Street-network Sprawl in Aunglan, 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.

Aunglan: city in Magway, 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 Aunglan, Myanmar on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Aunglan as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.02, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.81, 1.58, nan and 2.71. Data was not available in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Aunglan spans a total of 55 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.81, 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 0.81, 0.94, 0.96 and 1.02. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Aunglan has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.13 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.06.

Aunglan and Magway 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 Magway was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Aunglan fare in comparison to others in Magway? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Aunglan was the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 5 cities in Magway. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Magway, street construction in Aunglan has become more disconnected. Aunglan ranked 4th in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990 and 3rd in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Aunglan 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 Aunglan fare in comparison to others in Myanmar? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Aunglan was the 37th-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 Aunglan has become more disconnected. Aunglan ranked 64th in 1975, 55th in 1976-1990 and 37th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Aunglan and Magway do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Aunglan rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Magway was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Aunglan is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 5 cities in Magway. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Magway, the street network in Aunglan has become more disconnected. Aunglan ranked 4th in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Aunglan is the 91st-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 Aunglan has become more connected. Aunglan ranked 64th in 1975, 78th in 1976-1990, 86th in 1991-2000 and 91st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Aunglan had a built-up area of 2.44 square kilometers, and a population of 123157 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: