Visual observation and photography as qualitative tools for assessing urban community health

Healthy Urban Communities (HUCs) are well-planned environments designed by urban planners, policymakers, landscape architects, and other allied professionals. HUCs aim to mitigate the effects of urban sprawl and enhance residents’ health through the built and natural environments. However, traditional assessments of healthy urban communities often rely on quantitative methods that require technical knowledge and professional expertise, thereby excluding local communities from participating meaningfully in the planning and evaluation of their neighborhoods. The study employed a qualitative research design, using methods such as field observation, photography, and the Healthy Urban Cities Assessment Index (HUCAI) framework as its primary analytical approach to develop a qualitative and visual-based assessment tool that enabled even non-experts or planning laypersons to evaluate and understand their surroundings. A case study was conducted in Malolos, Bulacan, focusing specifically on the Philippine National Railways – North-South Commuter Railway station and its 500-meter surrounding radius, to apply the formulated tool. The investigation concluded that this approach helps in spatially visualizing social inequalities in environmental conditions that need to be addressed and democratizing the assessment process communication by giving laypeople an equal footing with experts to better understand their environment, express their needs, and actively propose initiatives.