What’s UP? This webinar on urban and regional planning was organized by the Architecture Department of the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) last January 8, 2022. Ar. Mottie Santos, an architect and urban planner of Palafox Associates and Palafox Architecture Group was invited to be the key speaker. Participants for this online event included architecture students and faculty from USTP in Cagayan de Oro City.

Ar. Santos’ presentation focused on explaining what the profession of urban planning actually is, its benefits, and how it is a major element in creating healthier cities in the Philippines and elsewhere in the world. She also highlighted the potential roles of architects in the field of urban planning.

Ar. Santos began the presentation by citing the difference between Urban Planning and Urban Design, where the former comprises planning cities and their infrastructure through policies, zoning, standards, and codes, whereas the latter is the creation of the city’s features — from its structures, public spaces, transport, landscapes, and public facilities, among others. She then cited benchmarks of good urban planning from around the world to give the audience an overview about global best practices before proceeding to share sustainable concepts applied in Palafox projects as well as completed projects. 

The presentation concluded with Ar. Santos sharing how we at Palafox  envision everyone to live in environmentally friendly, master-planned, and well-designed buildings, communities, and cities that are smart, resilient, livable, connected, accessible, walkable, bikeable, safer, better lit, convenient, and clean with mixed-income, cross-generational, mixed-use developments that provide places to live, work, shop, dine, play, learn, and worship with access to healthcare, wellness centers, recreation, leisure, and 24-hour activity centers.