THIS weekend was a long one ever since I heard the death of the King of Pop. Aside from being a very good artist, he was a person who showed his strong beliefs against racism, war, violence, hunger, poverty, discrimination, gangsterism, environmental destruction, and so on. If you spent your Sunday watching the marathon of his MTVs, then you know what I am saying. He was an individual who sought to break down the walls between nations, races, classes, and status.

These are the same advocacies that urban and regional planners must constantly uphold. Our towns and cities must always imbibe the element of non-discrimination and inclusiveness. As the great MJ says, it doesn't matter if you are black or white.

Cebu inmates' tribute to Michael Jackson
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One thing I've noticed here in the Philippines is our penchant for building tall concrete barriers around our houses. We think that these security barriers will prevent entry of thieves, robbers, and kidnappers into our homes. We also want to prevent the prying eyes of neighbors from seeing us. We even put steel bars in our windows.

The problem with these barriers designed to prevent entry is they also prevent our fast escape when disaster strikes. How many people have died because they were trapped by steel bars in their windows? How many robberies and murders have occurred without neighbors noticing the violence behind the high walls of houses? Tall barriers may serve as a deterrent but are still not foolproof if you have determined bad people after you.

Even if we have all the patrol cars roving around our neighborhood, the police will not be able to see thieves inside your property just waiting outside your windows. Yes, we have our dogs to protect us, but I remember when our dogs mysteriously died, then robbers struck our house a few days after.

In addition, when you put high barriers around you, you are sending the message to neighbors to keep out of your life, to mind your own business -- it's like a "they don't really care about us" feeling. Fortress-like structures walls convey the message that the neighborhood is unsafe and unlivable. Moreover, it also serves as an ideal cover for bad people to do their illegal activities -- remember the shabu laboratories?

In planning, there is a concept called the eyes on the streets. This calls for neighbors to look after each other's houses and properties. A prerequisite like lowering the height fences will allow the neighbors to inspect if there are people trespassing in your properties. While some people do not like people walking in their neighborhood, some planners say that the more people are walking in the neighborhood, the more burglars will be anxious in robbing a house for fear of being seen. I am not advocating for us to tear down fences; what I am saying is just to lower the fences so that we can communicate with each other more often and build better communities.

In certain gated subdivisions of Davao City, they have restrictions on the height of fences. This is deemed a necessary ingredient to preserve the ambiance and character of the neighborhood. It is thought that low fences create better communication and relationships between neighbors. Do you remember the time in your neighborhood when children were always out in the streets to play with each other?

I hope that our citizens will come to see that if we want to be starting something, then it is to tear down the barriers of our society starting with the walls dividing our neighborhood. If we replace our high walls with chest-level hedges or fences, then we can easily guard each other's properties and enforce the feeling that you are not alone. This will allow the police to properly inspect our houses while patrolling our streets. Lower fences will likewise enhance the character of our area, which may translate to higher property values.

The design of our neighborhood is essential if we want to create livable neighborhoods for us, our children, and their children's children, and we can start with our own houses. As the great MJ advises, let us start with the man in the mirror and we can heal the world.