Street-network Sprawl in Gemlik, Turkey

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.

Gemlik: city in Bursa, Turkey

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 Gemlik, Turkey on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Gemlik as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.84, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.54, 0.85, 1.06 and nan. Data was not available in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Gemlik spans a total of 202 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 0.85, 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 0.54, 0.83, 0.85 and 0.84. The aggregate street network in Gemlik increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Gemlik and Bursa 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 Bursa rose steadily.

How do development practices in Gemlik fare in comparison to others in Bursa? out of the 3 cities in Bursa. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Gemlik ranked 2nd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990 and 2nd in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Gemlik and Turkey 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 Turkey rose steadily.

How do development practices in Gemlik fare in comparison to others in Turkey? out of the 134 cities in Turkey. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Turkey, street construction in Gemlik has become more connected. Gemlik ranked 74th in 1975, 75th in 1976-1990 and 78th in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

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

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

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

To date, Gemlik is the 82nd-most disconnected out of the 134 cities in Turkey. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Turkey, the street network in Gemlik has become more connected. Gemlik ranked 74th in 1975, 73rd in 1976-1990, 75th in 1991-2000 and 82nd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Gemlik had a built-up area of 9.15 square kilometers, and a population of 72598 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: