Street-network Sprawl in Масадан, 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.

Масадан: 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 Масадан, Kyrgyzstan on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Масадан as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.4, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 3.84, 3.36, 3.07 and 3.28. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Масадан fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Масадан spans a total of 188 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 3.36, 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 3.84, 3.46, 3.43 and 3.4. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Масадан has become more connected.

Масадан and Jalal-Abad do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Масадан was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Jalal-Abad rose steadily.

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

Масадан and Kyrgyzstan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Масадан was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Kyrgyzstan rose steadily.

How do development practices in Масадан fare in comparison to others in Kyrgyzstan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Масадан was the 4th-most disconnected out of the 9 cities in Kyrgyzstan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Kyrgyzstan, street construction in Масадан has become more connected. Масадан ranked 3rd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

Масадан and Jalal-Abad do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Масадан fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Jalal-Abad rose steadily.

To date, Масадан is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Jalal-Abad. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Масадан ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Масадан and Kyrgyzstan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Масадан fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Kyrgyzstan rose steadily.

To date, Масадан is the 2nd-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 Масадан has become more disconnected. Масадан ranked 3rd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Масадан had a built-up area of 11.43 square kilometers, and a population of 81482 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: