Street-network Sprawl in Pyu, 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.

Pyu: city in Bago, 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 Pyu, Myanmar on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Pyu as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.66, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.11, nan, nan and nan. Data was not available in 1976-1990, 1991-2000 and 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Pyu spans a total of 50 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 3.11, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

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 3.11, 2.84, 2.8 and 2.66. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Pyu has become more connected.

Pyu and Bago 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 Bago followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Pyu fare in comparison to others in Bago? out of the 11 cities in Bago. Pyu ranked 4th in 1975. There was no ranking in 1976-1990, 1991-2000, and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Pyu 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 Pyu fare in comparison to others in Myanmar? out of the 107 cities in Myanmar. Pyu ranked 22nd in 1975. There was no ranking in 1976-1990, 1991-2000, and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Pyu and Bago do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Pyu fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Bago followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

To date, Pyu is the 5th-most disconnected out of the 11 cities in Bago. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Bago, the street network in Pyu has become more connected. Pyu ranked 4th in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

Pyu and Myanmar do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Pyu fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Myanmar was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

To date, Pyu is the 34th-most disconnected out of the 107 cities in Myanmar. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Myanmar, the street network in Pyu has become more connected. Pyu ranked 22nd in 1975, 26th in 1976-1990, 28th in 1991-2000 and 34th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Pyu had a built-up area of 1.99 square kilometers, and a population of 100215 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: