Street-network Sprawl in Yatsushiro, Japan

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.

Yatsushiro: city in Kumamoto, Japan

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 Yatsushiro, Japan on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Yatsushiro as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.01, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.01, 1.95, 0.06 and 0.1. Disconnectivity in street construction in Yatsushiro follows a zig-zag trend. In 1991-2000, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Yatsushiro spans a total of 538 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.01, which is relatively well-connected.

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 1.01, 1.05, 1.01 and 1.01. The aggregate street network in Yatsushiro increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

Yatsushiro and Kumamoto do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Yatsushiro followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Kumamoto peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Yatsushiro fare in comparison to others in Kumamoto? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Yatsushiro was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Kumamoto. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Yatsushiro ranked 2nd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Yatsushiro and Japan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Yatsushiro followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Japan peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Yatsushiro fare in comparison to others in Japan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Yatsushiro was the 95th-most disconnected out of the 109 cities in Japan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Japan, street construction in Yatsushiro has become more connected. Yatsushiro ranked 67th in 1975, 49th in 1976-1990, 100th in 1991-2000 and 95th in 2001-2014.

Yatsushiro and Kumamoto do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Yatsushiro peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Kumamoto rose steadily.

To date, Yatsushiro is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Kumamoto. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Yatsushiro ranked 2nd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Yatsushiro and Japan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Yatsushiro peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Japan rose steadily.

To date, Yatsushiro is the 76th-most disconnected out of the 109 cities in Japan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Japan, the street network in Yatsushiro has become more connected. Yatsushiro ranked 67th in 1975, 70th in 1976-1990, 74th in 1991-2000 and 76th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Yatsushiro had a built-up area of 29.79 square kilometers, and a population of 62742 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: