Street-network Sprawl in Ryongchon, 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.

Ryongchon: city in P'yŏngan-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 Ryongchon, North Korea on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Ryongchon as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.64, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.87, nan, 0.27 and nan. Data was not available in 1976-1990 and 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Ryongchon spans a total of 42 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.87, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

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 2.87, 3.74, 3.64 and 3.64. Disconnectivity in Ryongchon's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1976-1990.

Ryongchon and P'yŏngan-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 P'yŏngan-bukto followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Ryongchon fare in comparison to others in P'yŏngan-bukto? out of the 14 cities in P'yŏngan-bukto. Ryongchon ranked 10th in 1975 and 3rd in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Ryongchon 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 Ryongchon fare in comparison to others in North Korea? out of the 79 cities in North Korea. Ryongchon ranked 69th in 1975 and 9th in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 1976-1990 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Ryongchon and P'yŏngan-bukto do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Ryongchon followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in P'yŏngan-bukto followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

To date, Ryongchon is the 9th-most disconnected out of the 14 cities in P'yŏngan-bukto. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in P'yŏngan-bukto, the street network in Ryongchon has become more disconnected. Ryongchon ranked 10th in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Ryongchon is the 65th-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 Ryongchon has become more disconnected. Ryongchon ranked 69th in 1975, 60th in 1976-1990, 63rd in 1991-2000 and 65th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Ryongchon had a built-up area of 1.32 square kilometers, and a population of 125258 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: