Street-network Sprawl in Kerben, Kyrgyzstan

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.

Kerben: city in Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyzstan

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 Kerben, Kyrgyzstan on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kerben as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.38, 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 0.24, 2.39, 2.19 and 13.72. Disconnectivity in street construction in Kerben follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Kerben spans a total of 81 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 2.39, 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 0.24, 2.27, 2.25 and 2.38. Disconnectivity in Kerben's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 2001-2014.

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

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

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

How do development practices in Kerben fare in comparison to others in Kyrgyzstan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kerben was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Kyrgyzstan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Kyrgyzstan, street construction in Kerben has become more disconnected. Kerben ranked 8th in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 6th in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

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

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

To date, Kerben is the 7th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Kyrgyzstan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Kyrgyzstan, the street network in Kerben has become more disconnected. Kerben ranked 8th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 7th in 1991-2000 and 7th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Kerben had a built-up area of 3.36 square kilometers, and a population of 62013 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: