Street-network Sprawl in Ashkelon, Israel

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.

Ashkelon: city in HaDarom, Israel

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 Ashkelon, Israel on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Ashkelon as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.54, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.55, 2.4, 2.51 and 4.54. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Ashkelon fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Ashkelon spans a total of 294 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 2.4, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

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 2.55, 2.41, 2.42 and 2.54. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Ashkelon has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Ashkelon and HaDarom follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

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

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

How do development practices in Ashkelon fare in comparison to others in Israel? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Ashkelon was the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Israel. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Israel, street construction in Ashkelon has become more disconnected. Ashkelon ranked 4th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

Ashkelon and HaDarom 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, Ashkelon is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in HaDarom. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in HaDarom, the street network in Ashkelon has become more disconnected. Ashkelon ranked 2nd in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Ashkelon is the 5th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Israel. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Israel, the street network in Ashkelon has become more connected. Ashkelon ranked 4th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Ashkelon had a built-up area of 13.41 square kilometers, and a population of 65848 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: