22/09/2025
DID YOU KNOW? | ‘In-habiting the in-between:’ How Gen Z designers reimagine EDSA for all
MARIA CZIETHERINE PAGHUNASAN
‘In-habiting the in-between:’ How Gen Z designers reimagine EDSA for all
Winning Gen Z designers reimagine EDSA’s dead spaces as green, walkable, and functional ground for Filipinos in the Rebuild EDSA Design Challenge
CAVITE, Philippines – EDSA, the lifeline of Metro Manila, carries not just journeys, but the daily cries of Filipinos burdened by inaccessibility, unsafety, and lack of connectivity.
This is what the “In-Habiting the In-Between” design dares to confront. Crowned first place among 143 entries in the Rebuild EDSA Design Challenge during the Philippine Mobility Summit 2025 last September 15, Gen Z designers Aldrich Remot, Carl Bryan Valdez, and Adrian Justine Guce brought home ₱100,000 and the People’s Choice Award.
VICTORY. The winning team composed of Aldrich Remot, Carl Bryan Valdez, and Adrian Justine Guce accept their prize during the Philippine Mobility Summit 2025.
The EDSA Design Challenge was organized by the Institute of Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC), AltMobility PH, and Move As One Coalition, and co-presented by Department of Transportation (DOTr), and Quezon City government.
The architect–interior designer–student trio, no strangers to winning urban design competitions, envision nothing less than an EDSA for all.
In a nutshell
Their proposal aims to transform EDSA’s in-between spaces into green, walkable, and functional ground for Filipinos.
To center the design on Filipinos, the team thought of four characters who personify the people who use, or interact with, EDSA: Emil the commuter, Dolores the vendor, Susan the person with disability, and Ako — together spelling out EDSA.
WHO USES EDSA? This image, from the proposal of of Remot, Valdez, and Guce, brings their design back to the main users of EDSA.
The team also drew inspiration from the Nilad plant, the flowering shrub believed to have given Manila its name, and which they see as a symbol of vitality for the thoroughfare.
“We added a lot of colors to the place kasi gusto namin bigyan ng buhay ‘yung EDSA,” said Valdez (We added a lot of colors to the place because we wanted to make EDSA look more alive).
Likewise, they turned to the concept of the traditional elevated Filipino house. “Yung silong, ‘yun yung magiging convergence of the people,” explained Remot about how they applied the concept to revitalize the unused spaces beneath structures like the MRT.
(The silong will serve as the convergence point for the people.)
“We dream of having infrastructures that are not only reactive, but also strategic,” added Guce.
Reclaimed spaces
The design incorporates an underpass system to transform the central square of Roosevelt, an area along Quezon City’s stretch of EDSA, into a people’s plaza.
From the design board of Remot, Valdez, and Guce
One of the concerns addressed was the presence of vendors crowding the sidewalks.
“We provided designated space to empower them,” said Remot, referring to the night and weekend markets.
From the design board of Remot, Valdez, and Guce
Department of Transportation (DOTr) Director IV Joshua Joseph Rodriguez, who served as a judge, stated that the proposal “returns the space back to the people,” a principle Guce described as social architecture.
Human-centered
Bike commuter and mechanic Jeza Rodriguez knows firsthand how dangerous the road can be.
“Sa bike lane pa ‘ko mismo nabangga,” she recalled, of an accident in 2022.
(I was hit in the bike lane itself.)
For her, the bigger problem lies in the absence of protected bike lanes—or when they exist, they are broken and disconnected. Cyclists also often suffer from undisciplined or abusive vehicle drivers. The winning design aims to address these by reallocating road space in EDSA. Car lanes would be reduced to make way for wider sidewalks and protected lanes for cyclists.
From the design board of Remot, Valdez, and Guce
Rodriguez also commended how they made the space “more lively” to encourage people to choose active transport.
“Yun [din] naman ‘yung ina-advocate ng DOTr, e. It’s to promote a more transit-oriented development, hindi car-centric,” he said.
(That is also what the DOTr has been advocating—to promote a more transit-oriented development, not one that is car-centric.)
Mindful and inclusive
Maureen Ava Mata, who uses a crutch due to her physical disability, recalled how difficult commuting can be when it rains.
“’Di ako nakakagamit ng payong so bago makarating sa sakayan, basang-basa na ako,” she said (I can’t use an umbrella, so before I even reach the terminal, I’m already drenched). Her struggles also extend to unsafe pavements, at times even causing her to slip.
For her, people-centered transport means safety and greener surroundings.
The design addresses this by improving accessibility through at-grade pedestrian crossings and the removal of footbridges.
“We also elevated some of the curbs and sidewalks so that when they get off the bus, the drop-off point is level with the bus itself,” explained Remot.
From the design board of Remot, Valdez, and Guce
It also introduces environmental solutions such as pocket forests for shade and carbon capture, bougainvillea climbing MRT columns, and native trees planted along nearby roads.
As Rodriquez put it: “They are very mindful of who will use it, and inclusive in the way they think about their design.”
Interconnected EDSA
The team noted that commuters struggle with limited drop-off points and long, uncomfortable waiting times. Their solutions include new buses with doors on both sides and redesigned stations with level platforms and automated gates at three critical congestion nodes—Roosevelt, Cubao, and Guadalupe.
From the design board of Remot, Valdez, and Guce
This allows faster boarding and alighting, reducing turnaround times along the nodes from up to ten minutes to under one minute.
For Joshua Rodriguez, the DOTr official, the Guadalupe design stood out the most.
“There’s interconnectivity among all the modes of transportation, which makes it easier for you to transition from one mode to another,” he said.
“[The] Winning piece highlighted that more than the others, which gave them the edge,” he added.
From plans, to reality
According to Rodriquez, the DOTr is eyeing additional funds to push for road-based projects next fiscal year.
“It’s within the DOTr’s mandate to implement those designs. What we need is support through the allocation of budget,” he added.
The agency hopes to meet with the winning team to further understand the rationale behind their proposal and see which elements can be incorporated.
“It’s time for a fresh take on the urban design of the Philippines,” Valdez said.
SOURCE : Rappler
