Street-network Sprawl in Hub, Pakistan

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.

Hub: city in Baluchistan, Pakistan

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 Hub, Pakistan on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Hub as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.39, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 4.59, 3.15, 3.96 and 7.16. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Hub fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Hub spans a total of 103 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 3.15, 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 4.59, 3.22, 3.31 and 3.39. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Hub has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

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

How do development practices in Hub fare in comparison to others in Baluchistan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Hub was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 11 cities in Baluchistan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Baluchistan, street construction in Hub has become more disconnected. Hub ranked 3rd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Hub fare in comparison to others in Pakistan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Hub was the 10th-most disconnected out of the 198 cities in Pakistan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Pakistan, street construction in Hub has become more disconnected. Hub ranked 23rd in 1975, 62nd in 1976-1990, 38th in 1991-2000 and 10th in 2001-2014.

Hub and Baluchistan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Hub was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Baluchistan followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

To date, Hub is the 5th-most disconnected out of the 11 cities in Baluchistan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Baluchistan, the street network in Hub has become more connected. Hub ranked 3rd in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Hub is the 60th-most disconnected out of the 198 cities in Pakistan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Pakistan, the street network in Hub has become more connected. Hub ranked 23rd in 1975, 61st in 1976-1990, 61st in 1991-2000 and 60th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Hub had a built-up area of 8.66 square kilometers, and a population of 99456 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: