Street-network Sprawl in Taunggyi, 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.

Taunggyi: city in Shan, 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 Taunggyi, Myanmar on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Taunggyi as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.18, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.37, 2.0, 3.15 and 2.92. Street construction in Taunggyi 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 Taunggyi spans a total of 378 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 2.0, 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 0.37, 1.62, 2.11 and 2.18. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Taunggyi has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 1.25 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.07.

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

How do development practices in Taunggyi fare in comparison to others in Shan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Taunggyi was the 4th-most disconnected out of the 17 cities in Shan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Shan, street construction in Taunggyi has become more disconnected. Taunggyi ranked 13th in 1975, 9th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Taunggyi fare in comparison to others in Myanmar? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Taunggyi was the 33rd-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 Taunggyi has become more disconnected. Taunggyi ranked 71st in 1975, 47th in 1976-1990, 21st in 1991-2000 and 33rd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Taunggyi is the 8th-most disconnected out of the 17 cities in Shan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Shan, the street network in Taunggyi has become more disconnected. Taunggyi ranked 13th in 1975, 11th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 8th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Taunggyi is the 50th-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 Taunggyi has become more disconnected. Taunggyi ranked 71st in 1975, 60th in 1976-1990, 45th in 1991-2000 and 50th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Taunggyi had a built-up area of 16.14 square kilometers, and a population of 276101 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: