Analysis of urban drivable and walkable street networks of the ASEAN smart cities network

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.