Street-network Sprawl in Putussibau, 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.

Putussibau: city in Kalimantan 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 Putussibau, Indonesia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Putussibau as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.69, 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 1.41, 1.19, 4.22 and 10.01. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Putussibau fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Putussibau spans a total of 70 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1991-2000. These roads have an SNDi of 4.22, 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 1.41, 1.22, 2.46 and 2.69. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Putussibau has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Putussibau and Kalimantan Barat do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Putussibau was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Kalimantan Barat rose steadily.

How do development practices in Putussibau fare in comparison to others in Kalimantan Barat? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Putussibau was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 12 cities in Kalimantan Barat. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Kalimantan Barat, street construction in Putussibau has become more disconnected. Putussibau ranked 10th in 1975, 10th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Putussibau fare in comparison to others in Indonesia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Putussibau was the 4th-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 Putussibau has become more disconnected. Putussibau ranked 226th in 1975, 208th in 1976-1990, 128th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Putussibau is the 12th-most disconnected out of the 12 cities in Kalimantan Barat. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Kalimantan Barat, the street network in Putussibau has become more connected. Putussibau ranked 10th in 1975, 12th in 1976-1990, 12th in 1991-2000 and 12th in 2001-2014.

Putussibau and Indonesia follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Putussibau is the 245th-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 Putussibau has become more connected. Putussibau ranked 226th in 1975, 302nd in 1976-1990, 241st in 1991-2000 and 245th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Putussibau had a built-up area of 2.01 square kilometers, and a population of 144466 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: