Street-network Sprawl in Jakarta, 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.

Jakarta: 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 Jakarta, Indonesia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Jakarta as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.53, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.47, 4.88, 5.19 and 5.23. In each period, new street development in Jakarta steadily grows more disconnected than in the last. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.42 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.04.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Jakarta spans a total of 52215 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 4.47, 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 4.47, 4.49, 4.5 and 4.53. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Jakarta has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.02 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.02.

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

How do development practices in Jakarta fare in comparison to others in Jawa Barat? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Jakarta was the 11th-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, street construction in Jakarta has become more connected. Jakarta ranked 6th in 1975, 11th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 11th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Jakarta fare in comparison to others in Indonesia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Jakarta was the 96th-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 Jakarta has become more connected. Jakarta ranked 59th in 1975, 38th in 1976-1990, 73rd in 1991-2000 and 96th in 2001-2014.

Jakarta 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, Jakarta is the 16th-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 Jakarta has become more connected. Jakarta ranked 6th in 1975, 13th in 1976-1990, 15th in 1991-2000 and 16th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Jakarta is the 84th-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 Jakarta has become more connected. Jakarta ranked 59th in 1975, 66th in 1976-1990, 72nd in 1991-2000 and 84th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Jakarta had a built-up area of 1889.14 square kilometers, and a population of 36312538 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: