The Production of Space in Public Urban Green Parks in Metro Manila amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Marikina River Park

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the vital role of public urban green parks in promoting the well-being of citizens amid the spatial nature of its impacts. One of the most accessible, open, and socially conducive public parks in Metro Manila is Marikina River Park. This park is especially conceived for a diverse range of goals from disaster prevention to social control and has been successful in promoting a culture of environmental preservation and participatory action to the citizens through culturally grounded practices, political will, and continuity. This study looks through the lens of Henri Lefebvre’s (1991) Spatial Triad Model of the production of space, and thus views public spaces as a social phenomenon and not as a mere structure or place in the city. Within this framework, the objective and subjective components of the social space of public urban green parks were further analyzed through Eight Perceived Sensory Dimensions (PSDs) in Greenspace Aesthetics by Stoltz & Grahn (2021), and the Filipino philosophy of well-being (ginhawa). The findings of this study exhibit the park as a unique space teeming with a vibrant and fluid social reality characteristic of native Filipino regard for spaces. Through a dissection of its space into its conceived, perceived, and lived dimensions, it has been shown that Marikina River Park offers a promising role to sustainable urban practices in Metro Manila moving forward beyond the pandemic.