Street-network Sprawl in Kobani, Syria

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.

Kobani: city in Aleppo, Syria

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 Kobani, Syria on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Kobani as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is -0.21, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.18, -0.49, 1.39 and 2.35. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Kobani fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Kobani spans a total of 125 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of -0.49, which is very 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 -0.18, -0.48, -0.36 and -0.21. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Kobani has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

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

How do development practices in Kobani fare in comparison to others in Aleppo? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kobani was the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 5 cities in Aleppo. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Aleppo, street construction in Kobani has become more disconnected. Kobani ranked 5th in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Kobani fare in comparison to others in Syria? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Kobani was the 12th-most disconnected out of the 24 cities in Syria. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Syria, street construction in Kobani has become more disconnected. Kobani ranked 20th in 1975, 23rd in 1976-1990, 17th in 1991-2000 and 12th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Kobani is the 5th-most disconnected out of the 5 cities in Aleppo. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Kobani ranked 5th in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Kobani is the 24th-most disconnected out of the 24 cities in Syria. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Syria, the street network in Kobani has become more connected. Kobani ranked 20th in 1975, 24th in 1976-1990, 24th in 1991-2000 and 24th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Kobani had a built-up area of 3.72 square kilometers, and a population of 66332 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: