Differences in Design for American and European Cities
When the Spanish exited the Philippines in 1998, they turned over their precious colony to the Americans. The Spanish established their philosophy on planning – plaza mayors in major cities, cathedrals and the governor’s house at the center.
Immediately after the handover, the Americans built upon the infrastructure left by the Spanish. The Americans implemented “huge boulevards, classical-design capitol buildings, and sizable green spaces” to exhibit “a visual character and spatial logic of the modern age”. The City Beautiful Movement was in vogue among the planners and urban designers of the time.
Distinguished urban planners like Daniel Burnham drew their vision of Manila in 1902. Some of these dreams were implemented into Manila’s and Baguio’s urban plan.
The philosophy of the 1900s was to gather information of the best ideas for the most beautiful cities in the world. And the Philippines was one of the delightful recipient of this “experiment” to create the perfect city design. At the center of this movement was the “City Beautiful Movement.”
European Cities are more bike friendly 
Bike Friendly European Cities with lanes for pedestrian and bikes
The City Beautiful Movement was a reform during the 1890-1900s that introduced beautificatioon of cities. Premier cities from France, Germany, England and the US vied for the honor of their home city.
In the United States, this movement drew middle class support in cities like Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City and Washington, D.C. The Philippines, as the newly acquired colony of the United States. The United States, showcased their pride in developing the Philippines in its image through the City Beautiful Movement.
Look at this list of the Best Cities in the World for Bikers.
- Copenhagen, Sweden
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Utrecht, Netherlands
- Antwerp, Belgium
- Strasbourg, France
- Bordeaux, France
- Oslo, Norway
- Paris, France
- Vienna, Austria
- Helsinki, Finaland
- Bremen, Germany
- Bototá, Colombia
- Barcelona, Spain
- Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Berlin, Germany
- Tokyo, Japan
- Taipei, Taiwan
- Vancouver, Canada
- Montreal, Canada
- Hamburg, Germany
Conspicuously missing from this list is any city from the United States. Which lead me to my thesis that American Cities diverged from their European counterparts in the 1970s. The European cities embraced biker and pedestrian friendly neighborhoods while American cities pushed for more industrial motor friendly cities.
In looking at the Philippines perspective, it is easy to spot which design we are following. Part of our laws include concrete parking in commercial centers. Due to these commercial parking spaces, Philippines cities are incredible hotter as these concrete jungles reflect heat and sunlight.
In the 1980s, a different situation presented itself in the Netherlands. While the United States civil rights movement fought for sexual freedom, the Dutch were fighting for biking rights on their streets. And rightly so. During the 1980s, there were 400 accidents for children and the elderly. The activisists pushed back and got a hearing from their lawmakers. Today, the Dutch cities top the world in the bike use within their cities.
While biking culture has unique challenges in a tropical country, like the Philippines, it is worth noting that Singapore, a city within the tropical zone was able to implement it. We as citizens can initiate changes that we want within our cities. It starts with awareness. Imagine that European cities in the 1960s were a concrete jungle, not the bike friendly cities that they are now. By effort and deliberate action, the European planners we able to change the face of their cities.
I hope this insight could drive more discussion into policymakers about pedestrian and biker friendly cities in the Philippines.
