Street-network Sprawl in Bandung, 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.

Bandung: city in Jawa Barat, 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 Bandung, Indonesia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Bandung as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 5.26, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.19, 5.25, 5.91 and 5.93. In each period, new street development in Bandung steadily grows more disconnected than in the last. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 1.06 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.03.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Bandung spans a total of 9555 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 5.25, which is highly disconnected.

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 4.19, 5.05, 5.14 and 5.26. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Bandung has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.86 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.12.

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

How do development practices in Bandung fare in comparison to others in Jawa Barat? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bandung was the 7th-most disconnected out of the 38 cities in Jawa Barat. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Jawa Barat, street construction in Bandung has become more disconnected. Bandung ranked 9th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

Bandung and Indonesia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Bandung rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Indonesia followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Bandung fare in comparison to others in Indonesia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bandung was the 61st-most disconnected out of the 363 cities in Indonesia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Indonesia, street construction in Bandung has become more disconnected. Bandung ranked 72nd in 1975, 27th in 1976-1990, 49th in 1991-2000 and 61st in 2001-2014.

Bandung and Jawa Barat follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Bandung is the 13th-most disconnected out of the 38 cities in Jawa Barat. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Jawa Barat, the street network in Bandung has become more connected. Bandung ranked 9th in 1975, 9th in 1976-1990, 10th in 1991-2000 and 13th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Bandung is the 42nd-most disconnected out of the 363 cities in Indonesia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Indonesia, the street network in Bandung has become more disconnected. Bandung ranked 72nd in 1975, 42nd in 1976-1990, 39th in 1991-2000 and 42nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Bandung had a built-up area of 357.1 square kilometers, and a population of 8181546 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: