Maynila Urban Design Week + Festival ends this weekend

MANILA, Philippines – Urban design plays an important role in building a vision for Metro Manila. It is the intersection of urban planning, architecture, engineering, anthropology, sociology, art, everyday perspectives and any other lens which shapes the way people live in cities. It is a process as much as it is an outcome.

This is why Viva Manila and Curiosity Design Research, with support from many organizations, are presenting the first MAYNILA Urban Design Week + Festival. This event brings together a wide audience of urban enthusiasts to reflect on where we are today and where we want to be in the future through a series of talks, workshops, panel discussions, and other activities from May 9th until the 17th.

MAYNILA Urban Design Week kicked off on May 9 with a participatory performance from Sipat Lawin at the UP Vargas Museum and a street photography workshop with veteran photographer Luis Liwanag.

MAYNILA Urban Design Week + Festival culminates at both ends of the Metro on May 16 and 17. Urbanites converge at Maginhawa street on May 16 to join talks on National Land Use Policy for Urban Planning and Design by Elmer Mercado, Responsive City Planning & Design by Karmina and Jun Palafox, Evolution of Metro Manila by Dinky von Einsiedel, Barangay Participatory Planning by Lara De Castro, 10 Things I learned from Biking Metro Manila by Julia Nebrija, Pasikot-sikot: Local Practices of Wayfinding by Dr Fras Abaya and Pam Cajilig, and wrap up with a discussion on Opportunities for Urban Design in Metro Manila with Paulo Alcazaren and Joel Luna moderated by Anna Gonzales.

Aside from talks, we explore new ways of engaging with the city through an Improv Workshop-Urban Design: Letting Go, Noticing More and Using Everything with SPIT’s Gabe Mercado, as well as a Maginhawa Food + Story Walk hosted by EnPraxis, and a participatory live art event at StrEATs.

On May 17, all roads lead to Maestranza Plaza, Intramuros as the festival brings together talks on Urban Tourism by Mark Evidente, Priming Cities through Engagement and Branding by Amor Maclang, Building Healthy and Resilient Cities by Jezreel Apelar, Government Hacks to Build a Better City by Bantay.PH, a Panel on Participatory Housing Design For and With the Urban Poor moderated by Dr Mary Racelis featuring Arch. Albert Zambrano and Barangay Captain Filomena Cinco, and Designing for the Changing Urban Landscape by Augusto Villalon with final reflections from MAYNILA Urban Design Week + Festival curators Julia Nebrija and Pamela Cajilig.

After sunset come the performances  “The Way We Were” by SPIT Improv and The Road to Intramuros Rising by Illustrados.

Throughout the day visitors can tour Intramuros on free bikes from the MMDA Public Service. They can also explore the chambers of Maestranza, historically storehouses for Fort Santiago, where they will find exhibits from the Urban Sketchers featuring a workshop and drawings of the city, 1335 Gallery featuring the photographs of MM YU, Goethe Institut featuring photography on Gated Communities and Public Space, 500 photos from Street Photographers, and Geloy Concepcion’s first ever photo series on Reyna Delas Flores: Manila’s Golden Gays, and many more.

Various organizations will also be setting up information booths together with the Viva Manila Pasyal Sunday Market. – Rappler.com

If you’d like to more information about this, please contact Julia Nebrija (Viva Manila) at +639399107030 or Pamela Cajilig (Curiosity Design Research) at +639176321706. Updated event information is available online via Manila Urban Design (Facebook) and MNLUrbanDesign (Twitter and Instagram).