Context
The chart above shows the evolution of street network disconnectedness of the most connected and most disconnected cities in Bulgaria, for both new street additions (left) and the aggregate street network (right).
Bulgaria in context: Street-network sprawl of new development
The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Bulgaria rose steadily. To get a sense of how street development has changed in Bulgaria, we can consider three of its most populous regions: Grad Sofiya, Plovdiv and Varna. Disconnectivity in the most populous cities in Bulgaria follow the same country trend.
How do development practices in Bulgaria fare in comparison to others in the world? Most recently in 2006-2020, street construction in Bulgaria was the 59th-most disconnected out of the 179 countries in the world. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other countries in the world, street construction in Bulgaria has become more connected. Bulgaria ranked 16th in 1975, 27th in 1976-1990, 47th in 1991-2005 and 59th in 2006-2020.
The largest city in Bulgaria is Sofia, with a population of 1063000 people. Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Sofia as of 2020, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.89, which is very well-connected. The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Sofia rose steadily.
Bulgaria in context: Aggregate street-network sprawl
As of 2020, the city with the most disconnected street network in Bulgaria is Varna with an SNDi of 2.24, which is well-connected. Conversely, the most connected city is Burgas with an SNDi of 1.39, which is very well-connected. See these two cities’ trends in the above graph, or dive deeper into each: Burgas, Varna.
The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Bulgaria rose steadily. To get a sense of how the aggregate street network has changed in Bulgaria, we can consider three of its most populous regions: Grad Sofiya, Plovdiv and Varna. Disconnectivity in the most populous cities in Bulgaria follow the same country trend.
To date, Bulgaria is the 16th-most disconnected out of the 179 countries in the world. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Bulgaria ranked 16th in 1975, 15th in 1976-1990, 19th in 1991-2005 and 16th in 2006-2020.
The largest city in Bulgaria is Sofia, with a population of 1063000 people. Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Sofia as of 2020, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.89, which is very well-connected. The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Sofia rose steadily.