Street-network Sprawl in Monywa, 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.

Monywa: city in Sagaing, 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 Monywa, Myanmar on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Monywa as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.46, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.28, 0.7, 0.1 and 0.28. Disconnectivity in street construction in Monywa follows a zig-zag trend. In 1991-2000, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Monywa spans a total of 320 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 0.28, which is very 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 0.28, 0.7, 0.64 and 0.46. The aggregate street network in Monywa increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

Monywa and Sagaing do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Monywa followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Sagaing followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

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

Monywa and Myanmar do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Monywa followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Myanmar was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Monywa fare in comparison to others in Myanmar? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Monywa was the 76th-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 Monywa has become more connected. Monywa ranked 73rd in 1975, 74th in 1976-1990, 71st in 1991-2000 and 76th in 2001-2014.

Monywa and Sagaing do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Monywa peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Sagaing followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

To date, Monywa is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Sagaing. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Monywa ranked 3rd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Monywa is the 104th-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 Monywa has become more connected. Monywa ranked 73rd in 1975, 85th in 1976-1990, 93rd in 1991-2000 and 104th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Monywa had a built-up area of 15.56 square kilometers, and a population of 208497 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: