Authenti-city

With more cities sprouting, is authenticity the sacrifice?

- Patricia Herbolario

BEST UNTIL

Just as your weekly loaf of bread expires, and flaired pants have officially died, places-to-be have expiry dates too. Before, New York and Sydney had a prestigious gold trim around its vicinity, until Brooklyn and Melbourne sprouted about as better living options. In Manila, the same thing is happening. Prime spots are loosing their luster to more neighborly communities.

COOKIE-CUTTER CITIES

Previous it places have either turned too crowded, too expensive, or (the worst of all) too plastic. While the first two are directly proportional to each other (more people = more demand = higher rent and living cost. This is a basic supply-and-demand issue), the latter is a much more pressing concern for urban cities.

Aside from practicality, security, and location, one of the most important things to consider in choosing a place to live in is the location’s vibe. Allow us to be cliché here, this vibe is something you can’t see, but it is something you can feel. A neighborhood’s vibe is something no urban planner can forge. It comes with the overall experience of a place: from actual location itself, to the people who live there, to the whereabouts around it.

Beyond the condo’s tag price or the accessible location, the authenticity of a space is essential to making it your habitat. Spaces now are gentrified with amenities and features that big corporations think we want to hear. Do not settle for a bland, global city.