Street-network Sprawl in Shadegan, 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.

Shadegan: city in Khuzestan, 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 Shadegan, Iran on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Shadegan as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.99, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.51, 1.31, 7.09 and 2.46. Disconnectivity in street construction in Shadegan follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Shadegan spans a total of 160 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 1.31, 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 2.51, 1.47, 1.62 and 1.99. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Shadegan has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Shadegan and Khuzestan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Shadegan followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Khuzestan was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Shadegan fare in comparison to others in Khuzestan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Shadegan was the 11th-most disconnected out of the 16 cities in Khuzestan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Khuzestan, street construction in Shadegan has become more connected. Shadegan ranked 4th in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 11th in 2001-2014.

Shadegan and Iran do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Shadegan followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Iran was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Shadegan fare in comparison to others in Iran? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Shadegan was the 110th-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 Shadegan has become more connected. Shadegan ranked 62nd in 1975, 110th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 110th in 2001-2014.

Shadegan and Khuzestan follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Shadegan is the 6th-most disconnected out of the 16 cities in Khuzestan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Khuzestan, the street network in Shadegan has become more connected. Shadegan ranked 4th in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

Shadegan and Iran follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Shadegan is the 90th-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 Shadegan has become more connected. Shadegan ranked 62nd in 1975, 106th in 1976-1990, 107th in 1991-2000 and 90th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Shadegan had a built-up area of 3.67 square kilometers, and a population of 104663 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: