Street-network Sprawl in Viranşehir, 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.

Viranşehir: city in Sanliurfa, 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 Viranşehir, Turkey on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Viranşehir as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.74, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.93, 0.37, 1.06 and 1.01. Disconnectivity in street construction in Viranşehir 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 Viranşehir spans a total of 168 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 0.37, 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 0.93, 0.54, 0.67 and 0.74. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Viranşehir has worsened in disconnectivity since 1990.

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

How do development practices in Viranşehir fare in comparison to others in Sanliurfa? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Viranşehir was the 6th-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Sanliurfa. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Sanliurfa, street construction in Viranşehir has become more connected. Viranşehir ranked 3rd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

Viranşehir and Turkey do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Viranşehir followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase, while the SNDi of street constructions in Turkey rose steadily.

How do development practices in Viranşehir fare in comparison to others in Turkey? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Viranşehir was the 103rd-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 Viranşehir has become more connected. Viranşehir ranked 63rd in 1975, 108th in 1976-1990, 79th in 1991-2000 and 103rd in 2001-2014.

Viranşehir and Sanliurfa 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, Viranşehir is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 6 cities in Sanliurfa. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Sanliurfa, the street network in Viranşehir has become more disconnected. Viranşehir ranked 3rd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Viranşehir is the 90th-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 Viranşehir has become more connected. Viranşehir ranked 63rd in 1975, 96th in 1976-1990, 88th in 1991-2000 and 90th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Viranşehir had a built-up area of 6.04 square kilometers, and a population of 113090 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: