Street-network Sprawl in Kyaikto, 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.

Kyaikto: city in Mon, 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 Kyaikto, Myanmar on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kyaikto as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.65, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.07, 3.8, 4.17 and 3.35. Street construction in Kyaikto increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Kyaikto spans a total of 80 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 3.35, 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 1.07, 3.62, 3.89 and 3.65. The aggregate street network in Kyaikto increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Kyaikto and Mon do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Kyaikto peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Mon was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Kyaikto fare in comparison to others in Mon? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kyaikto was the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Mon. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Mon, street construction in Kyaikto has become more disconnected. Kyaikto ranked 5th in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Kyaikto fare in comparison to others in Myanmar? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kyaikto was the 24th-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 Kyaikto has become more disconnected. Kyaikto ranked 58th in 1975, 18th in 1976-1990, 13th in 1991-2000 and 24th in 2001-2014.

Kyaikto and Mon do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Kyaikto peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Mon was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

To date, Kyaikto is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Mon. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Mon, the street network in Kyaikto has become more disconnected. Kyaikto ranked 5th in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Kyaikto is the 13th-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 Kyaikto has become more disconnected. Kyaikto ranked 58th in 1975, 15th in 1976-1990, 11th in 1991-2000 and 13th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Kyaikto had a built-up area of 0.38 square kilometers, and a population of 90271 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: