Street-network Sprawl in Saidpur, 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.

Saidpur: city in Rangpur, 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 Saidpur, Bangladesh on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Saidpur as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.8, 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 1.79, 3.05, 2.53 and 2.38. Street construction in Saidpur 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 Saidpur spans a total of 95 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 3.05, 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 1.79, 2.88, 2.85 and 2.8. The aggregate street network in Saidpur increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 1990.

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

How do development practices in Saidpur fare in comparison to others in Rangpur? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Saidpur was the 17th-most disconnected out of the 27 cities in Rangpur. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Rangpur, street construction in Saidpur has become more connected. Saidpur ranked 6th in 1975, 12th in 1976-1990, 12th in 1991-2000 and 17th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Saidpur fare in comparison to others in Bangladesh? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Saidpur was 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, street construction in Saidpur has become more connected. Saidpur ranked 47th in 1975, 54th in 1976-1990, 59th in 1991-2000 and 79th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Saidpur is the 17th-most disconnected out of the 27 cities in Rangpur. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Rangpur, the street network in Saidpur has become more connected. Saidpur ranked 6th in 1975, 13th in 1976-1990, 16th in 1991-2000 and 17th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Saidpur is the 90th-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 Saidpur has become more connected. Saidpur ranked 47th in 1975, 59th in 1976-1990, 71st in 1991-2000 and 90th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Saidpur had a built-up area of 6.18 square kilometers, and a population of 246564 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population:

For some related information about population, urban extent and density, and roads, visit the Atlas of Urban Expansion.