Street-network Sprawl in Kurdamir, Azerbaijan

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.

Kurdamir: city in Aran, Azerbaijan

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 Kurdamir, Azerbaijan on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kurdamir as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.22, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.94, 4.02, 6.88 and 5.1. Street construction in Kurdamir 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 Kurdamir spans a total of 115 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 4.02, which is highly disconnected.

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 3.94, 4.06, 4.12 and 4.22. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Kurdamir has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.12 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.09.

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

How do development practices in Kurdamir fare in comparison to others in Aran? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kurdamir was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Aran. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Aran, street construction in Kurdamir has become more disconnected. Kurdamir ranked 5th in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Kurdamir and Azerbaijan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Kurdamir peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Azerbaijan was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Kurdamir fare in comparison to others in Azerbaijan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kurdamir was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 16 cities in Azerbaijan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Azerbaijan, street construction in Kurdamir has become more disconnected. Kurdamir ranked 10th in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Kurdamir is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Aran. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Aran, the street network in Kurdamir has become more disconnected. Kurdamir ranked 5th in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

Kurdamir and Azerbaijan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Kurdamir rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Azerbaijan was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

To date, Kurdamir is the 6th-most disconnected out of the 16 cities in Azerbaijan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Azerbaijan, the street network in Kurdamir has become more disconnected. Kurdamir ranked 10th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Kurdamir had a built-up area of 3.74 square kilometers, and a population of 63083 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: