Study on the Distribution and the Land Use Condition of Vacant Lots in Subdivision Development Sites in the Suburban Area of Metro Manila

Abstract

Since to generate lots of new public open spaces in already congested urbanized areas is quite difficult,it is strongly needed to utilize the existing privately owned open spaces in order to establish a sound urban environmental plan, especially in Asian mega-cities where rapid urbanization is being observed. In this study, GIS analysis and field survey were integrated to examine the distribution and the condition of privately owned open spaces in the suburban area of Metro Manila, Philippines, then, the influences of Home Owners Association was examined. First, the aerial photos taken in different periods were used to examine the change of privately owned open space in the subdivision development areas. Then, a series of field survey was implemented. Through the study, the following findings were obtained; although the ratio of privately owned public spaces has been decreasing, it was observed that the rate of decreasing has become gentle. The condition of open spaces varied lot to lot, the feature of open space was influenced by the characteristics of the area and its home owners association.