It was just the second meeting of our classes for the second semester of the Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning and it was already seem to feel very bloody. That is because of a number of assignments that needs to be accomplished within the next two weeks for our subject P299.

For this weekend, each of us is required to come up with a three-page concept paper discussing our planned research topic. The issue that Gaia and I propose to tackle on is water scarcity in the barangays in Iloilo city. I have yet to look for reference documents and previous data for basis as well as journal articles published on education websites online.

We should also come up with a specific Research title for the concept paper, maybe mentioning a district or a particular number of barangays in the city such as in the coastal areas. As mentioned in the guide, the title of the Concept Paper should be a stand-alone statement that can fully describe the project by summarizing the main idea of the manuscript.

For a quick recap, the rest of the elements of a concept paper should be as follows: Statement of the Problem, Preliminary Literature Review, Goal Statement, Research Questions, An Abridged Methodology, Timeline and References. We shall see how it goes for the rest of the day once we can finish step 1.

So after a few months of waiting it is finally here. I am finally taking the entrance exam to University of the Philippines Graduate School’s Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning this Saturday. I remembered the last time

I went to pass my requirements was last May 12, 2017 and expected the exam date last June 3, 2017. Luckily they postponed it maybe because of lack of enrollees and they extended the application deadline to June 16 and scheduled the exam this July 8, 2017.

For a quick background, I am to enroll to this course as a major requirement of my work here in the City Planning and Development Office of the Iloilo City Government. This is the first step as after completing this one, I will then proceed to the Masteral course for Urban Planning.

To Wiki quote, “Urban planning is a technical and political process concerned with the development and use of land, planning permission, protection and use of the environment, public welfare, and the design of the urban environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of urban areas, such as transportation, communications, and distribution networks.

An urban planner is a professional who works in the field of urban planning for the purpose of optimizing the effectiveness of a community’s land use and infrastructure. They formulate plans for the development and management of urban and suburban areas, typically analyzing land use compatibility as well as economic, environmental and social trends. In developing the plan for a community (whether commercial, residential, agricultural, natural or recreational), urban planners must also consider a wide array of issues such as sustainability, air pollution, traffic congestion, crime, land values, legislation and zoning codes.”

With little to no background to this field, I think I am obliged to study and learn and also as a part of my job position. I have been attending related seminars and workshop such as on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction but the correlation still seems vague. Hopefully upon taking this course, I can be knowledgeable of the role of an urban planner and help design and develop accordingly based on the current state and data available of the city.

Wish me luck this Saturday.