Street-network Sprawl in Chełm, Poland

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.

Chełm: city in Lubelskie, Poland

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 Chełm, Poland on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Chełm as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.6, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.54, 1.66, 3.65 and 2.89. Street construction in Chełm increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Chełm spans a total of 186 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.54, 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 1.54, 1.55, 1.58 and 1.6. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Chełm has become more disconnected.

Chełm and Lubelskie do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Chełm peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Lubelskie rose steadily.

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

Chełm and Poland do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Chełm peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Poland rose steadily.

How do development practices in Chełm fare in comparison to others in Poland? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Chełm was the 30th-most disconnected out of the 47 cities in Poland. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Poland, street construction in Chełm has become more connected. Chełm ranked 19th in 1975, 36th in 1976-1990, 16th in 1991-2000 and 30th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Chełm is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Lubelskie. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Chełm ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Chełm is the 35th-most disconnected out of the 47 cities in Poland. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Poland, the street network in Chełm has become more connected. Chełm ranked 19th in 1975, 32nd in 1976-1990, 31st in 1991-2000 and 35th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Chełm had a built-up area of 11.43 square kilometers, and a population of 52421 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: