TWO YEARS OF MAPPING MANILA’S PERI-URBAN FRINGE: THE “SPACES IN TRANSITION” PROJECT

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Two Years of Mapping Manila’s Peri-Urban Fringe: The “Spaces in Transition” Project

Metro Manila as seen from a subdivision in Barangay Dolores, Taytay, Rizal
A view of Metropolitan Manila on the horizon, as seen from a gated and exclusive subdivision in Barangay Dolores, Taytay, Rizal, represents the distance between the city and the peri-urban fringe: far enough for a home secluded in rural-like conditions, but near enough to travel to for work on a day-to-day basis.

The Spaces in Transition project mapped the rapid spatial transformation of areas surrounding Metro Manila, commonly described as the peri-urban fringe. Using mixed research methods, the study examined how land growth and development affected residents living in these changing areas.

Data collection included historical research papers, selected archival documents, demolition records, a household survey, and ethnographic observation. The project’s time-space diary survey used multistage stratified sampling and gathered information from 2,085 respondents in Rizal, Cavite, and Laguna.

The survey documented residential and commuting mobility, including daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal movement. It also collected information about household members’ socioeconomic characteristics, sense of belonging, and collective efficacy. Field researchers complemented the survey by recording their observations and reflections during five months of immersion in the peri-urban region.

Barangay Lecheria in Calamba, Laguna
Barangay Lecheria in Calamba provides a glimpse of the stark reality of urbanization in parts of Laguna: dense agricultural landscapes are punctuated with mixed land use and real estate developments that have implications for local and migrant populations.

“Spaces in Transition” is an OVPAA-funded project based at the UP Population Institute under the leadership of Dr. Arnisson Andre Ortega. It has been added to and featured on the Relational Poverty Network. The project also partnered with Project Bakawan, a collaborative art event promoting environmental and sustainability awareness, and held an interactive audiovisual exhibit at the UP Vargas Museum on March 12, 2015.

In its second year of implementation, the project continued to encourage public interest in population, development, urbanization, and migration. Project updates and selected information from secondary data were made available through its Facebook page, with a separate website featuring survey results and other findings planned at the time.

 

A white cow on an open field with a row of houses in the background
A white cow peacefully grazes on an open field, with a row of houses in a real estate development site in the background. These types of sights and landscapes are found in various parts of Manila’s peri-urban fringe, where urban expansion has produced mixed land uses, fencing or gating of private lands, conversion of agricultural land into industrial, commercial, and residential developments, and other land-use changes that shape residents’ everyday spaces.
A highway billboard contrasting with the rural foreground
A billboard facing the highway contrasts with the rural foreground of the nearby community, showing that urbanization in the peri-urban fringe does not necessarily produce a homogeneous urban landscape.

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