Street-network Sprawl in Palembang, 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.

Palembang: city in Sumatera 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 Palembang, Indonesia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Palembang as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 5.13, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 5.09, nan, 4.87 and 5.78. Data was not available in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Palembang spans a total of 3762 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 5.09, 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 5.09, 5.09, 5.04 and 5.13. Disconnectivity in Palembang's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1991-2000, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 2001-2014.

Palembang and Sumatera Selatan 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 Sumatera Selatan's street network construction.

How do development practices in Palembang fare in comparison to others in Sumatera Selatan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Palembang was the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 11 cities in Sumatera Selatan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Sumatera Selatan, street construction in Palembang has become more disconnected. Palembang ranked 3rd in 1975, 5th in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

Palembang 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 Palembang fare in comparison to others in Indonesia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Palembang was the 71st-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 Palembang has become more disconnected. Palembang ranked 38th in 1975, 90th in 1991-2000 and 71st in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 due to unavailable data.

Palembang and Sumatera Selatan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Palembang followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Sumatera Selatan fell steadily.

To date, Palembang is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 11 cities in Sumatera Selatan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Sumatera Selatan, the street network in Palembang has become more disconnected. Palembang ranked 3rd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Palembang is the 45th-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 Palembang has become more connected. Palembang ranked 38th in 1975, 40th in 1976-1990, 43rd in 1991-2000 and 45th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Palembang had a built-up area of 127.77 square kilometers, and a population of 1910182 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population:

For some related information about population, urban extent and density, and roads, visit the Atlas of Urban Expansion.