Street-network Sprawl in Mawlamyine, 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.

Mawlamyine: 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 Mawlamyine, Myanmar on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Mawlamyine as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.51, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 5.83, 1.74, 0.61 and 1.63. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Mawlamyine fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Mawlamyine spans a total of 351 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 1.74, 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 5.83, 1.84, 1.49 and 1.51. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Mawlamyine has worsened in disconnectivity since 2000.

Mawlamyine and Mon follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Mawlamyine fare in comparison to others in Mon? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mawlamyine was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Mon. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Mon, street construction in Mawlamyine has become more connected. Mawlamyine ranked 2nd in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Mawlamyine fare in comparison to others in Myanmar? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mawlamyine was the 59th-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 Mawlamyine has become more connected. Mawlamyine ranked 5th in 1975, 54th in 1976-1990, 64th in 1991-2000 and 59th in 2001-2014.

Mawlamyine and Mon 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, Mawlamyine is the 9th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Mon. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Mon, the street network in Mawlamyine has become more connected. Mawlamyine ranked 2nd in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

Mawlamyine 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, Mawlamyine is the 77th-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 Mawlamyine has become more connected. Mawlamyine ranked 5th in 1975, 49th in 1976-1990, 71st in 1991-2000 and 77th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Mawlamyine had a built-up area of 7.24 square kilometers, and a population of 253886 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: