Street-network Sprawl in Chelyabinsk, Russia

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.

Chelyabinsk: city in Russia

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 Chelyabinsk, Russia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Chelyabinsk as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.25, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.1, 1.41, 3.57 and 2.55. Street construction in Chelyabinsk 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 Chelyabinsk spans a total of 1379 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.1, 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 1.1, 1.16, 1.21 and 1.25. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Chelyabinsk has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.06 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.04.

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

How do development practices in Chelyabinsk fare in comparison to others in Chelyabinsk? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Chelyabinsk was the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Chelyabinsk. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Chelyabinsk, street construction in Chelyabinsk has become more disconnected. Chelyabinsk ranked 4th in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Chelyabinsk fare in comparison to others in Russia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Chelyabinsk was the 120th-most disconnected out of the 206 cities in Russia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Russia, street construction in Chelyabinsk has become more disconnected. Chelyabinsk ranked 141st in 1975, 156th in 1976-1990, 66th in 1991-2000 and 120th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Chelyabinsk is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Chelyabinsk. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Chelyabinsk ranked 4th in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Chelyabinsk is the 150th-most disconnected out of the 206 cities in Russia. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Russia, the street network in Chelyabinsk has become more connected. Chelyabinsk ranked 141st in 1975, 148th in 1976-1990, 147th in 1991-2000 and 150th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Chelyabinsk had a built-up area of 177.84 square kilometers, and a population of 1034760 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: