Street-network Sprawl in Balangnipa, 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.

Balangnipa: city in Sulawesi Selatan, 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 Balangnipa, Indonesia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Balangnipa as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.03, 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 11.9, 2.75, 4.53 and 4.96. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Balangnipa fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Balangnipa spans a total of 98 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 2.75, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

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 11.9, 2.79, 2.96 and 3.03. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Balangnipa has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Balangnipa and Sulawesi Selatan follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Balangnipa fare in comparison to others in Sulawesi Selatan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Balangnipa was the 8th-most disconnected out of the 16 cities in Sulawesi Selatan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Sulawesi Selatan, street construction in Balangnipa has become more connected. Balangnipa ranked 1st in 1975, 11th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 8th in 2001-2014.

Balangnipa and Indonesia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Balangnipa 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 Balangnipa fare in comparison to others in Indonesia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Balangnipa was the 106th-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 Balangnipa has become more connected. Balangnipa ranked 1st in 1975, 138th in 1976-1990, 114th in 1991-2000 and 106th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Balangnipa is the 12th-most disconnected out of the 16 cities in Sulawesi Selatan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Sulawesi Selatan, the street network in Balangnipa has become more connected. Balangnipa ranked 1st in 1975, 11th in 1976-1990, 12th in 1991-2000 and 12th in 2001-2014.

Balangnipa 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, Balangnipa is the 212th-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 Balangnipa has become more connected. Balangnipa ranked 1st in 1975, 193rd in 1976-1990, 201st in 1991-2000 and 212th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Balangnipa had a built-up area of 4.0 square kilometers, and a population of 106360 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: