Street-network Sprawl in Bayambang, 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.

Bayambang: city in Pangasinan, 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 Bayambang, Philippines on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Bayambang as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.27, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.19, 3.53, 2.88 and 3.25. Disconnectivity in street construction in Bayambang follows a zig-zag trend. In 1991-2000, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Bayambang spans a total of 85 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 3.53, 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 3.19, 3.36, 3.25 and 3.27. Disconnectivity in Bayambang's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1976-1990.

Bayambang and Pangasinan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Bayambang followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Pangasinan peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Bayambang fare in comparison to others in Pangasinan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bayambang was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Pangasinan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Pangasinan, street construction in Bayambang has become more connected. Bayambang ranked 3rd in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

Bayambang and Philippines do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Bayambang followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Philippines rose steadily.

How do development practices in Bayambang fare in comparison to others in Philippines? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bayambang was the 73rd-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 Bayambang has become more connected. Bayambang ranked 33rd in 1975, 61st in 1976-1990, 74th in 1991-2000 and 73rd in 2001-2014.

Bayambang and Pangasinan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Bayambang followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Pangasinan rose steadily.

To date, Bayambang is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Pangasinan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Pangasinan, the street network in Bayambang has become more connected. Bayambang ranked 3rd in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

Bayambang and Philippines do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Bayambang followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Philippines rose steadily.

To date, Bayambang is the 72nd-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 Bayambang has become more connected. Bayambang ranked 33rd in 1975, 61st in 1976-1990, 67th in 1991-2000 and 72nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Bayambang had a built-up area of 2.47 square kilometers, and a population of 53945 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: