Project Title & Location
MARYTOWN COMMUNITY
Loyola Heights, Quezon City, Philippines

Client
MARYTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
Quezon City

Project Completion
1995

Associated Firms
Foundation for Development Alternatives
Mondragon Foundation, Inc.

Services Provided
- Alternative Housing Plan
- Housing Concepts/Options

Marytown is an urban community along the creek at the northern end of Loyola Heights Subdivision, very close to the boundary of the U.P. Diliman Campus. In 13 April 1993 Marytown was practically destroyed by fire. The cause was attributed to arsonists. The 328 families who were victims of the conflagration, had the desire to build anew in the same place. It was at this instance when the Association approached PROS. The request was for assistance in preparing a counter-plan to the tenement housing that the local government of Quezon City was proposing.

During the brainstorm sessions with the community, the Foundation for the Development Alternatives and the Mondragon Foundation, the possible development alternatives were discussed. These were:

1. Tenement housing which was being provided by the government;
2. Relocation in sites at Kaingin and Payatas;
3. Status quo on lots homeowners are to build, to be shared with renters.

PROS proposed the following schemes as additional alternatives:

Two-Families to a Minimum Lot Scheme

Under this scheme 181 lots were generated on the 10,042.5 square meter property. Lot sizes were 35 square meters. In order to accommodate 328 families two households were assigned to each lot. A two-storey flat was best for the st-up.

Combination lots and walk-up units.

The other scheme was a combination of lots of 24 square meters lots with seven 20-unit walk-ups for the sharers and renters. The number of lots amounted to 191. One hundred fifty walk-up building units were generated, each family having a floor area of 20.5 square meters with a loft.