Street-network Sprawl in Liwa, 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.

Liwa: city in Lampung, 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 Liwa, Indonesia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Liwa as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.62, 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 3.52, nan, 1.63 and 3.45. Data was not available in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Liwa spans a total of 98 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1991-2000. These roads have an SNDi of 1.63, 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 3.52, 3.52, 2.57 and 2.62. Disconnectivity in Liwa's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1991-2000, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1975.

Liwa and Lampung do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, as well as the Lampung's street network construction.

How do development practices in Liwa fare in comparison to others in Lampung? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Liwa was the 4th-most disconnected out of the 12 cities in Lampung. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Lampung, street construction in Liwa has become more disconnected. Liwa ranked 5th in 1975, 8th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

Liwa and Indonesia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Indonesia followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Liwa fare in comparison to others in Indonesia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Liwa was the 191st-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 Liwa has become more disconnected. Liwa ranked 113th in 1975, 235th in 1991-2000 and 191st in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

Liwa and Lampung do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Liwa followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Lampung followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

To date, Liwa is the 7th-most disconnected out of the 12 cities in Lampung. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Lampung, the street network in Liwa has become more connected. Liwa ranked 5th in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Liwa is the 252nd-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 Liwa has become more connected. Liwa ranked 113th in 1975, 138th in 1976-1990, 230th in 1991-2000 and 252nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Liwa had a built-up area of 4.28 square kilometers, and a population of 98614 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: