Street-network Sprawl in Rạch Giá, 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.

Rạch Giá: city in Kiên Giang, 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 Rạch Giá, Vietnam on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Rạch Giá as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.36, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.31, 2.44, 1.08 and 1.06. Street construction in Rạch Giá increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1976-1990 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Rạch Giá spans a total of 257 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 1.06, which is relatively well-connected.

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 1.31, 1.93, 1.5 and 1.36. The aggregate street network in Rạch Giá increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

Rạch Giá and Kiên Giang do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Rạch Giá peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Kiên Giang followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Rạch Giá fare in comparison to others in Kiên Giang? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Rạch Giá was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Kiên Giang. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Kiên Giang, street construction in Rạch Giá has become more connected. Rạch Giá ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Rạch Giá and Vietnam do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Rạch Giá peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Vietnam rose steadily.

How do development practices in Rạch Giá fare in comparison to others in Vietnam? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Rạch Giá was the 93rd-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 Rạch Giá has become more connected. Rạch Giá ranked 62nd in 1975, 48th in 1976-1990, 81st in 1991-2000 and 93rd in 2001-2014.

Rạch Giá and Kiên Giang do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Rạch Giá peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Kiên Giang followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

To date, Rạch Giá is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Kiên Giang. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Kiên Giang, the street network in Rạch Giá has become more connected. Rạch Giá ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Rạch Giá is the 101st-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 Rạch Giá has become more connected. Rạch Giá ranked 62nd in 1975, 64th in 1976-1990, 87th in 1991-2000 and 101st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Rạch Giá had a built-up area of 13.55 square kilometers, and a population of 276783 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: