Development and PQF Level Alignment of a Professional Specialization in Nature-based Solutions and Resilient Urban Design
Author: Leonardo Jr Del Carmen, Rosemary Del Carmen, Maria Ana M. Pulido
Country: Philippines
Volume & Issue: Volume 1, Issue 2, July 2026 - September 2026
Page No.: 44-58
DOI.: https://doi.org/10.63941/eupij.2026.1.2.06
Publication Date: September 5, 2026
Abstract:
This study develops and analytically evaluates a proposed Level Alignment Matrix (LAM) for a post-licensure specialization in Nature-based Solutions and Resilient Urban Design (NbS–RUD) within Philippine environmental planning. Using a design-science approach that combines documentary synthesis, doctrinal legal analysis, competency modelling, constructive alignment, evidence-centered assessment design, and evaluability-to-decision analysis, the study derives a qualification artifact grounded in Republic Act No. 10587 (Environmental Planning Act), the Philippine Qualifications Framework Act as broadened by Republic Act No. 12313, PQF-NCC Resolution No. 2026-02, PRC CPSP–CATS issuances, and the Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System Act. The artifact comprises eight Professional Practice Outcomes, 32 Intended Learning Outcomes, six non-compensable award gates, a programmatic assessment architecture, and a three-state Level Alignment Matrix. Independent three-state coding of all 256 Intended Learning Outcome-to-descriptor relationships identified 66 complete, 59 partial, and 131 no-alignment judgments; every PQF Level 7 descriptor component retains at least one completely aligned outcome. Requirements-traceability testing, adjacent-level counterfactual analysis, negative-case and adversarial testing, comparator differentiation, and scenario demonstrations converge on PQF Level 7 as the most coherent classification for the complete role, while a reduced role fits Level 6 and a universal frontier-knowledge requirement would demand Level 8. All research questions and pre-specified analytical tests are closed within the study’s documentary design-science scope. The qualification remains a proposed artifact requiring independent occupational, stakeholder, assessment, workload, institutional, and regulatory validation before recognition or award.
Keywords:
Nature-based solutions; Resilient urban design; Environmental planning; Philippine Qualifications Framework; Professional specialization
