Street-network Sprawl in Thanatpin, 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.

Thanatpin: 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 Thanatpin, Myanmar on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Thanatpin as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.86, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.75, 2.21, nan and 1.98. Data was not available in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Thanatpin spans a total of 57 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.75, which is relatively well-connected.

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 1.75, 1.76, 1.76 and 1.86. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Thanatpin has become more disconnected.

Thanatpin 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 Thanatpin fare in comparison to others in Bago? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Thanatpin was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 11 cities in Bago. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Bago, street construction in Thanatpin has become more disconnected. Thanatpin ranked 7th in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990 and 5th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Thanatpin 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 Thanatpin fare in comparison to others in Myanmar? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Thanatpin was the 50th-most disconnected out of the 107 cities in Myanmar. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Myanmar, street construction in Thanatpin has become more disconnected. Thanatpin ranked 42nd in 1975, 40th in 1976-1990 and 50th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

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

To date, Thanatpin is the 10th-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 Thanatpin has become more connected. Thanatpin ranked 7th in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 10th in 1991-2000 and 10th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Thanatpin is the 61st-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 Thanatpin has become more connected. Thanatpin ranked 42nd in 1975, 51st in 1976-1990, 61st in 1991-2000 and 61st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Thanatpin had a built-up area of 0.25 square kilometers, and a population of 50784 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: