Street-network Sprawl in Sari, 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.

Sari: city in Mazandaran, 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 Sari, Iran on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Sari as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 5.19, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 5.22, 5.03, 10.82 and 4.95. Disconnectivity in street construction in Sari follows a zig-zag trend. In 2001-2014, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Sari spans a total of 723 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 5.22, 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 5.22, 5.18, 5.19 and 5.19. Disconnectivity in Sari's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1975.

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

How do development practices in Sari fare in comparison to others in Mazandaran? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Sari was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 7 cities in Mazandaran. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Mazandaran, street construction in Sari has become more connected. Sari ranked 3rd in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

Sari and Iran do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Sari 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 Sari fare in comparison to others in Iran? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Sari was the 15th-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 Sari has become more connected. Sari ranked 11th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 15th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Sari is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 7 cities in Mazandaran. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Mazandaran, the street network in Sari has become more connected. Sari ranked 3rd in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Sari is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 181 cities in Iran. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Iran, the street network in Sari has become more disconnected. Sari ranked 11th in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Sari had a built-up area of 34.13 square kilometers, and a population of 268737 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: