Street-network Sprawl in Kampong Cham, Cambodia

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.

Kampong Cham: city in Kâmpóng Cham, Cambodia

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 Kampong Cham, Cambodia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kampong Cham as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.08, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -1.05, -0.03, 1.47 and -0.18. Street construction in Kampong Cham increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Kampong Cham spans a total of 101 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of -0.03, which is very 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 -1.05, -0.15, 0.19 and 0.08. The aggregate street network in Kampong Cham increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

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

How do development practices in Kampong Cham fare in comparison to others in Kâmpóng Cham? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kampong Cham was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Kâmpóng Cham. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Kampong Cham ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Kampong Cham and Cambodia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Kampong Cham peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Cambodia rose steadily.

How do development practices in Kampong Cham fare in comparison to others in Cambodia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kampong Cham was the 8th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Cambodia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Cambodia, street construction in Kampong Cham has become more connected. Kampong Cham ranked 5th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 8th in 2001-2014.

Kampong Cham and Kâmpóng Cham do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Kampong Cham peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Kâmpóng Cham followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

To date, Kampong Cham is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Kâmpóng Cham. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Kampong Cham ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Kampong Cham and Cambodia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Kampong Cham peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Cambodia rose steadily.

To date, Kampong Cham is the 8th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Cambodia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Cambodia, the street network in Kampong Cham has become more connected. Kampong Cham ranked 5th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 8th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Kampong Cham had a built-up area of 2.05 square kilometers, and a population of 64242 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: