Street-network Sprawl in Kuala Terengganu, 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.

Kuala Terengganu: city in Trengganu, 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 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kuala Terengganu as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.75, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.7, 4.02, 3.79 and 2.89. Street construction in Kuala Terengganu increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1976-1990 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Kuala Terengganu spans a total of 365 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 3.7, 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 3.7, 3.75, 3.75 and 3.75. The aggregate street network in Kuala Terengganu increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

Kuala Terengganu and Trengganu do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Kuala Terengganu peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Trengganu peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Kuala Terengganu fare in comparison to others in Trengganu? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kuala Terengganu was the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Trengganu. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Trengganu, street construction in Kuala Terengganu has become more connected. Kuala Terengganu ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

Kuala Terengganu and Malaysia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Kuala Terengganu peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Malaysia followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Kuala Terengganu fare in comparison to others in Malaysia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kuala Terengganu was the 27th-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 Kuala Terengganu has become more connected. Kuala Terengganu ranked 19th in 1975, 18th in 1976-1990, 26th in 1991-2000 and 27th in 2001-2014.

Kuala Terengganu and Trengganu do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Kuala Terengganu peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Trengganu peaked in 1991-2000.

To date, Kuala Terengganu is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Trengganu. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Kuala Terengganu ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Kuala Terengganu is the 23rd-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 Kuala Terengganu has become more connected. Kuala Terengganu ranked 19th in 1975, 22nd in 1976-1990, 23rd in 1991-2000 and 23rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Kuala Terengganu had a built-up area of 14.43 square kilometers, and a population of 147995 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: