Street-network Sprawl in Turangzai, 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.

Turangzai: city in N.W.F.P., 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 Turangzai, Pakistan on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Turangzai as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.04, 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 2.04, 3.17, nan and nan. Data was not available in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Turangzai spans a total of 36 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.04, which is relatively well-connected.

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 2.04, 2.85, 2.89 and 3.04. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Turangzai has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.81 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.15.

Turangzai and N.W.F.P. do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in N.W.F.P. followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Turangzai fare in comparison to others in N.W.F.P.? out of the 41 cities in N.W.F.P.. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in N.W.F.P., street construction in Turangzai has become more disconnected. Turangzai ranked 23rd in 1975 and 21st in 1976-1990. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Turangzai and Pakistan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Pakistan peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Turangzai fare in comparison to others in Pakistan? 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 Turangzai has become more disconnected. Turangzai ranked 73rd in 1975 and 61st in 1976-1990. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 and 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

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

To date, Turangzai is the 28th-most disconnected out of the 41 cities in N.W.F.P.. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in N.W.F.P., the street network in Turangzai has become more connected. Turangzai ranked 23rd in 1975, 26th in 1976-1990, 28th in 1991-2000 and 28th in 2001-2014.

Turangzai and Pakistan follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Turangzai is the 79th-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 Turangzai has become more connected. Turangzai ranked 73rd in 1975, 73rd in 1976-1990, 79th in 1991-2000 and 79th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Turangzai had a built-up area of 0.77 square kilometers, and a population of 84086 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: