M.C. Rosel (ed.

), Thesis Proposal: P300 Thesis, 1st Semester Academic Year 2019-2020, Masters of Art in Urban and
Regional Planning Program, University of the Philippines Mindanao.

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES MINDANAO

A study of the transport modes for sustainable intra-urban mobility in urban

areas in Davao CIty

A Thesis Proposal

Melchor P. Sirilan, mpsirilan@up.edu.ph / mpsirilan@msn.com

11/3/2019

P300 – Thesis
Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning Program
Department of Architecture, College of Humanities and Social Sciences
University of the Philippines Mindanao
Davao City, Philippines
2 M.P. Sirilan

Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1............................................................................................................ 3
I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 3
A. SIGNIFICANCE ............................................................................................. 4
B. DEVELOPMENT AND URBANIZATION .......................................................... 5
C. RESEARCH GOALS ........................................................................................ 6
II. LITERATURE AND THEORETICAL REVIEW .................................................... 7
A. URBAN FORM ............................................................................................. 7
B. TRANSPORTATION SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS ....................................... 8
C. TRIP GENERATION, DISTRIBUTION, MODAL SPLIT....................................... 8
D. TRAFFIC CONGESTION. ................................................................................ 9
E. LEVEL OF SERVICE...................................................................................... 10
F. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK...................................................................... 11
III. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................ 12
E. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................ 13
1. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS ............................................................ 13
A) DATA COLLECTION .................................................................................... 13
B) ANALYSIS. ................................................................................................. 14
2. MATHEMATICAL MODELS ......................................................................... 14
A) TRAFFIC GENERATION MODEL .................................................................. 14
B) TRAFFIC ATTRACTION FORMULA .............................................................. 15
C) GRAVITY MODEL ....................................................................................... 16
F. APPENDICES .............................................................................................. 17
G. REFERENCES .............................................................................................. 18
 3

Chapter 1

I. INTRODUCTION

The characteristics of the urban form of a town provides us with knowledge of

its sub-processes (Barke, 2016). The universal definition of the urban form
must be understood and accepted to be able to provide a basis for discussions
and knowledge. The urban form discussed by Lynch (Image of the City, 1960)
provides us with a foundation, or a nucleus, upon which a singular object can be
the focal point of discussion. This specific urban form provides us with a
subject for further studies and is the proverbial seed on which more knowledge
can be built on. Further, it is acknowledged that the morphology, or
development of a city is complex (Boeing, 2018 & Jacobs, 1960). Urban
models sought to describe the urban structure observed as communities grow
and develop, from the simple concentric zone model proposed by Burgess in
1923, the Sector Model developed by Hoyt in 1939, the Multiple Nuclei Model
by Harris and Ullman in 1945, to the Urban-Realms Model which was proposed
by Vance in 1964. The mentioned models, however, describe and use as basis
the American experience and context, hence, may need to be validated for
specific adoption in the Philippine setting, which considers, for instance, the
various modes of transportation, besides the use of cars which is prevalent in
the American context.

The specific process which this research proposes to study is the transport
system in general and the transportation modes, such as trisikad1, payong-
payong2, motorcycles, motortricycles, jeepneys and buses, and small

1
pedal powered sidecars
2
motorized sidecar with umbrella
4 M.P. Sirilan

sea/rivercraft, with a focus on the person trips attracted by the specific collection
of urban forms unique to an urban city district.

The data which to be collected will transportation related indeces, such as the
average vehicle speed within the district, the delays experienced during peak
periods enable the quantification of qualitative information into costs attributable
to the transport process, as suggested by practice and critiqued by Litman,
2018.

Further, knowledge by itself, shall be treated in a way as to be useful for

improving the living conditions of the people (Laurence, 2015), therefore, there
is a need to dissect the processes for data to be useful.

A. Significance

The city of Davao has began its review and update of the city’s
Comprehensive Land-Use Plan for 2013 – 2022 (PIA, 2019). The aim is to
“maximize the use of its urban space in the updating of its Comprehensive
Land Use Plan (CLUP) … to control the expansion of urban sprawl.” The
office also mentioned that “the review and revision is timely as there is an
influx of private and public infrastructure development in the city… since
the 2016 Presidential Elections. As the city has adopted a framework for
its future transportation system (ADB, 2018 & JICA, 2018), the significance
of the current modes of transport cannot be ignored.

The significance of this research is to help provide a basis for the

formulation of a policy, supported by a study that is based on verifiable
and validated data collection process and rigorous analysis of the city’s
transportation system, to optimize and rationalize the city’s use of its urban
space.
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B. Development and Urbanization

In 2010, the proportion of urban population to the total population, also

called the level of urbanization, in the Philippines was 45.3 percent,
according to the PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2013). During the
same period, the level of urbanization in the Davao Region (RXI) was 59.3
percent (PSA. Table A, 2013) while Davao City posted a level of
urbanization of 86.6 percent (PSA, Table D, 2013). This increase in urban
population, in part, a result of a boom in land development and
investments in various commercial development, was one of the major
reasons that result in significant increase in movement of people through
and within the city (Manila Bulletin, 2017).

The need to transport more people through limited road infrastructure

results in the increase in vehicle usage, further constricting an outmoded
public transport system, limited by a physical restriction on the road width.
Transport of goods, likewise, followed the same increase in volume.
Hence, these factors resulted in increasing frequencies of traffic
congestion.

Failure to properly address traffic congestion will result in incremental

costs that impact on the time, goods and services, that are delayed and
wasted.
6 M.P. Sirilan

C. Research Goals

This research hopes to understand the relationship between land use,

transportation, and travel demand for specific land use types located in
heavily urbanized settings in the Philippine context, by identifying the
different modes of transportation used by the population and thus aid in
recommendations to improve alleviate traffic congestion.

This research aims to examine sustainable mobility, choices of modes of

travel and integrating these with pedestrian transit, bicycling, the different
modes of public transportation as well as private automobiles with the
different stakeholders in urban development in the local setting. This
research aims to measure the generated traffic volume, the distribution and
mode of transit, and recommend the applicable transportation sustainability
index, corresponding to specific elements of the urban form, that describes
a high density residential district or section of the city of Davao.
Furthermore, a distant goal is to open discussions on institutionalizing the
index in a broader context of environmental impact and sustainability of the
urban form.
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II. LITERATURE AND THEORETICAL REVIEW

A. Urban Form

Urban form (Lynch, 1960) is defined as the physical characteristics that

make up the built-up areas. Urban form includes the shape, size, density
and configuration of settlements.

One element of the urban form which play a part in the aspect of
transportation is the street. The main characteristic of a street is its width
which can likewise describe the number of available lanes. The width of
the street has a bearing on the use of space which impacts on the safety
of the users, the pedestrians and commuters who use it. A study
conducted by Potts (2007) studied the relationship between the width of
the street, speed and subsequently safety, and concluded that vehicle
speed can be controlled using the street width.

Another element of the urban form that is the building use. A building’s
use, or utility, determines the number of person trips that is attracted to it.
The visual characteristics of a building of similar utility also plays a role in
the attraction of person trips.

Sidewalks provide access for pedestrians and enables mobility between

buildings and streets. Pedestrians begin and end their trips at vehicle
stops to and from the buildings where the activity is conducted.
8 M.P. Sirilan

B. Transportation Sustainability Indicators

The development of transport-specific indicators has been included in

many recent studies. The indicators being used in those studies may be
classified as one of the following: environmental, social, and economic,
(Gudmundsson, 2004).

A review of various indicators shall be made to determine which can be

applicable for the chosen context.

C. Trip generation, distribution, modal split

An element of the urban form which part of the aspect of transportation is

the street. The width of the street has a bearing on the safety of the users,
like the pedestrians and commuters who use it. The street, however, is
also a result of the design of the urban form based on the land-use, hence,
plays a role in the choice of vehicles that use the road infrastructure.
 9

D. Traffic Congestion.

According to a traditional school of thought in transportation studies,

traffic congestion may be defined as a condition that restricts vehicular
mobility in any urban place (ITE, 2014). This condition is acknowledged
as urban traffic is a function of land use (Mitchell, 1954). The decrease
in mobility of individuals or vehicles results in delays in the transit of
people and transport of goods, which contribute to higher cost of
products, services time and would lead to the accumulated cost
attributed to traffic congestion. Likewise, air pollution, a condition where
fumes from the exhausts of these vehicles, collect and disperse at a
longer period in congested areas, also contributes to the cost of traffic
congestion in terms of health and wellness of the pedestrian and
commuters passing through the district.

Further, road infrastructure, which is an element in transportation

systems, take up space in an urban form. Space which can otherwise
be used to make the urban form more liveable for its people, rather,
than be used increasingly for transport.

Traffic congestion, as observed, is the problem of too many cars with

insufficient roads, or the growing numbers of commuters outstripping the
facility of public transport, or both. It is also the problem of inefficient, or
outmoded land use patterns that provide some synchronous dynamics
between the once-upon-a-time close relationship between living and
leisure, consumption and production space.

.
10 M.P. Sirilan

E. Level of Service

Transportation agencies, such as the Department of Public Works

and Highways (DPWH DO 55, 2013) measure traffic congestion
qualitatively as Levels of Service (LOS) from A, being free-flow
traffic to F, stop and go traffic, which is calculated quantitatively
using the ratio of the volume of vehicular traffic and the capacity of
the road infrastructure.

Table 1 - Level of Service Table

Volume/Capacity
Level of Description
(v/c) Ratio
Service

A ≤ 0.20 free flow traffic

B 0.21 – 0.50
C 0.51 – 0.70
D 0.71 – 0.85
E 0.86 – 1.00
F > 1.00
free flow traffic
moderate flow traffic
moderate to heavy traffic
heavy traffic
forced flow, stop and go
 11

F. Theoretical Framework

The figure below suggests the theoretical framework to be

adopted in this research. Person trips is a function of the urban
form which form part of the aspect of transportation. The width of
the street has a bearing on the safety of the users, such as the
pedestrians and commuters who use it.

Inventory of modes of transport

Dependent variable Independent variables

Indicators

Economic Activity Urban Form Accessibility

School Street Path

Dimensions
Work Borders

Shopping Sidewalk
Dimensions Nodes

Building Use &

Person Trips corresponding
areas

Transport modes
trisikad, payong-payong, motorcycles, tricycles, multicab, jeepneys,
taxi, passenger cars, trucks, buses, watercraft

Vehicle volume Vehicle speed Trip radius

Level of Service Vehicle preference Cost of travel

Emissions Travel Time Occupancy

12 M.P. Sirilan

III. METHODOLOGY

The research shall be conducted using research using data from the
various government offices, such as the City Engineer’s Office, the City
Planning and Development Office, the Land Transportation Office, the
Land Transport Franchising Board, the barangays, the educational
institutions, the commercial establishments located in the Study Area.
Inventory of the different modes of transport used shall be made. Traffic
volume shall be determined using manual counts through video and
manual traffic surveys. Other surveys include transport mode preference
surveys and vehicle occupancy counts, as well as selected spot
interviews.

A. The Study Area

The proposed Study Area Figure 1 is found at the vicinity of the

Chinatown District of Davao City, which is created under an executive
order (EO No. 012-2013) extending down to the Sta. Ana Port and the
coastal villages at its vicinity.

Figure 1 - Study area

The Study Area is a mixture of commercial, institutional and residential areas.

 13

B. Methodology

1. Data Collection and Analysis

a) Data Collection

Data collection will be accomplished through the following

methods:

a.1. Research shall be conducted for the following:

i. Number of franchises issued by the LTFRB for land

transportation and the Philippine Coast Guard and
Marina for sea or rivercraft;

ii. Building occupancy permits to determine building

space used for office, residence and commercial
purposes;

iii. Customer records for commercial establishments to

determine home origin and frequency of shopping
activity;

iv. Student school records for institutions; and,

v. As-Built building plans to determine areas of spaces.

a.2. Actual manual survey shall be conducted to count the

number of people that enter and exit the commercial space.

a.3. Actual manual 15 minute interval traffic count shall be

conducted for peak periods from 0700H-1000H and from
1600H-1900H using the traffic volume count form.

a.4. Review of video footages for traffic entering and leaving the
three streets;
14 M.P. Sirilan

a.5. video footages for pedestrian volume count and vector;

b) Analysis.

b.1. Multiple Regression Analysis shall be used to make a

correlation between the person trips and the urban form
and other indicators shown.

2. Mathematical Models

Mathematical models provide a numerical means for describing the

characteristics if the traffic for a given area. These will be fitted and
validated on the field using actual field observations.

a) Traffic Generation Model

The traffic generation model follows the diagram shown below

as Figure 2, shown below .

Figure 2 - Four Step Modelling System

 15

b) Traffic Attraction Formula

The traffic attraction formula was based on a concept that

certain land use, which is generally classified as commercial,
industrial, institutional and residential, attract a distinct attraction
characteristic (ICE, 2009). The attraction formula which will be
adopted is suggested by Donovan (2015), described as:
Ti = f (Acti, Xi, Techi)
where Ti is the total number of work, shopping or
school trips generated in section i;
Acti the set of activity characteristics vector in
section i;
Xi the set of socio-economic characteristics of
people and households belonging to section i;
and
Techi the set of technology characteristics

For a collection of establishments, the above formula can be

shown as:
Ti = f (Acti, Xi, Techi)
T1 Act1 X1 Tech1
T2 Act2 X2 Tech2
T3 Act3 X3 Tech3
Where, T = Ti ; Act = Acti ; Xi = Xi ; Tech = Techi
.
.
Tz Actz Xz Techz
16 M.P. Sirilan

c) Gravity Model

The Gravity Model Formula is shown as:

 17

C. Appendices

Table 2 - Transport indicators

Aspect Indicators Determinant
GHG emission • Vehicle kilometre travelled by vehicle
• Passenger kilometre travelled by public transport
• Mode share
Other pollutants • Vehicle kilometer travelled by vehicle
• Passenger kilometer travelled by public transport
• Mode share
Energy use • Vehicle kilometer travelled by vehicle
• Passenger kilometer travelled by public transport
• Mode share
Population exposed to • Traffic volume
noise
Land consumption for • Land-use mix
transport • Length of railways and main roads
• Length of cycling and walking passes
Fatality and injuries • Vehicle ownership
related to traffic
accidents
Accessibility to facilities • Length of railways and main roads
and public • Proportion of residents with public transit services within
transport 500m
Satisfaction of citizens • Quality of transport for disadvantaged, disabled, children,
and variety and non-drivers
quality of transport • Quality of pedestrian and bicycle environment
options
Fatality and injuries • Hospital records
resulted from air
pollutants

Household expenditure • Costs of parking

allocated to • Fuel price
transport • Commute costs
• Total time spent in traffic and congestion costs
• Vehicle costs
• Transport taxes and subsides
Accident cost • Insurance data
Transport emission costs • Vehicle kilometer travelled by car
• Vehicle kilometer travelled by public transit
• Modal split
Noise costs • Noise level
18 M.P. Sirilan

Table 3 - Sample Manual Traffic Count Table

Table 4 - Sample Pedestrian Count Sheet

 19

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