The Interrelationship of Urban Development and Urban Study

penned by Nova Beldad

Urban study is the study of urban development. It uses several fields of discipline, including but not limited to anthropology, architecture, and political science. These disciplines are the ones that help researchers in deciding whether an urban development serves a place well. 

 

The infrastructure that we see in our environment is there for a reason. They were created for our convenience. Flyovers, skywalks, and even wheelchair ramps are all results of urban planning, another significant tool of urban studies. Researchers deliberately analyze every city design to ensure that the best interest of the citizens is the top priority. However, in the Philippines, there are certain infrastructures that need to be evaluated for them to be efficient, for instance, sidewalks. Most of the sidewalks are not pedestrian-friendly. I have witnessed how passersby casually get on their knees after tripping on the narrow sidewalk. Sometimes, walkers would rather walk on the roadway due to the construction of the sidewalks.

 

The issue of sidewalks in the Philippines is only one of the myriads of reasons that prove the significance of urban planning for city developments. If urban planning is poor, its negative results will ripple to the citizens. Urban development has an interrelationship with urban studies. Any progress that a society must make should be assessed and checked thoroughly by researchers in the field of urban studies. If city designs are overlooked, like some sidewalks in our country, it might be detrimental to the people.

To wrap it all up, urban study is important in our society. Its significance can be traced even to the earliest developments in our communities. In other terms, urban study is a transdisciplinary field that evokes more efficient and beneficial development in our infrastructure.