Street-network Sprawl in Masamba, 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.

Masamba: 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 Masamba, Indonesia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Masamba as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.75, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.61, 2.75, 4.4 and 5.69. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Masamba fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Masamba spans a total of 40 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 3.61, 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 3.61, 3.29, 3.43 and 3.75. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Masamba has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Masamba 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 Masamba fare in comparison to others in Sulawesi Selatan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Masamba was the 4th-most disconnected out of the 16 cities in Sulawesi Selatan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Sulawesi Selatan, street construction in Masamba has become more disconnected. Masamba ranked 7th in 1975, 10th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

Masamba and Indonesia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Masamba 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 Masamba fare in comparison to others in Indonesia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Masamba was the 75th-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 Masamba has become more disconnected. Masamba ranked 107th in 1975, 137th in 1976-1990, 119th in 1991-2000 and 75th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Masamba is 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, the street network in Masamba has become more connected. Masamba ranked 7th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 8th in 2001-2014.

Masamba 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, Masamba is the 147th-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 Masamba has become more connected. Masamba ranked 107th in 1975, 150th in 1976-1990, 151st in 1991-2000 and 147th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Masamba had a built-up area of 0.69 square kilometers, and a population of 55145 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: