Street-network Sprawl in Sangatta, 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.

Sangatta: city in Kalimantan 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 Sangatta, Indonesia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Sangatta as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.99, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.12, 3.48, 3.84 and 4.72. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Sangatta fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Sangatta spans a total of 183 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 3.48, 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 4.12, 3.58, 3.59 and 3.99. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Sangatta has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Sangatta and Kalimantan Timur do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Sangatta was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Kalimantan Timur peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Sangatta fare in comparison to others in Kalimantan Timur? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Sangatta was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 11 cities in Kalimantan Timur. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Kalimantan Timur, street construction in Sangatta has become more disconnected. Sangatta ranked 6th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

Sangatta and Indonesia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Sangatta 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 Sangatta fare in comparison to others in Indonesia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Sangatta was the 122nd-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 Sangatta has become more connected. Sangatta ranked 78th in 1975, 93rd in 1976-1990, 152nd in 1991-2000 and 122nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Sangatta is the 6th-most disconnected out of the 11 cities in Kalimantan Timur. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Sangatta ranked 6th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

Sangatta 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, Sangatta is the 125th-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 Sangatta has become more connected. Sangatta ranked 78th in 1975, 131st in 1976-1990, 136th in 1991-2000 and 125th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Sangatta had a built-up area of 3.85 square kilometers, and a population of 226748 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: