Street-network Sprawl in Maladziečna, Belarus

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.

Maladziečna: city in Minsk, Belarus

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 Maladziečna, Belarus on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Maladziečna as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.8, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.6, 2.65, 3.35 and 3.18. Street construction in Maladziečna 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 Maladziečna spans a total of 193 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.6, 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 1.6, 1.69, 1.76 and 1.8. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Maladziečna has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.1 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.04.

Maladziečna and Minsk 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 Maladziečna fare in comparison to others in Minsk? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Maladziečna was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Minsk. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Minsk, street construction in Maladziečna has become more disconnected. Maladziečna ranked 3rd in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Maladziečna fare in comparison to others in Belarus? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Maladziečna was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 15 cities in Belarus. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Belarus, street construction in Maladziečna has become more disconnected. Maladziečna ranked 7th in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

Maladziečna and Minsk follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Maladziečna is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Minsk. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Maladziečna ranked 3rd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

Maladziečna and Belarus follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Maladziečna is the 7th-most disconnected out of the 15 cities in Belarus. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Maladziečna ranked 7th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Maladziečna had a built-up area of 16.41 square kilometers, and a population of 71024 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: