Street-network Sprawl in Tân Uyên, Vietnam

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.

Tân Uyên: city in Bình Dương, Vietnam

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 Tân Uyên, Vietnam on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Tân Uyên as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.24, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 5.35, 2.67, 2.47 and 4.53. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Tân Uyên fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Tân Uyên spans a total of 119 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 4.53, 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 5.35, 2.91, 2.84 and 4.24. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Tân Uyên has worsened in disconnectivity since 2000.

Tân Uyên and Bình Dương do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Tân Uyên was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Bình Dương followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

How do development practices in Tân Uyên fare in comparison to others in Bình Dương? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Tân Uyên was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Bình Dương. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Tân Uyên ranked 1st in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Tân Uyên and Vietnam do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Tân Uyên was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Vietnam rose steadily.

How do development practices in Tân Uyên fare in comparison to others in Vietnam? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Tân Uyên was the 21st-most disconnected out of the 129 cities in Vietnam. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Vietnam, street construction in Tân Uyên has become more connected. Tân Uyên ranked 6th in 1975, 42nd in 1976-1990, 51st in 1991-2000 and 21st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Tân Uyên is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Bình Dương. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Tân Uyên ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Tân Uyên is the 16th-most disconnected out of the 129 cities in Vietnam. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Vietnam, the street network in Tân Uyên has become more connected. Tân Uyên ranked 6th in 1975, 34th in 1976-1990, 40th in 1991-2000 and 16th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Tân Uyên had a built-up area of 5.58 square kilometers, and a population of 62376 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: