Street-network Sprawl in Feni, Bangladesh

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.

Feni: city in Chittagong, Bangladesh

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 Feni, Bangladesh on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Feni as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.11, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.75, 3.12, 5.17 and 1.67. Street construction in Feni 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 Feni spans a total of 115 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 3.12, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

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 2.75, 3.05, 3.27 and 3.11. The aggregate street network in Feni increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Feni and Chittagong follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Feni fare in comparison to others in Chittagong? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Feni was the 11th-most disconnected out of the 21 cities in Chittagong. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Chittagong, street construction in Feni has become more disconnected. Feni ranked 14th in 1975, 12th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 11th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Feni fare in comparison to others in Bangladesh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Feni was the 97th-most disconnected out of the 157 cities in Bangladesh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Bangladesh, street construction in Feni has become more connected. Feni ranked 39th in 1975, 53rd in 1976-1990, 32nd in 1991-2000 and 97th in 2001-2014.

Feni and Chittagong do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Feni peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Chittagong peaked in 1976-1990.

To date, Feni is the 18th-most disconnected out of the 21 cities in Chittagong. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Chittagong, the street network in Feni has become more connected. Feni ranked 14th in 1975, 15th in 1976-1990, 15th in 1991-2000 and 18th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Feni is the 79th-most disconnected out of the 157 cities in Bangladesh. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Bangladesh, the street network in Feni has become more connected. Feni ranked 39th in 1975, 57th in 1976-1990, 60th in 1991-2000 and 79th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Feni had a built-up area of 8.9 square kilometers, and a population of 332405 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: