Street-network Sprawl in Pabna, 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.

Pabna: 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 Pabna, Bangladesh on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Pabna as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 4.49, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 11.08, 3.57, 7.48 and 3.93. Disconnectivity in street construction in Pabna follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1975.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Pabna spans a total of 179 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 3.93, 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 11.08, 4.1, 5.82 and 4.49. Disconnectivity in Pabna's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1975.

Pabna and Rajshahi do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Pabna followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Rajshahi peaked in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Pabna fare in comparison to others in Rajshahi? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Pabna was the 7th-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 Pabna has become more connected. Pabna ranked 2nd in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Pabna fare in comparison to others in Bangladesh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Pabna was the 52nd-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 Pabna has become more connected. Pabna ranked 2nd in 1975, 45th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 52nd in 2001-2014.

Pabna and Rajshahi do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Pabna followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Rajshahi peaked in 1976-1990.

To date, Pabna is the 7th-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 Pabna has become more connected. Pabna ranked 2nd in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Pabna is the 51st-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 Pabna has become more connected. Pabna ranked 2nd in 1975, 39th in 1976-1990, 18th in 1991-2000 and 51st in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Pabna had a built-up area of 28.19 square kilometers, and a population of 397464 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: