Open spaces in UP Diliman - The Beta Way

There are many open spaces at the UP Diliman campus. These include the Sunken Garden, the Track and Field Oval, and the Lagoon areas. The Lagoon actually stretches from the Main Library Building (Gonzalez Hall) to the Administration Building (Quezon Hall). It is bounded by Osmena and Roxas Avenues, which form the Academic Oval.

The identical buildings of what used to be the College of Arts and Sciences or AS (Palma Hall) and the College of Engineering (Melchor Hall) are separated by the lagoon. And to travel between the two at first required one going around the lagoon via either the Main Library road or via Roces Street, which divides the Lagoon area into two. Most people during my time as a student at UP and today would use the Beta Way, a concrete path through the Lagoon that is probably the straightest and most direct path between Palma and Melchor Halls. It is a narrow path that barely accommodates two people passing each other shoulder-to-shoulder. The path's construction was sponsored by a College of Engineering fraternity and it used by mostly Engineering students walking between one side of the campus to the other. Following are a few photos I took one lazy Sunday morning.

Many trees have fallen in the Lagoon area due to the typhoons regularly passing through Metro Manila. Fortunately, there are many tree planting activities that allow for a more rapid replenishment of trees. The saplings on the right side of the Beta Way.

There is a narrow bridge over a culvert along a stream. The stream is actually part of the drainage and sewer system of the campus.

Bamboo growing along a stream at the Lagoon area

Large trees may be found along the Beta Way including some whose root systems can allow people and other creatures to be hidden from view.

The Beta Way has several lamps along its stretch that allow for some illumination. The path, however, is not generally used or avoided at night-time considering security and safety issues in the campus.

This is the view of the Beta Way from the Palma Hall parking lot.

This is the view of the Beta Way from the Melchor Hall steps across the Academic Oval. There is a speed table with red bricks to mark the pedestrian crossing and effectively slow down vehicles.

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