Street-network Sprawl in `Uthman, 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.

`Uthman: city in Dar`a, 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 `Uthman, Syria on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in `Uthman as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.93, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are nan, 0.92, 0.93 and 4.68. Data was not available in 1975.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in `Uthman spans a total of 175 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 0.92, 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 nan, 0.92, 0.92 and 0.93. Data was not available in 1975.

`Uthman and Dar`a 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 Dar`a was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in `Uthman fare in comparison to others in Dar`a? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in `Uthman was the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Dar`a. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. `Uthman ranked 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

`Uthman and Syria 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 Syria rose steadily.

How do development practices in `Uthman fare in comparison to others in Syria? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in `Uthman was the 5th-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 `Uthman has become more disconnected. `Uthman ranked 16th in 1976-1990, 19th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

`Uthman and Dar`a do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Dar`a was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, `Uthman is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 1 cities in Dar`a. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. `Uthman ranked 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

`Uthman and Syria do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Syria rose steadily.

To date, `Uthman is the 15th-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 `Uthman has become more connected. `Uthman ranked 12th in 1976-1990, 13th in 1991-2000 and 15th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975 due to unavailable data.

As of 2015, `Uthman had a built-up area of 7.65 square kilometers, and a population of 53365 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: