Street-network Sprawl in Lahad Datu, Malaysia

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.

Lahad Datu: city in Sabah, Malaysia

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 Lahad Datu, Malaysia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Lahad Datu as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 5.45, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.32, 5.76, 6.28 and 9.72. In each period, new street development in Lahad Datu steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Lahad Datu spans a total of 119 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 4.32, 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 4.32, 4.66, 4.89 and 5.45. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Lahad Datu has become more disconnected.

Lahad Datu and Sabah do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Lahad Datu rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Sabah peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Lahad Datu fare in comparison to others in Sabah? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Lahad Datu was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 7 cities in Sabah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Sabah, street construction in Lahad Datu has become more disconnected. Lahad Datu ranked 3rd in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Lahad Datu fare in comparison to others in Malaysia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Lahad Datu was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 37 cities in Malaysia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Malaysia, street construction in Lahad Datu has become more disconnected. Lahad Datu ranked 14th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Lahad Datu and Sabah follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Lahad Datu is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 7 cities in Sabah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Sabah, the street network in Lahad Datu has become more disconnected. Lahad Datu ranked 3rd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Lahad Datu and Malaysia follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Lahad Datu is the 5th-most disconnected out of the 37 cities in Malaysia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Malaysia, the street network in Lahad Datu has become more disconnected. Lahad Datu ranked 14th in 1975, 12th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Lahad Datu had a built-up area of 7.5 square kilometers, and a population of 133110 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: