Street-network Sprawl in Аксу, 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.

Аксу: city in South Kazakhstan, 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 Аксу, Kazakhstan on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Аксу as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.93, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.88, 2.84, 4.22 and 5.06. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Аксу fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Аксу spans a total of 192 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 3.88, 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 3.88, 3.85, 3.9 and 3.93. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Аксу has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Аксу and South Kazakhstan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Аксу was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in South Kazakhstan peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Аксу fare in comparison to others in South Kazakhstan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Аксу was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 5 cities in South Kazakhstan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Аксу ranked 2nd in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Аксу fare in comparison to others in Kazakhstan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Аксу was the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 27 cities in Kazakhstan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Kazakhstan, street construction in Аксу has become more disconnected. Аксу ranked 4th in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

Аксу and South Kazakhstan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Аксу was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in South Kazakhstan peaked in 1991-2000.

To date, Аксу is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 5 cities in South Kazakhstan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Аксу ranked 2nd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Аксу and Kazakhstan 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, Аксу is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 27 cities in Kazakhstan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Kazakhstan, the street network in Аксу has become more disconnected. Аксу ranked 4th in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Аксу had a built-up area of 15.54 square kilometers, and a population of 57996 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: