THE ALTERNATIVE SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT

STRATEGIES

Building Adequate, Livable, Affordable and Inclusive Filipino Communities

Describe or characterize the emerging form of the spatial strategy
as a result of the above steps. The spatial strategy shall cover
the entire city/municipality including the growth pattern of urban
development. The growth pattern may be in the following form:

Trend extension Linear urban

Multi-nodal Concentric urban

Combined forms

Linear urban

Concentric urban

2
 DIFFERENT DEVELOPMENT
PATTERNS CONCEPT
/STRUCTURE PLAN MODELS:
a. Strip/Linear Development

A ribbon-like or strip form of spatial development. Development

in this case takes place parallel to or along both sides or margins
of the road or river or any other transport networks. This form
tends to constrict major roads preventing their further expansion.
Traffic congestion easily results from this type of spatial growth.
In case of river systems, linear development of urban uses
creates water pollution problems.
developments

Major
road
b. Grid Development
Characterized by rectangular blocks of spatial development
along streets and intersections. The agglomeration of
development blocks expands to occupy a sizeable space. This
pattern allows easy access to establishments because of the
intersecting streets and the block form. Its disadvantage is the
creation of bottlenecks and congestion in the flow of traffic.
BLOCKS
Local roads
Main road
c. Concentric Development

This type of urban form exemplifies the concentration strategy. It

is characterized by expansion of development that contiguously
grows out the central business district.

Expansion area

EXISTING

Urban area

Expansion area
d. Central and Nodal

This type of development assumes a hierarchical form wherein

there is a central dominant area, which is supported by pockets
of development nodes in nearby or neighboring areas.
LOCAL NODAL
ROADS

Major road
Major
center
F.2 BI-POLAR
F.3 TRI-POLAR
The multi-nodal urban form re-directs development away
from the urban core or city center toward identified
urban growth areas to nodes.
 SELECTION OF THE
PREFERRED SPATIAL
STRATEGY
Selection of the preferred spatial strategy

Spatial strategy generation involves the translation of vision,

goals and objectives and the preferred development thrust in
spatial terms. The spatial strategy serves as framework to guide
the detailed allocation and location of the various land use
categories. In the context of climate and disaster risks, the
spatial strategy generation provides an opportunity for the LGU to
look at alternative options for spatial development with informed
information on issues and concerns related to disasters and
climate change
Selection of the preferred spatial strategy

Different options can be generated depicting the configuration

of the built and un-built environments considering possible
spatial management options that municipalities can adopt and
pursue to address current and prevent future
risks/vulnerabilities. Sample risk reduction and management
(including the addressing vulnerabilities to climate change)
principles can be applied in the generation of spatial strategy
alternatives/options such as:
1. Risk avoidance or elimination

This strategy involves removing the risk trigger by

locating new expansion areas outside of potential hazard
susceptible areas. This can also be achieved by encouraging
open spaces and establishment and extension of buffer
easements (i.e. coastal, river). However, it has to be noted that
nationally prescribed easement regulations can be extended to
factor in the possible increase in frequency and severity of
hazards due to climate change (i.e. storm surge, foods, sea-level
rise).
2. Risk Mitigation

This strategy can be implemented if the strategy of

avoidance/elimination can not be applied and/or the spatial
strategy involves retaining existing urban use areas and
resource production areas in its current location. Measures for
mitigation (or adaptation) can be applied to reduce potential
risks/vulnerabilities by changing physical characteristics or
operations of a system or the element exposed to hazards. It can
take on the following subcategories:
2. Risk Mitigation

a. Mitigation
Imposing building design regulations to enhance structural
resistance/resilience to hazards and implementing engineering based
measures (i.e. food control, sea-wall, slope stabilization). However, such
measures (which often entail significant costs) will be dependent on the
capacities of the LGU and property owners to implement and conform to such
measures. Nonstructural mitigation, to some extent, can also be considered
as mitigation measures, such as the rehabilitation of upland and coastal
forests to reduce hazards (i.e. renewed upland forest cover can reduce
magnitude and extent of foods in low-land areas or rehabilitating coastal
mangrove areas to reduce magnitude of storm surges), changing
production techniques (climate sensitive agricultural production practices,
shift to climate resilient varieties), constructing production support
infrastructure such as water impoundments and irrigation
2. Risk Mitigation

b. Duplication or Redundancy
Increasing system sustainability by providing back-up
support for systems or facilities that may become
nonfunctional/operational after a hazard impact. This can
be applied by establishing redundant
access/linkage/distribution systems (i.e. establishment
of alternate transportation routes, looping and back-up
systems for water distribution, establishing alternative
critical point facilities such as schools and hospitals).
2. Risk Mitigation

c. Spatial separation
Increasing system capacity and robustness through geographic,
physical and operational separation of facilities and functions
through multi-nodal spatial development. It proposes a
strategy option of not centrally placing critical services (i.e.
health, educational, commercial, governance based
facilities/services) in one location.
2. Risk Mitigation

d. Preparedness measures
Are mostly non-structural measures that reduce the socio-
economic vulnerabilities or improve coping mechanisms of
communities at risk by improving capability to rescue,
salvage, and recover; installation of early warning systems;
increasing level of awareness through information, education,
and communication (IEC) programs; and developing
contingency/evacuation plans. These measures can be pursed
and implemented in areas potentially exposed to hazards where
short to medium term solutions are not feasible (i.e. massive
relocation).
Table 4.18 Sample Spatial Strategy Evaluation
3. Risk sharing or risk transfer

Another option that can be pursued to justify the location of built

and unbuilt environments in hazard prone areas. It is the
shifting of the risk-bearing responsibility to another party,
often times involving the use of financial and economic
measures particularly insurance systems to cover and pay
for future damages. However, this strategy should consider
the current and future financial capacities of the exposed
elements in accessing these instruments.
4. Risk retention or acceptance

This is the “do-nothing” scenario where risks are fully

accepted and arrangements are made to pay for financial losses
with own resources. However, this strategy can only be applied
if current or future exposed elements will have the resource
capacity to carry the burden of recovering from risks.
Selection of the preferred spatial strategy
In the context of climate and disaster risks, when evaluating spatial strategy options,
the evaluation criteria should be able to assess the various options in terms of following
considerations:

• Reduces current and/or prevent future risks;

• Ensure the uninterrupted delivery of high quality and basic social support services,
• Ensure and maintain inter- and intra area linkages;
• Required risk mitigation measures (through the imposition of zoning regulations
and hazard resistant design standards) are within the current and future of the LGU and
the private sector;
• Risk can be managed within acceptable thresholds especially when retaining or
expanding built-up areas within the hazard prone areas.
Selection of the preferred spatial strategy

Upon selection of the preferred development thrust, preparation

of the structure plan map can proceed. The structure plan
map is a schematic representation of the chosen spatial
strategy. It indicates the approximate location of areas for
settlement development, location of key production
systems, areas for protection and the various linkage
systems. In the context of DRR-CCA, in the preparation of
the structure plan map, emphasis should be given to:
Selection of the preferred spatial strategy

• Indicative location of new expansion settlement areas in relation to

hazard susceptibilities;

• Priority areas where mitigation and adaptation measures should be

implemented for current or future settlement (expansion) areas, including
production areas identified as highly vulnerable to natural hazards
and climate change impacts;

• Key linkage and distribution systems with emphasis on its role for disaster
risk reduction and climate change adaptation (redundant transportation
routes for improved area access, response and evacuation, back up
systems for water distribution);
Selection of the preferred spatial strategy

• Major risk mitigation infrastructure to be established (food control,

sea walls, slope stabilization, etc.);

• Designating highly susceptible hazard areas as protection (buffer

easements) or natural resource production areas (where production can
be pursued if feasible);

• Indicating key protection areas for rehabilitation and conservation with

emphasis on its contribution to management of climate and disaster risks.
Figure 4.4 Sample Spatial Strategy Option.
THANK YOU!

Building Adequate, Livable, Affordable and Inclusive

Filipino Communities