URBAN FORM OF POWER INVERSION : CASE STUDY OF DIVISORIA TRADE DISTRICT

Abstract

Actions are dictated by the spaces we inhabit and operate, from streets, building typologies to cities. These actions come as a response to the built form attributes such as inherent meanings, stories and place making processes. Meanwhile, meanings are represented by physical entities such as street hierarchy, monuments, zoning, building facades, activity nodes and urban grain. Concurrently, these incite different spatial experiences of freedom, identity, struggle, subversion, etc. However, urban built forms together with its meanings are created and framed by “agents” in power who structures and directs physical and non-physical elements of the city to subject, control and achieve certain interests.1 As an effect, “subjects” inhabiting the urban built form either assimilate such pre-determined constructions while others will “counter-create” in order to appropriate power towards selfdetermination. It is the interest of this paper to test and present the latter urban phenomena. As observed by Lico (2003), the Philippines undertook different forms of power subjugation thru architecture and patterns of urbanization from colonial to present day period. 2. However there are few cases where new order and urban built forms have risen to assert power in the city. Thus this investigation will take the case of Divisoria Trade District in Manila, Philippines. Divisoria reveals an arena of social, economical and political struggle for power that formed, deformed and reformed in its market streets, transportation networks, commercial buildings and surrounding residential grains. It rose as planned polycentric markets of the Spanish colonial authorities to its present day organic, informal and amorphous urban structure. The study focuses on these trade spaces that have become the meeting point of the participants’ different interest in empowerment. These are translated into physical and urban built forms that continuously produce new meanings and movement that contribute genius loci to the place which are dictated by the cycle of the agents-subject conditions.