VIRTUAL: Livable Cities – New York
Abstract
Most urbanized cities in the Philippines, particularly Cebu City have lost not only the pedestrian access but also their intimate scale. Instead, they are mostly regarded as mere service roads that is deprived of public life. This study investigates the users perception of the streets in Downtown Cebu City, specifically within Magallanes and Spolarium Street. The paper attempts to find the significant relationships between the visual perception of different social classes in terms of their experiences and perceptions of pedestrian safety and walkability as well as the socio-economic factors of walking in Magallanes and Spolarium Streets. The survey used in the research is based on the work of Reilly et.al. (2011) and from the content analysis of selected case studies of Forsyth (2008). The survey is conducted and disseminated online and are interpreted using descriptive analysis as well as t-tests. The study, albeit with a small sample size of 30 respondents, showed preliminary results on the factors affecting perceptions, experiences, and drive to walk along Magallanes and Spolarium Streets. The notions such as improved sidewalk and road design as well as the fear from pickpockets greatly affects not only the perception to the streets but also on their feeling of enjoyment while traversing the area. The fact that the perceptions, experiences, and feelings presented by the respondents encompasses the social-income class, sheds light on how the historical importance and connection afforded by the street is tramped by the negative connotation that the street has.
Ar. Nierves is an instructor at the College of Engineering and Architecture of the University of Southern Philippines Foundation in Cebu City, Philippines. She is currently taking up her postgraduate degree in Master of Architecture Major in Urban Design from the University of San Carlos.
Ar. Malayao is an instructor at the Department of Architecture of the University of San Carlos in Cebu City, Philippines. He is currently the Research Coordinator of the School of Architecture, Fine Arts and Design of USC. With his private practice, Bottega 8290 Architectural Studio, he specializes in Building Performance Simulation and Green Building design and its certification. He is a LEED Green Associate with a Masters of Sciences in Building Science and Technology from the Technische Universität – Wien.