Street-network Sprawl in Turgutlu, 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.

Turgutlu: city in Manisa, 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 Turgutlu, Turkey on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Turgutlu as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.17, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.53, 0.05, 0.34 and 2.28. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Turgutlu fell, then rose. In 1976-1990, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Turgutlu spans a total of 220 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 0.05, which is very 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 0.53, 0.05, 0.08 and 0.17. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Turgutlu has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

Turgutlu and Manisa 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 Turgutlu fare in comparison to others in Manisa? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Turgutlu was the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Manisa. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Turgutlu ranked 3rd in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Turgutlu fare in comparison to others in Turkey? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Turgutlu was the 48th-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 Turgutlu has become more disconnected. Turgutlu ranked 76th in 1975, 123rd in 1976-1990, 111th in 1991-2000 and 48th in 2001-2014.

Turgutlu and Manisa 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, Turgutlu is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 4 cities in Manisa. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Manisa, the street network in Turgutlu has become more connected. Turgutlu ranked 3rd in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Turgutlu is the 124th-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 Turgutlu has become more connected. Turgutlu ranked 76th in 1975, 122nd in 1976-1990, 123rd in 1991-2000 and 124th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Turgutlu had a built-up area of 7.34 square kilometers, and a population of 125953 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: