Urban morphology refers to the study and analysis of the physical form, structure, layout, and organization of urban areas or settlements. It involves examining the spatial arrangement of buildings, streets, open spaces, and other elements that constitute the built environment in cities and towns. The discipline explores how cities evolve, considering factors such as historical development, social, economic, and cultural influences, as well as the impact of planning and design interventions.

Key aspects of urban morphology include:

1. Land Use Patterns: Examining how different areas within a city are designated for residential, commercial, industrial, or recreational purposes.
2. Building Types and Styles: Analyzing the architectural characteristics and styles of buildings in urban areas, considering factors like height, density, and the arrangement of structures.
3. Street Networks: Studying the layout and connectivity of streets, including patterns such as grids, radial designs, or irregular networks, and how they influence the movement of people and vehicles.
4. Public Spaces: Investigating the design and distribution of parks, plazas, and other public spaces within the urban fabric.
5. Historical Layers: Understanding how historical developments, including changes in technology, culture, and governance, have shaped the physical structure of urban areas.
6. Transportation Systems: Examining the infrastructure for transportation, including roads, bridges, and public transit, and how it impacts the overall form of the city.
7. Socioeconomic Factors: Considering how social and economic factors influence the distribution of land uses and the development of various urban elements.

Urban morphology is an interdisciplinary field that draws on aspects of urban planning, architecture, geography, sociology, and history. The analysis of urban form provides insights into the character of cities and helps planners and policymakers make informed decisions about urban development and design.

I have read from a Facebook post last time that our country, the Philippines, was considered as a sachet economy because of our massive uses of plastics for our small purchases such as that of a portion of shampoo, soap and even the sinigang mix that we use as ingredient in our cooked food. This as a result produces a lot of plastic waste products and without proper disposal and recycling causes clogs our drainages and waterways.

To somewhat solve this issue, we should use plastic less and should practice it very often. Here are some tips on how to reduce plastic wastes in our everyday uses:

Source: https://lessplastic.co.uk/9-tips-living-less-plastic/

Our class for the Fundamentals of Urban Planning started last Saturday with the introductions of each of the classmates and a discussion of the course outline by Dr. Ibabao. We were then assigned to read some reference documents that covers Chapter 1 of the outline and one of which is the Republic Act No. 10587 otherwise known as the Environmental Planning Act of 2013.

I have started reading on the details of this act and so here are a few terms defined in the document:

Environmental planning, also known as urban and regional planning, city planning, town and country planning, and/or human settlements planning, refers to the multi-disciplinary art and science of analyzing, specifying, clarifying, harmonizing, managing and regulating the use and development of land and water resources, in relation to their environs, for the development of sustainable communities and ecosystems.

Environmental planner refers to a person who is registered and licensed to practice environmental planning and who holds a valid Certificate of Registration and a valid Professional Identification Card from the Board of Environmental Planning and the Professional Regulation Commission.

Accredited Professional Organization (APO) refers to the duly integrated and accredited professional organization of environmental planners, of which there shall be only one as prescribed by Republic Act No. 8981, the Comprehensive Professional Code, and in Section 32 of this Act.