Street-network Sprawl in Tawau, 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.

Tawau: 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 Tawau, Malaysia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Tawau as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 5.03, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.53, 7.69, 8.98 and 4.31. Street construction in Tawau increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Tawau spans a total of 242 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 4.53, 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 4.53, 4.95, 5.04 and 5.03. The aggregate street network in Tawau increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Tawau and Sabah follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Tawau fare in comparison to others in Sabah? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Tawau was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 7 cities in Sabah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Sabah, street construction in Tawau has become more connected. Tawau ranked 2nd in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Tawau fare in comparison to others in Malaysia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Tawau was the 21st-most disconnected out of the 37 cities in Malaysia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Malaysia, street construction in Tawau has become more connected. Tawau ranked 7th in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 21st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Tawau is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 7 cities in Sabah. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Sabah, the street network in Tawau has become more connected. Tawau ranked 2nd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

Tawau and Malaysia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Tawau peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Malaysia rose steadily.

To date, Tawau is the 9th-most disconnected out of the 37 cities in Malaysia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Malaysia, the street network in Tawau has become more connected. Tawau ranked 7th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Tawau had a built-up area of 21.11 square kilometers, and a population of 354493 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: