Street-network Sprawl in Pekalongan, 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.

Pekalongan: city in Jawa Tengah, 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 Pekalongan, Indonesia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Pekalongan as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.05, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.12, 0.89, 0.73 and 2.28. Disconnectivity in street construction in Pekalongan follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Pekalongan spans a total of 397 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 0.89, which is relatively 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 -0.12, 0.84, 0.89 and 1.05. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Pekalongan has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.97 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.16.

Pekalongan and Jawa Tengah do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Pekalongan followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Jawa Tengah was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Pekalongan fare in comparison to others in Jawa Tengah? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Pekalongan was the 20th-most disconnected out of the 34 cities in Jawa Tengah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Jawa Tengah, street construction in Pekalongan has become more connected. Pekalongan ranked 4th in 1975, 24th in 1976-1990, 21st in 1991-2000 and 20th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Pekalongan fare in comparison to others in Indonesia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Pekalongan was the 245th-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 Pekalongan has become more disconnected. Pekalongan ranked 254th in 1975, 218th in 1976-1990, 250th in 1991-2000 and 245th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Pekalongan is the 26th-most disconnected out of the 34 cities in Jawa Tengah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Jawa Tengah, the street network in Pekalongan has become more connected. Pekalongan ranked 4th in 1975, 24th in 1976-1990, 24th in 1991-2000 and 26th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Pekalongan is the 331st-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 Pekalongan has become more connected. Pekalongan ranked 254th in 1975, 318th in 1976-1990, 323rd in 1991-2000 and 331st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Pekalongan had a built-up area of 82.86 square kilometers, and a population of 1263928 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: