Street-network Sprawl in Waingapu, 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.

Waingapu: city in Nusa Tenggara 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 Waingapu, Indonesia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Waingapu as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.42, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.31, 3.03, 3.96 and 4.24. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Waingapu fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Waingapu spans a total of 163 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 3.31, 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 3.31, 3.24, 3.39 and 3.42. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Waingapu has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

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

How do development practices in Waingapu fare in comparison to others in Nusa Tenggara Timur? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Waingapu was the 6th-most disconnected out of the 12 cities in Nusa Tenggara Timur. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Nusa Tenggara Timur, street construction in Waingapu has become more connected. Waingapu ranked 3rd in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

Waingapu and Indonesia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Waingapu 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 Waingapu fare in comparison to others in Indonesia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Waingapu was the 151st-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 Waingapu has become more connected. Waingapu ranked 120th in 1975, 120th in 1976-1990, 142nd in 1991-2000 and 151st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Waingapu is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 12 cities in Nusa Tenggara Timur. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Waingapu ranked 3rd in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

Waingapu 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, Waingapu is the 169th-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 Waingapu has become more connected. Waingapu ranked 120th in 1975, 158th in 1976-1990, 156th in 1991-2000 and 169th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Waingapu had a built-up area of 4.46 square kilometers, and a population of 199138 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: