Street-network Sprawl in Kawthaung, 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.

Kawthaung: city in Tanintharyi, 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 Kawthaung, Myanmar on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kawthaung as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.55, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.29, 3.84, 3.06 and nan. Data was not available in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Kawthaung spans a total of 74 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 3.84, 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 2.29, 3.59, 3.54 and 3.55. Disconnectivity in Kawthaung's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1976-1990.

Kawthaung and Tanintharyi do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Tanintharyi peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Kawthaung fare in comparison to others in Tanintharyi? out of the 4 cities in Tanintharyi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Kawthaung ranked 2nd in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990 and 2nd in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Kawthaung and Myanmar do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Myanmar was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Kawthaung fare in comparison to others in Myanmar? 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 Kawthaung has become more disconnected. Kawthaung ranked 34th in 1975, 17th in 1976-1990 and 24th in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Kawthaung and Tanintharyi do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Kawthaung followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Tanintharyi rose steadily.

To date, Kawthaung is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Tanintharyi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Tanintharyi, the street network in Kawthaung has become more disconnected. Kawthaung ranked 2nd in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Kawthaung is the 15th-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 Kawthaung has become more disconnected. Kawthaung ranked 34th in 1975, 17th in 1976-1990, 15th in 1991-2000 and 15th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Kawthaung had a built-up area of 1.42 square kilometers, and a population of 90767 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: