Street-network Sprawl in Ishurdi, 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.

Ishurdi: city in Rajshahi, 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 Ishurdi, Bangladesh on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Ishurdi as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.44, 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 2.57, 3.7, 3.25 and 2.2. Street construction in Ishurdi increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1976-1990 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Ishurdi spans a total of 136 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 2.2, which is relatively well-connected.

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 2.57, 3.39, 3.27 and 2.44. The aggregate street network in Ishurdi increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

Ishurdi and Rajshahi follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Ishurdi fare in comparison to others in Rajshahi? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Ishurdi was the 12th-most disconnected out of the 19 cities in Rajshahi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Rajshahi, street construction in Ishurdi has become more connected. Ishurdi ranked 7th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 12th in 2001-2014.

Ishurdi and Bangladesh do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Ishurdi peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Bangladesh rose steadily.

How do development practices in Ishurdi fare in comparison to others in Bangladesh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Ishurdi was the 84th-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 Ishurdi has become more connected. Ishurdi ranked 42nd in 1975, 39th in 1976-1990, 56th in 1991-2000 and 84th in 2001-2014.

Ishurdi and Rajshahi follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1976-1990.

To date, Ishurdi is the 12th-most disconnected out of the 19 cities in Rajshahi. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Rajshahi, the street network in Ishurdi has become more connected. Ishurdi ranked 7th in 1975, 9th in 1976-1990, 10th in 1991-2000 and 12th in 2001-2014.

Ishurdi and Bangladesh do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Ishurdi peaked in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Bangladesh rose steadily.

To date, Ishurdi is the 104th-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 Ishurdi has become more connected. Ishurdi ranked 42nd in 1975, 52nd in 1976-1990, 61st in 1991-2000 and 104th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Ishurdi had a built-up area of 15.59 square kilometers, and a population of 205162 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: