Street-network Sprawl in Blitar, 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.

Blitar: city in Jawa Timur, 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 Blitar, Indonesia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Blitar as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.24, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.22, 3.11, 4.62 and 4.22. Street construction in Blitar 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 Blitar spans a total of 580 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.22, 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 2.22, 2.31, 2.76 and 3.24. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Blitar has become more disconnected.

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

How do development practices in Blitar fare in comparison to others in Jawa Timur? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Blitar was the 20th-most disconnected out of the 52 cities in Jawa Timur. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Jawa Timur, street construction in Blitar has become more connected. Blitar ranked 17th in 1975, 16th in 1976-1990, 10th in 1991-2000 and 20th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Blitar fare in comparison to others in Indonesia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Blitar was the 152nd-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 Blitar has become more disconnected. Blitar ranked 193rd in 1975, 114th in 1976-1990, 108th in 1991-2000 and 152nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Blitar is the 21st-most disconnected out of the 52 cities in Jawa Timur. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Jawa Timur, the street network in Blitar has become more connected. Blitar ranked 17th in 1975, 30th in 1976-1990, 23rd in 1991-2000 and 21st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Blitar is the 192nd-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 Blitar has become more disconnected. Blitar ranked 193rd in 1975, 241st in 1976-1990, 216th in 1991-2000 and 192nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Blitar had a built-up area of 66.16 square kilometers, and a population of 391135 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: