Street-network Sprawl in Kon Tum, 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.

Kon Tum: city in 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 Kon Tum, Vietnam on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kon Tum as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.87, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.73, 6.71, 0.91 and 1.4. Disconnectivity in street construction in Kon Tum follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1976-1990.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Kon Tum spans a total of 163 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.73, 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 0.73, 0.81, 0.82 and 0.87. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Kon Tum has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.09 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.05.

Kon Tum and Kon Tum do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Kon Tum followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Kon Tum rose steadily.

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

Kon Tum and Vietnam do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Kon Tum followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Vietnam rose steadily.

How do development practices in Kon Tum fare in comparison to others in Vietnam? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kon Tum was the 89th-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 Kon Tum has become more connected. Kon Tum ranked 73rd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 86th in 1991-2000 and 89th in 2001-2014.

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

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

Kon Tum and Vietnam follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Kon Tum is the 113th-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 Kon Tum has become more connected. Kon Tum ranked 73rd in 1975, 102nd in 1976-1990, 107th in 1991-2000 and 113th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Kon Tum had a built-up area of 7.66 square kilometers, and a population of 144424 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: