Street-network Sprawl in Singye, North Korea

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.

Singye: city in Hwanghae-bukto, North Korea

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 Singye, North Korea on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Singye as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 5.06, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.6, 5.29, nan and nan. Data was not available in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Singye spans a total of 34 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 5.29, 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 3.6, 5.08, 5.08 and 5.06. The aggregate street network in Singye increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

Singye and Hwanghae-bukto 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 Hwanghae-bukto followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Singye fare in comparison to others in Hwanghae-bukto? out of the 4 cities in Hwanghae-bukto. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Hwanghae-bukto, street construction in Singye has become more disconnected. Singye ranked 3rd in 1975 and 2nd in 1976-1990. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Singye and North Korea 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 North Korea followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Singye fare in comparison to others in North Korea? out of the 79 cities in North Korea. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in North Korea, street construction in Singye has become more disconnected. Singye ranked 61st in 1975 and 26th in 1976-1990. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Singye and Hwanghae-bukto do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Singye peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Hwanghae-bukto rose steadily.

To date, Singye is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Hwanghae-bukto. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Hwanghae-bukto, the street network in Singye has become more disconnected. Singye ranked 3rd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Singye and North Korea do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Singye peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in North Korea rose steadily.

To date, Singye is the 31st-most disconnected out of the 79 cities in North Korea. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in North Korea, the street network in Singye has become more disconnected. Singye ranked 61st in 1975, 29th in 1976-1990, 29th in 1991-2000 and 31st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Singye had a built-up area of 0.08 square kilometers, and a population of 56423 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: