Street-network Sprawl in Singkawang, 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.

Singkawang: 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 Singkawang, Indonesia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Singkawang as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.65, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.11, 7.42, 4.82 and 7.2. Disconnectivity in street construction in Singkawang follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Singkawang spans a total of 206 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 4.11, 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 4.11, 4.18, 4.21 and 4.65. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Singkawang has become more disconnected.

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

How do development practices in Singkawang fare in comparison to others in Kalimantan Barat? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Singkawang was the 5th-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, street construction in Singkawang has become more connected. Singkawang ranked 4th in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

Singkawang and Indonesia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Singkawang 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 Singkawang fare in comparison to others in Indonesia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Singkawang was the 30th-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 Singkawang has become more disconnected. Singkawang ranked 79th in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 94th in 1991-2000 and 30th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Singkawang is the 6th-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 Singkawang has become more connected. Singkawang ranked 4th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Singkawang is the 72nd-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 Singkawang has become more disconnected. Singkawang ranked 79th in 1975, 84th in 1976-1990, 91st in 1991-2000 and 72nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Singkawang had a built-up area of 5.09 square kilometers, and a population of 188514 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: