Puerto Princesa, The Philippines

Puerto Princesa, The Philippines
Population of Metropolitan Area: 210,508
Year Founded: 1961

Puerto Princesa is unique of the cities I have visited thus far on my trip for its smaller size and is sort of strange in the sense of its city limits. From the center of town, where our hotel is, it takes us close to an hour to drive to our site, which is still in the city limits. While the city center is very densely populated, the surrounding parts of the city are very agrarian and many of the cities residents live out in the country side. To me it would be very hard to imagine what living out in these rural areas, completely on your own would be like. In a number of ways it reminds me of the stories my grandmother tells of growing up in rural Kentucky. What’s amazing about this though is that for the most part this type of lifestyle has been eliminated in America, and it’s all happened in a single life time. It’s hard to get a sense of how quickly the world is changing sometimes, but its very evident here in the Philippines. Along the drive to the site we pass a number of homes made of bamboo with thatched roofs, which to me is very interesting and picturesque to see. But there is also a number of similar homes that have replaced there roofs with corrugated metal, and it’s on this merging of past and present that I find most interesting. To me it’s sad to see a unique indigenous architecture replaced by a faceless interpretation of modern building materials. I know the country wants to progress, and that machine made products would free residents from household tasks to do so called better work in offices and there by progressing the area, or rather the areas economy. But it’s hard to not feel like something would be lost if that happened. In my mind, Sydney Australia might as well have been located in America, it was so similar, but the Philippines are truly unique of anywhere I have been and it seems unfortunate that there is a desire to be like everyone else as opposed to highlighting the areas differences. The tricycles used here in Puerto Princesa are unique to any other part of the world. Not only that, but it is such a charm to see city streets full of 75% tricycles, and since they’re easy to maintain I gather they have a very long life and have a relatively low cost of ownership. Imagine though what would happen if these were replaced with yellow taxis like the rest of the world. I guess that that is my greatest fear for an area like this is that in attempting to improver through standardization and stricter building codes and so on, the city could be come faceless and with out an identity. Hopefully the wall marts of the world will stay away, but I really don’t see how they can hold out.

Manila, The Philippines

Manila, The Philippines
Population of Metropolitan Area: 20,075,000 World Rank: 5
Population Density: 14,090/km^2
Gross Domestic Product: $108,000,000 USD World Rank: 43
Year Founded: 1574

Manila like the rest of the Philippines has a very layered and storied past. The city was founded as a Jesuit Spanish Mission, and was originally the walled city of intramuros. Giant stone walls and a moat surrounded the city from hostile natives, the likes of which most famously beheaded Ferdinand Magellan. Intramuros is the oldest part of the city, and though it was the second most extensively bombed area during WWII, the area has been largely rebuilt and now is a major tourist destination. This layer of Spanish settlement gives way a city planed as an American territory by renowned city planner Daniel Burnham. While sections of the city were completed the city today is a jumble of changing influences and plans layered over top of pervious and incomplete plans.

It’s hard to describe the chaos of the city that is Manila. My first experience of Filipino culture is that they seem to have no concept of a line. At the airport people would rush, and cut in line, just to get to another line. A similar experience takes place on the streets of Manila every day. Residents self proclaim that the traffic in Manila is so bad that it is the second worst in the world behind only Bangkok. The real problem lies in the lack of public utilities like sidewalks and traffic lights. These problems are being addressed as new highways are being built and an elevated train services a good part of the city, but clearly the city has expanded much faster than its infrastructure. Space in the city has become a real problem. Houses are built touching each other and on interior lots with no real access to the street. On the fringe of town its actually and impressive sight to see shanties line a stream built by salvaged materials and rising three and four stories tall. As is logical in an area so densely populated, pollution has become a real problem. Since the city is hot and humid the effects of smog and exhaust fumes are exacerbated. The problem has become so extreme that there are days of the week where certain numbered license plates cannot drive.

Despite some of these disadvantages, the city operates in a way that is fascinatingly pure and organic. Most everything that is built is done so for a purpose, and as such the architecture is not only logical but responsive to the cities unique environment. Crowded twisting alleys are lined with stores, shops, and restaurants, and despite the location or building design, the businesses are always packed. To me it’s very interesting to compare the strategies employed in American cities to get stores and restaurants to open downtown with the natural occurrence and necessity of such businesses in crowded Asian cities like Manila.

On a fundamental basis Manila functions very well in a number of ways. The city is certainly vibrant and is very walkable for its immense scale. However the cities transportation problems combined with its extreme overcrowding make the city feel chaotic and overwhelming. For the first time I think I can understand the draw of suburban life in comparison to the chaos of this type of city life. I wonder if American cities were in a similar situation at the turn of the century before the flight to the suburbs took place. I also wonder if that indeed was the case, how a city like Manila will respond to the changes growth and development bring, especially in regards to the number of mistakes I believe American cities made during this period of their development.

Pacific Rim Parks

For those of you who don't know, the reason I'm in the Philippines right now is to build the next Pacific Rim Park. You can check out our progress at the official site:

www.prppearls.blogspot.com

Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House

Designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon, the Sydney Opera House is one of the most famous and well received buildings in the world. Situated on Bennelong Point, the building is visible across Sydney Harbor on 3 sides. In 2007 the building was designated as a UNESCO world heritage site and is one of only 3 20th century buildings to be given such status.

The building we know today marks over 20 years of design and planning. Utzon’s design was reportedly salvaged after being discarded and was little more than conceptual drawings. If I recall correctly The building was supposed to cost million dollars and take years to build, however it ended up costing 102 million and taking 16 years. Part of the reason for rampant overages was that estimates were done for a building that no one knew how to build. In a time with out computers complex geometries such as the roof structures were extremely hard to calculate. Parts of the building were being built with out knowing how it would be finished. At one point Utzon even accepted defeat, but in the end the solution proved to be surprisingly simple. The concrete ribs to support the roof were all derived as different length pieces from a common sphere. This allowed for only one radius to be calculated, and therefore only one set of formwork. The store however doesn’t end here, as a new government took office in Australia, the project met increasing pressure to finish as quickly and as cheaply as possible. This ultimately lead to disputes between Utzon and government officials and he was asked to step down or leave. Utzon left for denmark never to return to Sydney. He died in 2008 never having stepped inside the building that made him famous.

Few people realize that the Sydney Opera House is actually 5 different theaters and that for 5 months of the year, Opera isn’t even run, but rather ballet. I must also say that besides the two large theaters the other ones are very unimpressive and I would be very upset to shell out $70 for a ticket in one of these back room theaters. Apparently though, that won’t really be an issue as tickets are usually purchased years in advance.

One of the things that you have to keep in mind about this building as that while the design is truly amazing from the distance, up close it really holds a lot of the not so good qualities of buildings designed in the 50’s and 60’s. The entrance for one is really atrocious in my mind, essentially being underground. A driveway leads under something like the largest freely supported concrete span in the world, which sounds pretty cool until you realize it has no point. The entrance sort of gives the vibe of entering old Riverfront Stadium from the parking garage, a feeling that is aided greatly by the stark concrete walls that lift the building up from the harbor walk. Once you find the entrance you are so clearly pushed through the classic compression and release technique designed to make the entrance really powerful. I have to say that it works remarkably well, the entrance leads to a stair of which the low concrete ceiling completely blocks the view beyond. The view is slowly revealed as you ascend the stairs, with great effect, but I have problems looking past how absurdly plain and ugly the entrance is, regardless of its spatial effect. The building is also consistently furnished with absolutely ridiculously awful red and purple carpet. Thankfully though there’s plenty more the building does to perfection.

Sydney, Australia

Sydney, Australia
Population of Metropolitan Area: 3,715,000 World Rank: 81
Population Density: 2,080/km^2
Gross Domestic Product: $172,000,000 USD World Rank: 26
Year Founded: 1788

Sydney is the largest city in Australia and the site of the first British Colony in the country. The city is the state capital of New South Wales and is located among the natural beauty of Sydney Harbor. Sydney is particularly interesting to me because it’s past so closely mirrors that of the development of cities in the United States. Experientially Sydney is about as different from American Cities as Canadian ones; however it is located on the other side of the world. Sydney is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, and is a major destination for immigrants to Australia. Sydney also ranks among the most expensive and livable cities in the world.

It’s not hard to understand why so many people want to move to Sydney, its one of only a handful of cities that can offer vibrant city life along with unbelievable natural beauty. To me the city feels a lot like San Francisco or Seattle with the climate of San Diego. Sydney is much more manageable in size and as such I feel that it is more distinct in a number of ways. The city has great topography and more water front than any city I’ve seen so far. Like Seattle, everywhere one turns there are amazing views to be had. The famous Sydney Opera House was designed to be viewed from all sides and can be seen from a great distance.

The city does a good job utilizing its water front. Darling Harbor is very similar to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and is even finished with similar materials. However Sydney doesn’t have just one harbor, but three. Circular Quay is surrounded with museums and shops which lead to the prominent Opera House. To the south a harbor is lined with the Royal Botanical Gardens.

What is most appealing to me about the city is the interaction of the original English buildings with the modern structures the city has become famous for. Sydney has a wealth of ornate buildings left from its early colonial rule. Most of these buildings are detailed in what seems to be a very orange-brown sandstone. The central train station, town hall, and two other prominent structures all have beautifully detailed clock towers along the lines of an English version of Philadelphia City Hall. The Queen Victoria Building is a 4 story shopping mall, beautifully detailed in the Victorian Style. An entire neighborhood called the Rocks is comprised of period buildings beautifully situated between circular quay and the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

I was really surprised with the shopping in Sydney. I felt like there were an absurd amount of stores for a city of its size. Unfortunately though, the prices In Sydney were just as absurd. I ended up not buying a souvenir simply because every time I would find a shirt I liked it’d be at least 50 AUS. It wasn’t uncommon for simple t-shirts to be over 100 AUS. I guess that’s the unfortunate part of living in a highly desired city is that you have to put up with the high living costs.

Coming from Tokyo Sydney really felt like a city in the sense that I have known it. As such Sydney is not able to escape the homelessness, as it is a reasonably visible problem. For the most part it seemed that the CBD has been cleaned up, but on the edge of town by the central train station there were a number of homeless. Also while it would be hard to find much in the way of undesirable property in the CBD, it doesn’t take too long to find some areas that look like the could use some help as you move out of the city. For the first two nights I was in town I stayed out in Collaroy Beach, which is about 6 miles north of the city. I thought it would be good to see some of the beaches as I know that they are such a part of many coastal cities such as those in Southern California. In many ways I think this was a mistake on my part. There wasn’t a whole lot going on at the beach where I was at, it seemed very quiet and while not in disrepair, clearly the area was not thriving. With that said the beach was absolutely beautiful, although it was too cold to swim. An endless beach gave way to tide pools and cliffs, atop which large ranch style homes dominated. I am glad that I saw the beach, I think I had plenty of time to see the city, but I think I saw the wrong beach, it sounds like Bondi Beach south of the city is the place to be. Also the hostel I was at in town was substantially better. I met tons of people from England, and some from Germany, Denmark, and South Korea.
It’s hard not to like Sydney. Like I said before it’s one of those rare places that is able to combine world class city living in a pristine environment. To me I think it has just about everything going for it. The public transit system seems to work pretty well; they have a combination of subways, streetcars, and a monorail. Admittedly the bus system is a little strange. It is required to prepurchase tickets per ride bases on distance, however there is no explanation and I was actually told to wait for the bus and ask the driver. With that said though the system probably makes more sense to locals and the buses run frequently and all night. But with so much within walking distance I don’t see the need to do much else. There is little doubt in my mind that Sydney is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, it’s just a shame it’s so far away.

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo, Japan
Population of Metropolitan Area: 34,670,000 World Rank: 1
Population Density: 4,430/km^2
Gross Domestic Product: $1,191,000,000 USD World Rank: 1
Year Founded: 1497

Tokyo serves as the seat of the Japanese Government and is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. The greater Tokyo Metropolis is divided into 23 special wards, each governed as individual cities. The economy is driven largely by its status as one of the 3 world finance centers of the world, with New York and London being the other two. With over 34 million people living in its metropolitan area, Tokyo is the largest urban area in the world and is significantly larger than any other city. To provide some prospective New York City has just over 21 million people. The city is made up of a number of distinct areas, most notably, Roppongi Hills, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza, and Ueno.

Though Tokyo is clearly a very modern city, its city planning is medieval in nature, comprised of a maze like network of narrow back alley ways and winding streets. This combined with never ending cityscape and flat topography make keeping a bearing very difficult without a map. Fortunately though, Tokyo has one of the world’s largest subway systems which is not only affordable but easy to use and nearly every sign is also in English.

Tokyo looks and feels like a sci-fi movie. From the stereotypical diagonal stair expression to the barrage of neon signs that light up the night sky the city is distinctly futuristic in character. The crowded narrow streets of Shinjuku served as the inspiration for the movie blade runner and hold true to this day. Though Tokyo is very old, almost all of its buildings are relatively new. Around the turn of the century the city was leveled by a massive earthquake and while Tokyo was sparred from the Atomic Bomb during WWII, it’s bombing was so extensive that very little of the old city survived.

Because the area is so heavily populated, land is extremely hard to come by and the city is constantly reinventing itself as old is torn down in favor of new. One of the most successful of these urban renewal projects is the mega development of Roppongi Hills, where a shopping center, hotel, high rise office, museum, and viewing pavilion provide entertainment for everyone.

The Japanese are famous for there work ethic, and the city offers plenty of opportunities for its residents to spend their money. The Ginza district is comparable to 5th Avenue and offers every store imaginable. The residents of Tokyo are with out a doubt the best dressed I have ever seen, most wear suits and dresses to go out in the evening.

Tokyo is also one of the safest cities I have visited, especially considering that dark, narrow, twisting alleys are the norm, and the city is so expansive. However, the city is so vibrant, so full of people, that no street is deserted. I was also surprised to see very few homeless in a city with such a high cost of living. With that said, living in Tokyo would be very cramped, as buildings are often built within inches of each other and with no access to the road. Spaces are so sought after that structures are even built underneath elevated trains and highways.

In all I was exceedingly impressed with how easy it was for me to get around and interact with others in the city. Most things are also written in English and usually some one is around who can speak well enough to be helpful. Its hard not blown away by the barrage of neon. Tokyo is like Times Square, but twice as large and six times throughout the city. I did feel though that the city has something of an identity problem. The city is so large that it largely looks exactly the same, and most of the cities buildings leave much to be desired. Also few of the buildings are much taller than 20 or 30 stories, so there is a constant building height that is never ending and indefinable. There is no real Skyline like there is in New York, but rather more like the pictures I’ve seen of Sao Paolo. I was also surprised to find that it was nearly impossible to find a souvenir that said Tokyo or Japan. Nearly every store sold American eagle-esque shirts of American Places. I guess it’s somewhat a product of the fact that of the 13 or so million in Tokyo proper, only 353,826 are foreign residents.

The extreme lack of diversity in the city is an interesting topic in itself. Most of the American Ghetto’s were formed by the influx of African American’s into the cities and the so called white flight into the suburbs. I do wonder how the Japanese would respond to the influx of other cultures, but for now, its nothing Tokyo has to worry about. In the end though I feel like Tokyo is an amazing city with its own character, but in my mind it’ very comparable to New York, and I feel that New York executes a number of things much better. Tokyo is amazing to visit, but I still feel that if you’re looking to move to the big city, New York’s still got it beat.