Street-network Sprawl in Madaya, 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.

Madaya: city in Mandalay, 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 Madaya, Myanmar on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Madaya as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.44, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.16, 1.25, 1.42 and 4.18. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Madaya fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Madaya spans a total of 46 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 1.25, 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 4.16, 1.46, 1.37 and 1.44. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Madaya has worsened in disconnectivity since 2000.

Madaya and Mandalay do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Madaya was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Mandalay was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Madaya fare in comparison to others in Mandalay? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Madaya was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 16 cities in Mandalay. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Mandalay, street construction in Madaya has become more connected. Madaya ranked 1st in 1975, 13th in 1976-1990, 10th in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Madaya and Myanmar do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Madaya was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Myanmar was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Madaya fare in comparison to others in Myanmar? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Madaya was the 13th-most disconnected out of the 107 cities in Myanmar. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Myanmar, street construction in Madaya has become more connected. Madaya ranked 8th in 1975, 66th in 1976-1990, 54th in 1991-2000 and 13th in 2001-2014.

Madaya and Mandalay follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

To date, Madaya is the 13th-most disconnected out of the 16 cities in Mandalay. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Mandalay, the street network in Madaya has become more connected. Madaya ranked 1st in 1975, 11th in 1976-1990, 13th in 1991-2000 and 13th in 2001-2014.

Madaya and Myanmar follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

To date, Madaya is the 82nd-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 Madaya has become more connected. Madaya ranked 8th in 1975, 65th in 1976-1990, 73rd in 1991-2000 and 82nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Madaya had a built-up area of 1.08 square kilometers, and a population of 74727 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: