Street-network Sprawl in Dushanbe, Tajikistan

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.

Dushanbe: city in Tajikistan

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 Dushanbe, Tajikistan on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Dushanbe as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.1, 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 4.18, 2.67, 5.4 and 5.26. Disconnectivity in street construction in Dushanbe follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Dushanbe spans a total of 709 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 2.67, 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 4.18, 2.86, 2.9 and 3.1. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Dushanbe has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Dushanbe and Dushanbe do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Dushanbe followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Dushanbe was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

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

Dushanbe and Tajikistan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Dushanbe followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Tajikistan was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Dushanbe fare in comparison to others in Tajikistan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Dushanbe was the 5th-most disconnected out of the 14 cities in Tajikistan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Tajikistan, street construction in Dushanbe has become more connected. Dushanbe ranked 2nd in 1975, 10th in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

Dushanbe and Dushanbe follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

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

Dushanbe and Tajikistan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Dushanbe was at its lowest in 1976-1990, while the SNDi of street constructions in Tajikistan was at its lowest in 1991-2000.

To date, Dushanbe is the 6th-most disconnected out of the 14 cities in Tajikistan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Tajikistan, the street network in Dushanbe has become more connected. Dushanbe ranked 2nd in 1975, 8th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Dushanbe had a built-up area of 92.85 square kilometers, and a population of 1063670 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: