Street-network Sprawl in Za Lun, Myanmar

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.

Za Lun: city in Ayeyarwady, Myanmar

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 Za Lun, Myanmar on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Za Lun as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.92, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are nan, -0.42, nan and 0.81. Data was not available in 1975 and 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Za Lun spans a total of 31 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of nan, 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 nan, -0.42, 1.3 and 0.92. Data was not available in 1975.

Za Lun and Ayeyarwady 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 Ayeyarwady rose steadily.

How do development practices in Za Lun fare in comparison to others in Ayeyarwady? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Za Lun was the 19th-most disconnected out of the 21 cities in Ayeyarwady. Za Lun ranked 17th in 1976-1990 and 19th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 and 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Za Lun and Myanmar 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 Myanmar was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Za Lun fare in comparison to others in Myanmar? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Za Lun was the 71st-most disconnected out of the 107 cities in Myanmar. Za Lun ranked 90th in 1976-1990 and 71st in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 and 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Za Lun and Ayeyarwady do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Ayeyarwady rose steadily.

To date, Za Lun is the 19th-most disconnected out of the 21 cities in Ayeyarwady. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Ayeyarwady, the street network in Za Lun has become more connected. Za Lun ranked 18th in 1976-1990, 15th in 1991-2000 and 19th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

Za Lun and Myanmar do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Myanmar was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

To date, Za Lun is the 93rd-most disconnected out of the 107 cities in Myanmar. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Myanmar, the street network in Za Lun has become more disconnected. Za Lun ranked 101st in 1976-1990, 76th in 1991-2000 and 93rd in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

As of 2015, Za Lun had a built-up area of 0.27 square kilometers, and a population of 136591 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: