The document analyzes the predominant urban form of the municipality of Tapaz. It identifies the town center as being located within the Poblacion area, specifically between Roosevelt St. and San Geronimo St. This area features the public market, civic center, church, and government center. It is the center of commercial, institutional, religious, and recreational activities. Surrounding areas show growing economic activity distributed along roads leading to the town center. The document concludes that Tapaz has an urban star form, with a dominant core in the town center and secondary centers developing outside it.

1. IDENTIFYING THE PREDOMINANT URBAN
FORM OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF TAPAZ
Ruby Faith D. Espinosa

2. THE TOWN
CENTER
The town center of Tapaz is considered to be located
within its Poblacion, specifically the areas covered
between the streets of Roosevelt and San Geronimo.
Within a radius of more or less one hundred (100)
meters is the center of the town's commercial,
institutional, religious and recreational activities.
The town center also features better communications
and more varied services than any area within the
municipality.

3. Figure 1.The Map ofTapaz highlighting the location of Poblacion and its nearby barangays

4. Figure 2. The area covered between Roosevelt St. and San Geronimo St., consisting of the Public Market, Public Plaza &
Playground, Church, Civic Center and Government Center is considered to be the dominant core of the town.

5. Most activities in the town center
are concentrated around the
Public Market. Commercial
buildings such as stores and shops,
among others, selling mostly food
and basic goods are found within
the vicinity of the market.

6. Image 1.Tricycles line up in front ofTapaz
Public Market during a regular, non-
market day.Weekends are commonly
called “market days” where business
owners display their products around the
market area, beyond the corners of the
covered structure.
Image 2. Various products and goods are
being sold in the Public Market.

7. Image 3.The recently constructed market
shed is located at the rear side of the
Public Market as an extension structure to
cater to more businesses.
Image 4.The 7-Eleven Store, located right
across the Public Market stands as the
only convenience store within the
municipality.

8. Images 5-6.Within the vicinity of the
Public Market are other commercial
buildings and retail stores such as the GRL
building, the largest store for hardware
and household needs, among others.
Puregold is also set to commence the
construction of its commercial building
within the Poblacion.

9. Found within the same reference
radius are the Tapaz Public Plaza &
Playground and Tapaz Civic
Center which host the festivals
and public events in Tapaz.
During major festivals, the area
around the Plaza is found to cater
high density of activities,
businesses and people.

10. Images 7-10.The Public Plaza &
Playground is equipped with sports
facilities and play equipment.

11. Images 11-12.The hard and soft
landscape features of the Public Plaza are
one of the recent development projects of
the municipality.

12. Image 13. Located only across the Public
Plaza is the largest church in the
municipality, St. Jerome Parish Church.This
area is usually congested during Sundays,
festivals and monthly Friday masses
conducted by the LGU ofTapaz.
Image 14.TheTapaz Civic Center caters to various
events and ceremonies. It is also the avenue of the
media for news and announcements.Tapaz Radio
Station is being aired at scheduled times from the
Civic Center.

13. Facing the Plaza is the Tapaz
Government Center, the newly
constructed municipal building
that bears the “image of the
town.” Only a few meters away
from the building are strategically
located the other government
offices such as the offices of BFP,
MDRRMO, etc. for ease of
accessibility to the public.
Image 15. Tapaz Government
Center is a four-story building with a
roof deck where government offices
and agencies are located.

14. OUTSIDE
THE TOWN
CENTER
While the town center highlights the urban growth in
Poblacion, provincial roads traverse this center so the
Poblacion is kept at a small area.
However, areas surrounding the town center show
growing economic activities that are less in density
than the center but are distributed along the roads
leading to the center.
These areas could easily accommodate growth and
there are lands available for future expansion.

15. Image 16. Growing commercial activities
along the roads leading to the center.
Image 17. Ongoing construction of a new
commercial building complex.

16. Further from the town center but
within the boundaries of Poblacion are
also located the public schools that are
populated during weekdays.
Image 18. Grade school students are
found outsideTapaz Central Elementary
School during a regular school day.
Image 19.ATapaz Security Force (TSF)
officer helps the students ofTapaz
National High School in crossing the
school street during morning traffic.

17. ROAD
NETWORK
&
TRANSPOR
TATION
Tapaz, located at the center of Panay Island, is traversed
by three (3) national roads connecting to Aklan, Iloilo
and Roxas City. Public utility vehicles (buses) are
available for traveling to these capital destinations while
tricycles and motorcycles are the main modes of
transportation used in the barangays.
The level of service inTapaz reflects an efficient public
transport system where traffic congestion is not a
transportation issue.

18. Image 20.TapazTransport
Terminal, located within
Poblacion is the main drop-off
and pick-up point for buses,
tricycles and motorcycles of the
municipality.The transport
terminal is provided with comfort
rooms, food stalls and public
seats.
The number of operating buses
decreased starting in 2020 due
to the COVID-19 pandemic that
limits inter-regional
transportation.

19. Private vehicles are also highly visible in
the town center, usually cars and
motorcycles.
Images 21-22. Private vehicles owned by
municipal employees are parked near the
government center.

20. CONCLUSI
ON
Based on the information gathered and applying
appropriate observation, the Municipality of Tapaz takes
the urban form of the Urban Star.This reflects the
dominant core being within the Poblacion and the
surrounding areas as secondary centers leading to the
town center.
The advantage of this type of urban form is the
distribution of the development to secondary centers
that limits the congestion of the town center.