Analysis of Urban Drivable and Walkable Street Networks of the ASEAN Smart Cities Network

Pengjun Zhao,Earl Bailey,Yat Yen,Muhammad Sohail

doi:10.3390/ijgi8100459

Abstract

Making transport systems sustainable is a topic that has attracted the attention of many researchers and urban planners. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Smart Cities Network (ASCN) was initiated to develop a sustainable transport system in the ASEAN countries. A comprehensive understanding of street networks (SNs) can contribute significantly to the achievement of this initiative. Therefore, this paper measured and compared characteristics of drivable street networks (DSNs) and walkable street networks (WSNs) of the 26 ASCN pilot cities by applying multiple network metrics. The OSMnx tool was used to download and analyse WSNs and DSNs from the OpenStreetMap. The findings present the topological and geometric characteristics of WSNs and DSNs that are diverse and characterized by different factors. The cities with orthogonal street grids, high street density, intersection density, and fewer cul-de-sacs have good accessibility to reach destinations. In contrast, some other cities have more curvilinear and circuitous SNs with many missing links to other streets, which in turn are prone to traffic disruption. The study highlights the important features of SNs that have significant implications for future designs of SNs in the ASCN whose goal is to make cities smart and liveable for ASEAN members.

Highlights

The population density of the cities in the ten member states of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is expanding in an unprecedented way and surpassing other regions of Asia
This study shows how information about SNs can help urban planners in this region to understand the differences between drivable street networks (DSNs) and walkable street networks (WSNs) of the individual pilot cities
This study has provided an in-depth analysis of drivable street networks (DSNs) and walkable street networks (WSNs) in the 26 pilot cities of the ASEAN smart cities network (ASCN), where such studies have been rare

Summary

Introduction

The population density of the cities in the ten member states of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is expanding in an unprecedented way and surpassing other regions of Asia. The small and midsized cities with a population between 200,000 to 2 million people will help drive 40% of the region’s growth in the future [3] This rapid growth will lead to many challenges, in the large cities of the region. Woetzel et al [4] predict that if smart technologies are applied for urban development, ASEAN countries could remove about 270,000 kilotons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and save approximately 5000 lives from traffic crashes and other risks. The Mckinsey Global Institute (MGC) estimated that smart technologies could help ASEAN countries create about 1.5 million jobs and save living costs of about $16 billion yearly [4]

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Conclusion