Street-network Sprawl in Erzurum, 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.

Erzurum: city in 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 Erzurum, Turkey on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Erzurum as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.02, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.33, 0.88, 1.25 and 2.49. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Erzurum fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Erzurum spans a total of 509 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 0.88, 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 2.33, 0.9, 0.91 and 1.02. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Erzurum has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Erzurum and Erzurum follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

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

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

How do development practices in Erzurum fare in comparison to others in Turkey? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Erzurum was the 40th-most disconnected 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 Erzurum has become more connected. Erzurum ranked 18th in 1975, 73rd in 1976-1990, 69th in 1991-2000 and 40th in 2001-2014.

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

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

To date, Erzurum is the 69th-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 Erzurum has become more connected. Erzurum ranked 18th in 1975, 69th in 1976-1990, 70th in 1991-2000 and 69th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Erzurum had a built-up area of 12.38 square kilometers, and a population of 129245 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: