Street-network Sprawl in Baliase, 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.

Baliase: city in Sulawesi Tengah, 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 Baliase, Indonesia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Baliase as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.41, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.1, 5.79, 3.96 and 6.15. Disconnectivity in street construction in Baliase follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Baliase spans a total of 108 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 3.1, 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 3.1, 3.3, 3.37 and 3.41. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Baliase has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.2 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.04.

Baliase and Sulawesi Tengah do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Baliase followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Sulawesi Tengah rose steadily.

How do development practices in Baliase fare in comparison to others in Sulawesi Tengah? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Baliase was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Sulawesi Tengah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Sulawesi Tengah, street construction in Baliase has become more disconnected. Baliase ranked 3rd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Baliase and Indonesia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Baliase followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Indonesia followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Baliase fare in comparison to others in Indonesia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Baliase was the 57th-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 Baliase has become more disconnected. Baliase ranked 135th in 1975, 15th in 1976-1990, 141st in 1991-2000 and 57th in 2001-2014.

Baliase and Sulawesi Tengah follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Baliase is the 5th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Sulawesi Tengah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Sulawesi Tengah, the street network in Baliase has become more connected. Baliase ranked 3rd in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Baliase is the 172nd-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 Baliase has become more connected. Baliase ranked 135th in 1975, 149th in 1976-1990, 159th in 1991-2000 and 172nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Baliase had a built-up area of 2.02 square kilometers, and a population of 108197 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: