Conservation and Sustainable Development: the Case of Batanes, Philippines
Ref.: 162
Key theme:
02 Functional integrity of historic urban landscapes
Date of reception:
31/10/2008
AUTHORS (*Main author)
NARITO, Christian M.
* (Philippines)
-
Global Changes Management Consultancy Services
ABSTRACT
Change has been the mantra of many advance countries but only led to more complicated social problems and underdevelopment. While
it's true that innovation results to greater chances of survival, modernity also poses continuous problems in our present-day world.
Many attempts have been made to address sustainable development and yet failed to raise development index if we will utilize UNDP
standards. The puzzling survival strategies of Ivatans of Batanes, Philippines might give us solution how they had solved sustainable
survival long before establishment of modern notions of development. Despite the province's marginal resources, they were able to offer an
outstanding universal value to the rest of the world. Evidently, it has a very high development index (UNDP Standards) consistently placing
in the top ten provinces since 1995/96.
In this documentation of historic urban landscape, the research will pave the way to
reinterpretation of development, functional architecture-past and present. It will show heritage and cultural sites as well as vernacular
houses and the recent attempts of the provincial government to align their Development Plan with Eco-Cultural Tourism Industry. While it's
true that Batanes will not even pass in others' concept of modernized, highly techological and fast-faced society, it gives us a glimpse how
a simple, yet distinctive Ivatan culture can be something worth emulating.
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