The Burnham Plan

In the early years of the American colonial government in the Philippines, a plan was made for the construction of a coastal road that would connect Manila all the way to Tanza, Cavite, a project that never came into fruition.

One would just imagine the time saved on travel had this been given priority. Priority is a word that our politicians then, as that of our politicians now are having a hard time giving attention to. Their priorities are of another kind.

Manila's fate in becoming a modern city lay in the hands of one man: Daniel Hudson Burnham. The same man who conceived the "City Beautiful Movement" of the late 1800s in America. Daniel Burnham was an architect by profession but he outclassed the city planners of his time. He was responsible for the blueprint of such cities as Chicago (where he grew up), San Francisco, and Washington D.C., to name a few. He had the brilliant idea of building cities with the right foresight, and that is to build them in a way that future generations a long time after his may benefit in the effectiveness of his plan, "The Burnham Plan."

His simple idea of a sprawling urban landscape where roads tend to spread-out like a spider's web in order that going to outlying areas from the city's centre would not attract traffic (at least to a minimum), are stuff cities in developed countries of today are made of. This is in contrast to other populated places with crooked roads that lead to even more narrower streets, therefore making it a chore to reach from one point to the other. And this is what exactly happened to Manila, considered once upon a time to be the "Paris of the Orient." Nowadays it looks like the Tijuana of Asia, only filthier; a sad thought, especially for old timers who are now too old to tell stories about how glorious it was back then, as to experience a sunset on Roxas Boulevard (they called it Dewey Boulevard then), devoid of smog.

If one ever notices, the streets of Malate district are laid out parallel with each other. The reason behind this is because Burnham actually made a plan for the city of Manila, but was never completed. A small fraction of this plan though was put to work but according to history, Manuel L. Quezon junked the idea eventually because government funds were needed more in irrigation, a priority then that no one seems to bother anyway. That small fraction of the plan is evident still with our Rizal Park, perpendicularly aligned with a small strip where the City Hall now stands, linear with the Walled City of Intramuros' west wall and that side of the golf green that still exists. Burnham probably patterned this idea with his creation of The Mall in Washinton D.C. where famous landmarks like the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian Museum, The Library of Congress, etc. are now erected. Undoubtedly this was Burnham's centerpiece, while the natural beauty of the Manila Bay sunset is a great bonus. It is hard for us now to imagine Manila looking as how he envisioned it to be. Makes one to just sigh.

Manila's traffic in the past 20 years has gone from bad to worse. We will never probably feel the life our grandparents had in their time. Much of this is because our city has no planning at all. Not to mention zoning laws and the perpetual squatting and the politicians allowing it. Gone are the days when the Tranvia ran the Pasig Line, the Tramo Line, and even the line that once ran through the sleepy town of San Juan. Only some good remnants of a bygone era are still visible today. One is the American Cemetery where one can still enjoy a vast expanse of green and huge trees for shade. Sadly, it is the haven only for the dear departed. In truth, only cemeteries are the surviving memories we could perhaps enjoy in this urban jungle!

Now Baguio, the Philippines' "Summer Capital" had a much fortunate fate. It is living proof of Burnham's achievement, adding to his illustrious carreer and a solid resume. While the Americans steadily increased migrating to our shores, they wanted to have a perfect hideaway to relax their weary soles, away from the humid tropical climate to a more temperate one, especially ranking American servicemen. They heard tales upon tales of a place that had a cool, pine-scented climate located on a plateau high above the mountains of Benguet. They immediately hired Burnham to plan what was to be Baguio's road network. Burnham Park, located on the city's center, obviously was named in his honor. Today, Baguio still enjoys the benefits of good road planning.

Today's generation may want to know that the Burnham Plan could have eased our traffic woes and enjoy wide, tree-lined avenues and boulevards had the plan materialized. Also, better public parks and lush greenbelts like those of great cities would have given us space to breathe and relax on weekends. We would have a less stressful life. This was Mr. Daniel Burnham's vision: to live in a beautiful place amid a bustling megalopolis.