Street-network Sprawl in Arga Makmur, Indonesia

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.

Arga Makmur: city in Bengkulu, Indonesia

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 Arga Makmur, Indonesia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Arga Makmur as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is -0.2, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.14, nan, -0.13 and -0.12. Data was not available in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Arga Makmur spans a total of 44 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of -0.12, 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 -0.14, -0.14, -0.16 and -0.2. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Arga Makmur has become more connected. This decrease has quickened: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi fell by 0.0 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it fell by just 0.04.

Arga Makmur and Bengkulu do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, as well as the Bengkulu's street network construction.

How do development practices in Arga Makmur fare in comparison to others in Bengkulu? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Arga Makmur was the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Bengkulu. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Arga Makmur ranked 4th in 1975, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

Arga Makmur and Indonesia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Indonesia followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Arga Makmur fare in comparison to others in Indonesia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Arga Makmur was the 284th-most disconnected out of the 363 cities in Indonesia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Indonesia, street construction in Arga Makmur has become more connected. Arga Makmur ranked 255th in 1975, 259th in 1991-2000 and 284th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

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

To date, Arga Makmur is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Bengkulu. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Arga Makmur ranked 4th in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

Arga Makmur and Indonesia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Arga Makmur fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Indonesia was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Arga Makmur is the 357th-most disconnected out of the 363 cities in Indonesia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Indonesia, the street network in Arga Makmur has become more connected. Arga Makmur ranked 255th in 1975, 346th in 1976-1990, 353rd in 1991-2000 and 357th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Arga Makmur had a built-up area of 1.64 square kilometers, and a population of 75685 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: