Street-network Sprawl in Arad, Romania

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.

Arad: city in Romania

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 Arad, Romania on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Arad as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.31, 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 2.3, 2.32, 4.48 and 2.76. Street construction in Arad 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 Arad spans a total of 385 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.3, 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 2.3, 2.3, 2.31 and 2.31. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Arad has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Arad and Arad follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1991-2000.

How do development practices in Arad fare in comparison to others in Arad? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Arad was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Arad. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Arad ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Arad fare in comparison to others in Romania? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Arad was the 23rd-most disconnected out of the 29 cities in Romania. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Romania, street construction in Arad has become more connected. Arad ranked 4th in 1975, 18th in 1976-1990, 13th in 1991-2000 and 23rd in 2001-2014.

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

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

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

To date, Arad is the 9th-most disconnected out of the 29 cities in Romania. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Romania, the street network in Arad has become more connected. Arad ranked 4th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Arad had a built-up area of 18.84 square kilometers, and a population of 112052 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: