Street-network Sprawl in Sóc Trăng, 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.

Sóc Trăng: 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 Sóc Trăng, Vietnam on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Sóc Trăng as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.06, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.7, 0.02, 0.64 and -0.43. Street construction in Sóc Trăng 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 Sóc Trăng spans a total of 123 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 0.02, which is very 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 -0.7, -0.02, 0.1 and 0.06. The aggregate street network in Sóc Trăng increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Sóc Trăng and Sóc Trăng do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Sóc Trăng peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Sóc Trăng followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

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

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

How do development practices in Sóc Trăng fare in comparison to others in Vietnam? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Sóc Trăng was the 106th-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 Sóc Trăng has become more connected. Sóc Trăng ranked 90th in 1975, 99th in 1976-1990, 95th in 1991-2000 and 106th in 2001-2014.

Sóc Trăng and Sóc Trăng do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Sóc Trăng peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Sóc Trăng followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

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

Sóc Trăng and Vietnam do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Sóc Trăng peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Vietnam rose steadily.

To date, Sóc Trăng is the 124th-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 Sóc Trăng has become more connected. Sóc Trăng ranked 90th in 1975, 117th in 1976-1990, 121st in 1991-2000 and 124th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Sóc Trăng had a built-up area of 6.27 square kilometers, and a population of 133857 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: