Street-network Sprawl in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand

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.

Nakhon Ratchasima: city in Thailand

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 Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Nakhon Ratchasima as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.56, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.25, 4.89, 5.63 and 5.3. Street construction in Nakhon Ratchasima 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 Nakhon Ratchasima spans a total of 884 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 4.25, 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 4.25, 4.36, 4.44 and 4.56. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Nakhon Ratchasima has become more disconnected.

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

How do development practices in Nakhon Ratchasima fare in comparison to others in Nakhon Ratchasima? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Nakhon Ratchasima was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Nakhon Ratchasima. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Nakhon Ratchasima ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Nakhon Ratchasima and Thailand do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Nakhon Ratchasima peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Thailand rose steadily.

How do development practices in Nakhon Ratchasima fare in comparison to others in Thailand? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Nakhon Ratchasima was the 34th-most disconnected out of the 42 cities in Thailand. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Thailand, street construction in Nakhon Ratchasima has become more connected. Nakhon Ratchasima ranked 12th in 1975, 18th in 1976-1990, 23rd in 1991-2000 and 34th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Nakhon Ratchasima is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Nakhon Ratchasima. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Nakhon Ratchasima ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Nakhon Ratchasima and Thailand follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Nakhon Ratchasima is the 26th-most disconnected out of the 42 cities in Thailand. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Thailand, the street network in Nakhon Ratchasima has become more connected. Nakhon Ratchasima ranked 12th in 1975, 22nd in 1976-1990, 24th in 1991-2000 and 26th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Nakhon Ratchasima had a built-up area of 30.25 square kilometers, and a population of 159579 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: