Street-network Sprawl in Trece Martires, Philippines

What is Street-network sprawl?

Street-network Sprawl is a way to measure urban sprawl, worldwide, through the connectedness of the streets. Less sprawl means more connected, more walkable streets. Well-connected streets – like New York City’s grid – are more walkable and can be served by public transit.

The street network is permanent, and its connectivity affects the livability and environmental footprint of cities for decades and centuries to come. In places with more connected streets, residents drive less and walk more. A well-connected street network is associated with better outcomes for health, the environment, sustainable consumption, social integration, and equity.

We can quantify how connected street networks are with the Street Network Disconnectedness Index (SNDi).

SNDi -- our measure of street-network sprawl (disconnectedness)

The SNDi is a comprehensive measurement of “sprawl”. It captures:

A higher SNDi means less-connected streets – i.e., more sprawl. For the 10137 cities in our dataset, the average SNDi is 2.25, with half of the cities' SNDis falling between 1.08 and 3.25.

More information on the sprawl index can be found in these research papers:

To see the state of street-network sprawl across the globe, visit the sprawlmap.

Trece Martires: city in Cavite, Philippines

What exactly constitutes the spatial extent of the city? For these aggregations, we used the Global Human Settlement Layer Urban Center Database (GHS-UCDB) to define the boundaries of the city. These cities -- or urban centers -- cover areas that are densely populated and built-up, and so may extend beyond the spatial borders of these cities that we may be familiar with. The GHS area is shaded in blue.

View Trece Martires, Philippines on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Trece Martires as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.78, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.55, 4.58, 4.65 and 5.35. In each period, new street development in Trece Martires steadily grows more disconnected than in the last. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 1.03 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.71.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Trece Martires spans a total of 191 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 4.58, which is highly disconnected.

Effect on the aggregate network: New construction in each period adds to the total stock of streets, but does not change streets that have already been built. Therefore, it has a limited effect on the street network as a whole. The SNDis of the aggregate street network in the respective time periods are 3.55, 4.48, 4.56 and 4.78. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Trece Martires has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.93 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.22.

Trece Martires and Cavite do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Trece Martires rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Cavite was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Trece Martires fare in comparison to others in Cavite? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Trece Martires was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Cavite. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Cavite, street construction in Trece Martires has become more connected. Trece Martires ranked 1st in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Trece Martires and Philippines follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

How do development practices in Trece Martires fare in comparison to others in Philippines? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Trece Martires was the 40th-most disconnected out of the 89 cities in Philippines. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Philippines, street construction in Trece Martires has become more connected. Trece Martires ranked 24th in 1975, 38th in 1976-1990, 52nd in 1991-2000 and 40th in 2001-2014.

Trece Martires and Cavite do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Trece Martires rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Cavite was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

To date, Trece Martires is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Cavite. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Cavite, the street network in Trece Martires has become more connected. Trece Martires ranked 1st in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Trece Martires and Philippines follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Trece Martires is the 25th-most disconnected out of the 89 cities in Philippines. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Philippines, the street network in Trece Martires has become more connected. Trece Martires ranked 24th in 1975, 27th in 1976-1990, 26th in 1991-2000 and 25th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Trece Martires had a built-up area of 2.83 square kilometers, and a population of 113643 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: