Street-network Sprawl in Dzerzhinsk, 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.

Dzerzhinsk: city in Nizhegorod, 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 Dzerzhinsk, Russia on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Dzerzhinsk as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.89, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.8, 2.4, nan and 4.25. Data was not available in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Dzerzhinsk spans a total of 209 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.8, 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 0.8, 0.86, 0.86 and 0.89. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Dzerzhinsk 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 0.03.

Dzerzhinsk and Nizhegorod 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 Nizhegorod rose steadily.

How do development practices in Dzerzhinsk fare in comparison to others in Nizhegorod? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Dzerzhinsk was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Nizhegorod. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Nizhegorod, street construction in Dzerzhinsk has become more disconnected. Dzerzhinsk ranked 2nd in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990 and 1st in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Dzerzhinsk and Russia 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 Russia rose steadily.

How do development practices in Dzerzhinsk fare in comparison to others in Russia? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Dzerzhinsk was the 46th-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 Dzerzhinsk has become more disconnected. Dzerzhinsk ranked 164th in 1975, 101st in 1976-1990 and 46th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Dzerzhinsk and Nizhegorod do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Dzerzhinsk rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Nizhegorod rose steadily.

To date, Dzerzhinsk is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Nizhegorod. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Nizhegorod, the street network in Dzerzhinsk has become more connected. Dzerzhinsk ranked 2nd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

Dzerzhinsk and Russia do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Dzerzhinsk rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Russia rose steadily.

To date, Dzerzhinsk is the 178th-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 Dzerzhinsk has become more connected. Dzerzhinsk ranked 164th in 1975, 175th in 1976-1990, 180th in 1991-2000 and 178th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Dzerzhinsk had a built-up area of 42.2 square kilometers, and a population of 165716 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population:

For some related information about population, urban extent and density, and roads, visit the Atlas of Urban Expansion.