Street-network Sprawl in Kazakhstan

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.

Kazakhstan

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 Kazakhstan on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kazakhstan as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.42, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.35, 3.04, 4.22 and 4.14. Disconnectivity in street construction in Kazakhstan 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 Kazakhstan spans a total of 88043 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 3.04, 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 3.35, 3.15, 3.29 and 3.42. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Kazakhstan has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Kazakhstan followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase. To get a sense of how street development has changed in Kazakhstan, we can consider three of its most populous regions: Almaty, South Kazakhstan and Aqmola. Out of the three regions, Almaty and South Kazakhstan do not follow the same trend as the country. The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Almaty rose steadily. The level of street-network sprawl in new development in South Kazakhstan peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Kazakhstan fare in comparison to others in the world? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kazakhstan was the 89th-most disconnected out of the 155 countries in the world. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other countries in the world, street construction in Kazakhstan has become more connected. Kazakhstan ranked 55th in 1975, 92nd in 1976-1990, 72nd in 1991-2000 and 89th in 2001-2014.

The largest city in Kazakhstan is Almaty, with a population of 1730600 people. Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Almaty as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.26, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness. The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Almaty rose steadily.

As of 2014, the city with the most disconnected street network in Kazakhstan is Saryagash with an SNDi of 6.46, which is highly disconnected. Conversely, the most connected city is Pavlodar with an SNDi of 0.69, which is relatively well-connected. See trends for these cities: Pavlodar, Saryagash

The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Kazakhstan was at its lowest in 1976-1990. To get a sense of how the aggregate street network has changed in Kazakhstan, we can consider three of its most populous regions: Almaty, South Kazakhstan and Aqmola. None of the most populous cities follow the same trend as the region. The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Almaty rose steadily. The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in South Kazakhstan peaked in 1991-2000. The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Aqmola followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

To date, Kazakhstan is the 76th-most disconnected out of the 155 countries in the world. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other countries in the world, the street network in Kazakhstan has become more connected. Kazakhstan ranked 55th in 1975, 76th in 1976-1990, 77th in 1991-2000 and 76th in 2001-2014.

The largest city in Kazakhstan is Almaty, with a population of 1730600 people. Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Almaty as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.26, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness. The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Almaty rose steadily.