Urban planning, architecture and infrastructure

Covid- 19 patients who cannot self- isolate at home because of space restrictions, existing structures in the community can be optimized, repurposed and retrofitted into temporary isolation facilities. So, for our proposed design for the Ligtas Covid Centers, a basketball court or a 392-sqm (14 meters by 28 meters) semi- covered facility can be retrofitted and converted into a community- based isolation unit that can provide basic accommodation and valuable health care. In establishing the Ligtas Covid Centers, principles of infection prevention and control were applied….”

“These principles were based on the Severe Acute Respiratory Infections ( SARI) treatment center: practical manual to set up and manage a SARI treatment center and a SARI screening facility in health care facilities. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020.”

“The floor plan can accommodate 32 patients who will be provided with individual personal space and in- house support from a team of health care assistants and barangay health workers. The flow of patient and staff movement are clearly presented in the design manual. The centers will include facilities and spaces like an entrance lobby and swabbing area, admission triage, partitioned patients’ area with 32 beds, nursing units, working area, toilets, hand washing areas and a supplies/ pantry room, among others.”

( Excerpt from on July 9, 2020)

“Digital infrastructure must be optimized to utilize information and communications technology that can help deliver more efficient and high- quality services. We hope more government transactions and services can be decentralized, expedited, and completed online, so customers do not need to show up in government offices to accomplish their transactions.” Instead, they can access and complete their applications in the comfort and safety of their homes.

“Digital

Infrastructure” published (Excerpt from “Agropolis” published on May 1, 2020) “. . . an agropolis makes a city self-sustaining because it integrates agricultural farms into the urban setting. Derived from ‘ meaning farm, and ‘ meaning city, an agropolis places the food source in the city itself or in nearby cities or towns. However, in order for agropolitan development and a productive industry to flourish, land use plans and policies of local governments must be favorable to balancing development and nature, and financial resources and expertise must be invested in human capital and technology.”

“There is so much benefit to be made from cultivating an agropolis. It can empower low-income households to establish livelihoods. Families can eat healthier by growing their own nutritious vegetables and make a profit from it. Carbon emissions can be reduced because fresh produce no longer needs to be transported at an average of 2,000 kilometers from provincial farms to markets. The presence of farms in the metropolis can help neutralize price surges and shortages of fresh produce during natural calamities in the provinces. Developing urban food systems provides green spaces that offer relief from pollution, urban heat and other deteriorating conditions of the urban environment.”

( Excerpts from “Urban and regional development” published on May 7, 2020)

“We . . . have long believed that our best chance to develop sustainable, inclusive and resilient communities and cities lies outside Metro Manila. We need to create polycentric sustainable growth centers in the provinces, which will act as countermagnets to Metro Manila. We strongly support national government plans of relocating people back to the provinces. Local government units and national government agencies can prepare for this by adopting and strengthening smart and healthy city planning, agropolitan planning, disaster risk reduction and management, pandemic response, and local economic development, among others.”

As we undergo another phase of modified enhanced community quarantine, let us continue to be hopeful, wellprepared, self-disciplined, vigilant and compassionate.