Street-network Sprawl in Digos, 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.

Digos: city in Davao del Sur, 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 Digos, Philippines on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Digos as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.11, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.0, 1.83, 2.99 and 4.21. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Digos fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Digos spans a total of 160 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 1.83, which is relatively well-connected.

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 2.0, 1.84, 2.04 and 2.11. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Digos has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

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

How do development practices in Digos fare in comparison to others in Davao del Sur? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Digos was the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Davao del Sur. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Digos ranked 3rd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Digos fare in comparison to others in Philippines? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Digos was the 66th-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 Digos has become more connected. Digos ranked 63rd in 1975, 83rd in 1976-1990, 72nd in 1991-2000 and 66th in 2001-2014.

Digos and Davao del Sur do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Digos was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Davao del Sur rose steadily.

To date, Digos is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Davao del Sur. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Digos ranked 3rd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

Digos and Philippines do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Digos was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Philippines rose steadily.

To date, Digos is the 84th-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 Digos has become more connected. Digos ranked 63rd in 1975, 85th in 1976-1990, 84th in 1991-2000 and 84th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Digos had a built-up area of 2.19 square kilometers, and a population of 87192 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: