Street-network Sprawl in Lào Cai, 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.

Lào Cai: 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 Lào Cai, Vietnam on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Lào Cai as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.68, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.67, 0.81, 1.86 and 1.42. Disconnectivity in street construction in Lào Cai follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Lào Cai spans a total of 148 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1991-2000. These roads have an SNDi of 1.86, 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 1.67, 1.61, 1.73 and 1.68. Disconnectivity in Lào Cai's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1991-2000.

Lào Cai and Lào Cai do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Lào Cai followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Lào Cai was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

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

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

How do development practices in Lào Cai fare in comparison to others in Vietnam? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Lào Cai was the 88th-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 Lào Cai has become more connected. Lào Cai ranked 49th in 1975, 84th in 1976-1990, 69th in 1991-2000 and 88th in 2001-2014.

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

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

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

To date, Lào Cai is the 85th-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 Lào Cai has become more connected. Lào Cai ranked 49th in 1975, 73rd in 1976-1990, 77th in 1991-2000 and 85th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Lào Cai had a built-up area of 3.96 square kilometers, and a population of 105453 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: