Dumaguete City, unlike other cities in Negros Oriental, is a special place. It is known nationwide as a University Town, a distinction ascribed to it because of the presence of academic institutions, some of which are the oldest in the country, and whose influence pervades the economic, political, cultural, and social life of the community.
Another unique character of this UniTown is its strong commitment to environmental protection and preservation. St. Paul University, Foundation University, and Silliman University are the three leading “sustainable and environment-friendly” schools in Central Visayas based on competitions held by the regional DENR. This is an asset that our local government officials could mobilize to make Dumaguete a “walkable city”, Or at some future time, a car-free city.
As I am writing this piece, an international conference is taking place in Guadalajara, Mexico with the theme Building Car-free Cities for the People, by the People. It is the 10th such conference organized by the World Car-free Network whose campaign slogan is Toward Car-free Cities. World Car-free Day is held around Sept. 22 every year.
“The goal of the car-free cities movement is to bring together people from around the world who are promoting practical alternatives to car dependence– walking, cycling, and public transport. The movement seeks ultimately to transform cities, towns, and villages into human-scaled environments rich in public space and community life.
“Carfree cities greatly reduce petroleum dependency, air pollution, greenhouse emissions, automobile crashes, noise pollution, and traffic congestion. Some cities have one or more districts where motorized vehicles are prohibited, referred to as carfree zones, districts or areas.
“Such transformation is occurring in existing city areas by strategic closures of streets to car traffic and by opening streets and squares to exclusive pedestrian use. A pedestrian and bicycle network gradually emerges and joins several parts of the city. Both focus on shifting the balance of network design in favor of pedestrian and bicycle mobility. (From the website of World Carfree Network)
How do we envision our UniTown a decade or two from now? With our passion for promoting people wellness and wholesome environment and nurturing our reputation as “gentle people”, do we have a choice in attaining what we want our community to be? What are our choices and options? Here is what I think we can all aspire for, work for, and convince our local government officials to do arising from urgent concerns.
There are three current problems we need to address: a) growing incidence of lifestyle diseases; b) climate change; and c) crime prevention.
These three problems can be addressed all at once by transforming our City into a walkable community. There is ample research data to support this claim. All it takes for us to be convinced is to read various reports that can be gleaned from the internet:
Lifestyle diseases resulting from obesity can be prevented through exercise such as walking, and residents of walkable communities are found to be six to 10 pounds lighter than those living in sprawling urban areas;
Minimal use of motor vehicles and reduced consumption of fossil fuels can significantly decrease carbon content of the atmosphere and mitigates climate change; and
Walkable communities experience “reduced crime with more people walking and watching over neighborhoods, open space and main streets, increased sense of pride and volunteerism…”
In this column last week, I also cited the economic benefits of walkable communities: a) higher housing value; b) attracting “new economy” workers; c) being business relocation alternatives; d) reduced commuting cost; e) costing less for taxpayers; f) attracting tourists; and g) capturing an emerging “lifestyle” market.
There are two options that our City Council can take to jumpstart the transformation of Dumaguete City into a walkable community: The first is to enact an ordinance creating a Perdices Promenade and a Rizal Promenade.
In this single ordinance, both streets will be motor-vehicle free on weekends and holidays, creating a promenade for everyone to enjoy the sense of open space.
The second option is to adopt the car-free cities paradigm, and initially make every Sunday a car-free and motor-vehicle free day.
I have written about the potential health and environmental hazards of Negros Oriental and Dumaguete City being the “motorcycle capital of the Philippines”. I am not anti-motor vehicle. I am just pro-choice.
In an academic community, the search and quest for the Imeldific trinity of values — the true, the good, and the beautiful — is the paramount preoccupation. And the bottom line, always, is the choice of what we believe is true, good, and beautiful.
The choice that we make today on what our City of Gentle People will be in the not too distant future must be a source of personal pride and happiness, not regret, when we look back to the year 2011.
