Street-network Sprawl in Uman, Ukraine

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.

Uman: city in Cherkasy, Ukraine

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 Uman, Ukraine on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Uman as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.34, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.84, 3.4, nan and 2.59. Data was not available in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Uman spans a total of 150 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of 3.4, which is highly disconnected.

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 1.84, 3.35, 3.36 and 3.34. The aggregate street network in Uman increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Uman and Cherkasy do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Cherkasy followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Uman fare in comparison to others in Cherkasy? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Uman was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Cherkasy. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Uman ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990 and 2nd in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Uman and Ukraine do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. There was not enough data from the city, while the SNDi of street constructions in Ukraine rose steadily.

How do development practices in Uman fare in comparison to others in Ukraine? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Uman was the 39th-most disconnected out of the 78 cities in Ukraine. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Ukraine, street construction in Uman has become more disconnected. Uman ranked 38th in 1975, 7th in 1976-1990 and 39th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Uman and Cherkasy do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Uman peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Cherkasy was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Uman is the 1st-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Cherkasy. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Uman ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 1st in 2001-2014.

Uman and Ukraine do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Uman peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Ukraine rose steadily.

To date, Uman is the 5th-most disconnected out of the 78 cities in Ukraine. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Ukraine, the street network in Uman has become more disconnected. Uman ranked 38th in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Uman had a built-up area of 11.86 square kilometers, and a population of 72914 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: