Laws exist to guide human behavior and set limits to what can and can't be done. Plans are created to set the direction to a destination. Houses are necessary for shelter and protection, a very basic necessity of Modern Human Civilization.
With out houses, we would all be living in rocks, caves at worst on top of trees – just like Apes.
The demand for houses grows in direct proportion to the population growth. This demand is felt acutely in all growing urban areas of the world today. Without proper planning, living conditions in urban areas become similar to stone age shelter conditions at worst, or likened to living in crowded isolation – so many houses grouped together but lacking access to basic community services.
As a discipline or profession, urban planning is so misunderstood, that upon mention of the phrase “urban planning” to the average layperson, they end up just nodding their heads pretending that they understand.
When the phrase is mentioned in so called professional circles like engineers and the like, they end up with the curt reply – “We can't afford that. That is a very expensive service that is best left for affluent countries and the rich.” Even some functionaries government planning and regulatory agencies shun the profession like the plague.
The Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board is one such agency mandated to look into Housing Development plans and this agency is tasked to look into the manner that land is being used by developers and local government units. The agency is tasked to assist local government units in promulgating land use and zoning policies that local legislative bodies may promulgate.
The housing industry is considered as a multiplier industry. Players in the industry are supposed to be regulated and guided properly by the HLURB in their site development plans.
But what has happened in reality.
We have subdivision projects where in home buyers end up with the short end of the stick. Their subdivisions are located in flood prone areas. Social service facilities so lacking. Garbage disposal a problem and the presence of security personnel, like the police next to nothing. To top it all some subdivisions end up located in areas that are not serviced by the regular public transport service; like public utility jeepney's.
When subdivision projects get fully occupied and problems start to crop up, home owners end up being passed around from one government agency to another, and then the local government unit, when all of these problems would have been anticipated at the level of the HLURB.
It would be best if HLURB does its job properly at best by providing the necessary guidance to local government units and developers so families who sacrifice hard earned money get their money's worth. Imagine paying a monthly amortization on a house when your house gets flooded every time it rains, or your monthly transportation budget is three times your monthly amortization.
When residents living in subdivision projects start experiencing problems that have a negative impact on their quality of life – there is a failure in the Urban Planning process. And this is being experienced by a lot of subdivision residents.
Mind you, Urban Planning is not just for the rich or highly urbanized cities. Urban planning must be implemented properly much more for the poor and even more so in rapidly developing urban areas like Davao.
Or else... the Apes in the Jungle might end up living a much better life that us urban citizens.
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This appeared on the 29 July 2006 issue of Mindanao Times
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