Street-network Sprawl in Sazlıbosna, 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.

Sazlıbosna: city in Istanbul, 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 Sazlıbosna, Turkey on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Sazlıbosna as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.35, 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 1.27, 1.82, 2.8 and 2.79. Street construction in Sazlıbosna increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Sazlıbosna spans a total of 204 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 2.79, 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 1.27, 1.79, 2.08 and 2.35. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Sazlıbosna has become more disconnected. This increase has slowed: between 1975 and 1976-1990, SNDi rose by 0.52 points, but between 1991-2000 and 2001-2014, it rose by just 0.28.

Sazlıbosna and Istanbul do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Sazlıbosna peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Istanbul rose steadily.

How do development practices in Sazlıbosna fare in comparison to others in Istanbul? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Sazlıbosna was the 4th-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Istanbul. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Istanbul, street construction in Sazlıbosna has become more disconnected. Sazlıbosna ranked 6th in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Sazlıbosna fare in comparison to others in Turkey? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Sazlıbosna was the 34th-most disconnected out of the 134 cities in Turkey. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Turkey, street construction in Sazlıbosna has become more disconnected. Sazlıbosna ranked 49th in 1975, 33rd in 1976-1990, 28th in 1991-2000 and 34th in 2001-2014.

Sazlıbosna and Istanbul follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Sazlıbosna is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Istanbul. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Istanbul, the street network in Sazlıbosna has become more disconnected. Sazlıbosna ranked 6th in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

Sazlıbosna and Turkey follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Sazlıbosna is the 20th-most disconnected out of the 134 cities in Turkey. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Turkey, the street network in Sazlıbosna has become more disconnected. Sazlıbosna ranked 49th in 1975, 28th in 1976-1990, 26th in 1991-2000 and 20th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Sazlıbosna had a built-up area of 8.14 square kilometers, and a population of 113157 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: