Street-network Sprawl in Balkanabat, Turkmenistan

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.

Balkanabat: city in Balkan, Turkmenistan

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 Balkanabat, Turkmenistan on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Balkanabat as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.57, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.62, 0.58, -0.13 and 0.64. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Balkanabat fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Balkanabat spans a total of 123 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 0.58, 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 0.62, 0.57, 0.55 and 0.57. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Balkanabat has worsened in disconnectivity since 2000.

Balkanabat and Balkan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Balkanabat was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Balkan rose steadily.

How do development practices in Balkanabat fare in comparison to others in Balkan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Balkanabat was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Balkan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Balkanabat ranked 2nd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Balkanabat and Turkmenistan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Balkanabat was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Turkmenistan rose steadily.

How do development practices in Balkanabat fare in comparison to others in Turkmenistan? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Balkanabat was the 9th-most disconnected out of the 10 cities in Turkmenistan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Turkmenistan, street construction in Balkanabat has become more connected. Balkanabat ranked 6th in 1975, 10th in 1976-1990, 9th in 1991-2000 and 9th in 2001-2014.

Balkanabat and Balkan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Balkanabat was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Balkan rose steadily.

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

Balkanabat and Turkmenistan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Balkanabat was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Turkmenistan rose steadily.

To date, Balkanabat is the 10th-most disconnected out of the 10 cities in Turkmenistan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Turkmenistan, the street network in Balkanabat has become more connected. Balkanabat ranked 6th in 1975, 10th in 1976-1990, 10th in 1991-2000 and 10th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Balkanabat had a built-up area of 5.3 square kilometers, and a population of 124782 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: