| 04.05.2019 – City Parks have been the closest to the natural greenery that people used to enjoy. But with the advent of indoor shopping centers that has fully air conditioned areas to go around. There’s something of a novelty about getting in touch with nature that is slowly disappearing in this well adored city that the recent changes in some parts of its greenery has remained questionable.
During 2017 there have been makeovers for both Legazpi Active Park and Washington Sycip Park, where these parks have been more a residential park than it’s bigger Ayala Triangle Gardens. Here’s a closer look on Legazpi Active Park that has been around, which supposed to be a breathing space of greenery and also home for the Sunday Market that is moving to a new location… |
Legazpi Active Park has not had any changes to its aesthetics until sometime in early 2017 that had major makeover. For someone who has been residing in this city it is the place where many would job and enjoy a simple picnic. It is also one of the parks that have most grass in comparison to Ayala Triangle Gardens and it has its own tiny hills for most who just wants to sit and enjoy the view.
Recently, the major makeover on this park has been quite a surprise. Although there are improvements in its cosmetics there is not like the natural growth of this park that used to house major greenery that it grew on. But like any City Park it did need a major upgrade, but such changes sometimes disturb the natural order of things and here some of those major changes that made the supposed ‘new look’ of the Legazpi Active Park…
Modern Playground
Before the major renovation there was only one playground and they added some large puzzles for the kids. When the changes happened they added this new modernized playground that reminded me of the one in Hawkesbury Reserve in Sturt, South Australia. This one in Legazpi Active Park had similar mini-puzzles built-in than separated from the old one near the exit side of Legaspi Street.
The modern playground now sits on a soft rubbery foundation that is near the exit side of Gamboa Street. It is unique and stands on the old part where an open grass areas used to sit. This new addition is good for the look of this park and its one of the reason most kids have come to this place to hang out with their families, friends, and get to meet new people.
Concrete Takeover
There’s something about a good concrete, but sometimes you overdo it becomes less appealing for a City Park and quite frankly the developers did put A LOT more emphasis on that concept that kind of remove what makes Legazpi Active Park as a greenery. If you noticed that the tiled concrete is a good aesthetics for the park, but it did badly to remove most grass inhabitance by thirty percent.
Before this area was entirely green grass and the only pathway here is the jogging paths, which was just right. But after the redevelopment of this park they added more than just a walking path way it did remove the greenery that made it used to be Natural Park.
Retaining Some Parts of Greenery
What’s familiar that stayed and did well was the large tree in the middle. It was the central part of the Legazpi active Park and also the part where the concrete stage always a fixture of this place. It was quite a sight to see this being retained. The tree may not be as big as the ones I’ve seen in South Australia, but it does give a personal reminder why Makati needs more greenery than concrete.
This tree is one of the many that have grown part of Legazpi Active Park, and the developers did well on keeping it real with this one. But it seems it had a ‘hair cut’ as previously there was A LOT of leaves the time I left sometime in 2017 when they started barricading this place.
Flattened Hill
What sometimes works there also that doesn’t during the changes made at the Legazpi Active. One of its memorable parts of this park is the tiny hill at the corner side before you make the left turn on the jogging pathway. It is sort of an identity of Legazpi Active Park compare to Washington Sycip Park and Ayala Triangle Gardens since it is the only one with a tiny hill.
This new section was not pleasing to the eye not to find that tiny hill and it became nothing more than a dead corner. They could have retained the tiny hill or at least slightly modify its aesthetics. But sadly, this is no longer there to add personality what it made this place unique.
Paid Public Toilet
Of couse, improvements of the said park won’t be without the toilet and this one is a “paid public toilet” for PhP 10.00 pesos ($0.27 AUD) which is good because someone manages to maintain it and at the same time it’s an outdated style what is a public toilet shouldn’t be anymore.
Have you ever seen that sophisticated toilet or have you ever experience using one that doesn’t need for you to pay and its really that high tech (watch the embedded video). The one at Sandery Reserve Park, also in South Australia have a public toilet and it’s not like the one in Legazpi Active Park and Washington Sycip Park plus it saves you to pay and have a decent music too.
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| Hindmarsh Fountain, one of the drinking fountains in Adelaide and Park Reserves. |
Unnatural Fountain
There have been city fountains but one that is plugged in is not an actual normal one to be able to be called or even be part of the park’s aesthetics. It is indeed an improvement but the way it looked like trying to be part of the way it shouldn’t be. Probably, the developers find it cheap to just use a conventional plugged in fountain that you can find inside a shopping centre or fast food restaurant.
But have MACEA that manages this park have ever seen an actual fountain? I doubt they’ve seen one or if they did it might be pricey for them to ever install it at this park. It’s hilarious that they’re using a fountain that is not even aesthetically pleasing, but Filipino mentality of “that’s good enough” often lingers to the idea also of saving cost and you got this fountain. But it could have been better with the one seen around Adelaide and inside Reserve Parks of South Australia.
Directory and Park Rules of Not-so Recreation
The installation of Directories is great look for Legazpi Active Park where the jogging paths, Public Toilet, and even where the playground for such a small concrete-esque is supposed greenery (about 40% percent left in favor of concrete that’s now 60% percent). Then there are park rules which are good to remind visitors about this, but the question of photography that needs a permit doesn’t sit well.
It must be a paid way to “help” maintain the park, but parks are public places. It supposed to be free for everyone to take photos. Yes, permit is needed to ask permission but they say it is business that alienate visitors from taking photos. The question of using DSLR needs permit, but what if technology caught up and the use of mobile smartphones with sophisticated cameras in them will it be also considered illegal?
Taking the Additional Exit
While there have been significant improvements and not-so good changes of the park namely too many concrete pathways over greenery and the removal of that tiny hill. The exit points for this part have been done well too. It is great to see the changes at the same time there have been quite odd about the major changes that made Legazpi Active Park not the way it used to be.
It may have greatly change the aesthetics, but what made it identifiable is what they have removed not only the tiny hill but a few trees that kept this a place to appreciate what was once its natural habitat of greenery in favor of an overdoing of the concrete pathways and it just became a reality what most Makati resident have feared and it’s not what you expect as a breathable space but rather more about the commercial benefit of the developers than the people around it that made it less of the substance but more of the overall aesthetics that made it less memorable.
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