Street-network Sprawl in Bandar-e Torkaman, Iran

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.

Bandar-e Torkaman: city in Golestan, Iran

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 Bandar-e Torkaman, Iran on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Bandar-e Torkaman as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.67, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are nan, 1.49, 2.01 and 2.18. Data was not available in 1975.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Bandar-e Torkaman spans a total of 122 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of nan, 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 nan, 1.49, 1.52 and 1.67. Data was not available in 1975.

Bandar-e Torkaman and Golestan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Golestan was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Bandar-e Torkaman fare in comparison to others in Golestan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bandar-e Torkaman was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 7 cities in Golestan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Golestan, street construction in Bandar-e Torkaman has become more disconnected. Bandar-e Torkaman ranked 6th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

Bandar-e Torkaman and Iran do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Iran was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Bandar-e Torkaman fare in comparison to others in Iran? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Bandar-e Torkaman was the 122nd-most disconnected out of the 181 cities in Iran. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Iran, street construction in Bandar-e Torkaman has become more connected. Bandar-e Torkaman ranked 98th in 1976-1990, 95th in 1991-2000 and 122nd in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

Bandar-e Torkaman and Golestan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Golestan was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Bandar-e Torkaman is the 6th-most disconnected out of the 7 cities in Golestan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Golestan, the street network in Bandar-e Torkaman has become more disconnected. Bandar-e Torkaman ranked 7th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

Bandar-e Torkaman and Iran do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Iran was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Bandar-e Torkaman is the 121st-most disconnected out of the 181 cities in Iran. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Iran, the street network in Bandar-e Torkaman has become more connected. Bandar-e Torkaman ranked 105th in 1976-1990, 116th in 1991-2000 and 121st in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

As of 2015, Bandar-e Torkaman had a built-up area of 4.87 square kilometers, and a population of 51868 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: