Street-network Sprawl in Ardakan, 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.

Ardakan: city in Yazd, 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 Ardakan, Iran on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Ardakan as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.79, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.97, 1.47, 1.3 and 1.29. In each period, new street development in Ardakan steadily grows more connected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Ardakan spans a total of 676 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.97, 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 1.97, 1.83, 1.82 and 1.79. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Ardakan has become more connected.

Ardakan and Yazd do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Ardakan fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Yazd was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

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

Ardakan and Iran do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Ardakan fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Iran was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Ardakan fare in comparison to others in Iran? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Ardakan was the 159th-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 Ardakan has become more connected. Ardakan ranked 75th in 1975, 101st in 1976-1990, 122nd in 1991-2000 and 159th in 2001-2014.

Ardakan and Yazd do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Ardakan fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Yazd was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

To date, Ardakan is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Yazd. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Ardakan ranked 2nd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Ardakan and Iran do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Ardakan fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Iran was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Ardakan is 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, the street network in Ardakan has become more connected. Ardakan ranked 75th in 1975, 79th in 1976-1990, 87th in 1991-2000 and 110th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Ardakan had a built-up area of 14.99 square kilometers, and a population of 128706 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: