaced and the whole social character of the district is changed." (Slater, 2002)
Years before, Cubao caters to a mass-based clientele, thus, the rise of Farmer's market, Plaza Fair and Fairmart. It was a place where mothers can haggle while their kids enjoy the rides at the Fiesta carnival. Today, its history of affordable commodities is slowly being replaced by expensive products made by global corporations, guilty of child labor practices in its sweatshops. The fresh produce cultivated by Filipino farmers in the uplands are taken over by imported ones: vegetables and fruits from China, rice from Thailand, chicken from Australia, beef from New Zealand.
I have witnessed how the old C.O.D. was replaced by Puregold. COD as a small family owned business, while Puregold is an "international trading corporation." Now my kids won't be able to enjoy the annual Christmas show hosted by COD for the enjoyment of the public who cannot afford the theatres or even tickets for the Little Mermaid on Ice show at the Araneta Coliseum. I had the opportunity to witness one of their presentations two Christmases ago and I would not exchange that experience for a free shopping at Puregold.
A&W, famous for their heavenly Rootbeer floats, closed to give way to
KFC* with their genetically engineered chickens (although, these are owned by one foreign corp.). The SIDCOR weekend market is another goner replaced by another superstore, Makro.
What I'm driving at is that land should not be only for those who can build on it huge malls and tall skyscrapers; more importantly, land should be also for those who are willing to till and cultivate it; land should be for those whose lives depend on it.
I believe that there should be places for people who cannot afford the Guccis and the Manolo Blahniks and such places should be preserved, otherwise, the country would eventually turn into one big, classy restaurant where only the rich could dine while the penniless poor are watching behind the glass-paned windows, slowly starving to death. And nobody's raising hell about it.
wow...text heavy article a...serious....pero rock...
galing ng hny....the socially conscious planner...
mwamwa
Do Oda said...
12:15 PM
bun nasira yung gilid nung main box bat kaya? mwah2 kala ko tawag ka ngaun lunch? mejo nagse-set in na yung kaba sana nga puro Japanese yung nandun hhe
Anonymous said...
1:31 PM
commercialism promotes materialsm which our society can ill afford. our colonial mentality has been exploited to the max by the so-called entreprenuers (cross-bred charlatans)who prey on hapless victims for their own benefit. when commercialism takes the helm, nationalism takes a back seat. thing is, gullible pa rin mga noypi. we thought that by doning a versace and acquiring a twang can set us above the rest. we acquired the globalization fever, long before the word gained prominence, by trying to 'act' as 'citizens of the world' but a pinoy. sad but true...
percolatte said...
5:00 PM
bun, may similar artik on cubao at kneehighboots :)
Do Oda said...
3:53 PM
i went home in june and found that COD in Cubao was already closed. what happened to it?
and where will this Gateway mall be? will it cater to the rich and famous? commercialism really segregates the classes, noh?
purplegirl said...
1:02 AM
hi ms. purplegrl, COD was replaced by Puregold around two years ago if im not mistaken. The Gateway mall is sandwiched between the national book store and plaza fair, just a stone's throw away from Araneta coliseum and ends at aurora blvd. yes, it's that long and it's connected to the LRT2 station. :)
k said...
1:51 PM