WHENEVER I am invited to speak at events and forums, I like to close my lectures by quoting the great American architect Daniel Burnham:
“Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency. Remember that our sons and grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty. Think big.”
Oftentimes friends and critics ask me why I have to come up with such grandiose ideas and visions for the country and for the world. Some even call it “blue-skying,” meaning that we planners and architects sit and stare at the sky to dream up new monuments and the magical cities of tomorrow. I say to them “It’s my job!” In the planning and designing process, we always like to give three different design prospects for the client, so that they can choose from a diversified pool of ideas for their land or their projects. The best thing an architect can do is recommend something to a client, and whether a client executes it or not, the vision will always remain, and in some cases can even be revisited in the future.
Architecture
Architectural projects evolve through a cycle of exploration, constraint, feedback and refinement. Designers begin by testing multiple concepts, then narrow them down as real-world limits like budget, regulations, and engineering come into play. Continuous input from clients and consultants helps improve the design, while models and simulations test performance. As the project moves forward, one scheme is refined in detail, often still adjusting during construction. In the end, strong architecture is less about a single brilliant idea and more about a disciplined process of iteration and improvement.
For example, our proposal for the Makati Sports Club’s redevelopment was not something that people asked for, but it was my view that in simply casting the idea out into the ether, it would open a conversation and allow stakeholders to think about it when they go home. One day, the club, or Ayala Corp. will probably pursue some form of redevelopment. It may not be the supertall tower that is reflected in the plans, but it will more than certainly be a building which incorporates principles of green architecture and adheres to the new design guidelines of Macea.
Master planning
A master plan goes through a similar iterative process, but on a larger and more complex scale. Planners begin by exploring multiple spatial strategies — land use distribution, circulation networks, density and open space systems — then refine these based on constraints like infrastructure capacity, environmental conditions, market demand and policy. Feedback from stakeholders, government agencies and technical consultants continuously reshapes the plan. Over time, the framework stabilizes into a phased, flexible structure rather than a fixed design, allowing adjustments as the project is implemented. Strong master plans aren’t rigid — they’re resilient systems that evolve through iteration while maintaining a clear long-term vision.
For instance, a client can commission a master plan for a high-end luxury subdivision with lots ranging from 500-700 square meters. Good designers don’t just stop at partitioning the land into lots for housing, other principles like mixed-use development, institutional land uses or transit-oriented development if applicable, should be expressed in a designer’s recommendations for a site, thus giving the developer a wider picture over their assets.
Urban planning
In the Philippines, urban planning actually refers to the government mandated land use planning documents that each city and municipality in the Philippines must produce every few years covering different timelines. These can be the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and Zoning Ordinance, Comprehensive Development Plan, or Tourism Master Plan, among others. These reports are very academic in nature, and provide an in-depth view into the status of a city by looking at data covering all the city’s economic, institutional, environmental, social and infrastructure assets. LGUs that commission their land use plans sometimes identify three priority development areas in their localities to serve as prospects for development or redevelopment, and we create master-planned concepts for these sites. These can include areas designated for tourism or for the enhancement of government and institutional facilities. Many times, LGUs, especially those with lesser income, do not get to realize these projects in full, if at all, but what matters most is that recommendations were proposed, and plans were made.
At the end of the day, planning — whether on the scale of a building, a master plan, or an entire city — is not about guaranteeing that every idea will be built exactly as drawn. It is about establishing a clear, intelligent framework that can guide decisions over time, even as conditions change. A well-crafted plan has a way of outliving its moment, influencing future generations of planners, developers and policymakers. Even if only parts of it are realized, its value lies in setting direction, elevating standards, and expanding what people believe is possible. That is why we must continue to think boldly, plan deliberately, and design with both discipline and imagination — because cities that endure are never accidents, but the result of visions that were first carefully, and courageously, put into plan.
Architect-urban planner Felino “Jun” Palafox, Jr. has 53 years’ experience in architecture and 51 years in planning. He was educated at Christ the King Seminary, UST, UP and Harvard. He is the founder of Palafox Associates and Palafox Architecture Group, with 2,000 plus projects in 41 countries, and recognized with 200 plus awards including UAP Dubai First Lifetime Achievement Award (2023).
