Speaker
Description
Molotch's Access Node Theory, proposed in 1976, states that a limited number of transit nodes contributes to rapid urbanization instead of alleviating vehicular congestion. Through an analysis of post-processed satellite images from the year 2000, where no transit node yet is servicing the esteemed university belt district in Manila, which hosts over twenty institutions for higher education, numerous culturally significant developments, and historically important sites dating back from the early 17th century along the Light Rail Transit 2 (LRT-2) alignment, to the present, utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS), reveals a significant reduction in open spaces due to the expansion of built-up areas surrounding Legarda Station, a transit node and station known for having the highest student ridership, providing primary access to the university belt. The need for livable public spaces is a pressing issue since the World Bank underscored it as a criterion for a successful Transit Oriented Development (TOD), which is expected to materialize soon in various neighborhood typologies adjacent to these identified transit nodes. TOD projects in the Philippines are already pushed by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) as they recently published a TOD Policy Framework and are already financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to enhance the quality of life and development within transit nodes where Legarda Station is included. Hence, in line with this development direction, this paper aims to analyze the trends, dynamics, and evolution of the balancing act between built and open spaces within the university belt neighborhood served by Legarda Station to determine the most appropriate urban planning, design, and development strategy for the affected neighborhood and other comparable areas facing similar issues, to avert unregulated and uncontrolled urban development on emerging and future transit nodes both within and outside the Philippines.
References
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| Keywords | Transit Oriented Development; Public Space; Urban Development; Manila; Transit Nodes |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
