Street-network Sprawl in Khartsyzk, 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.

Khartsyzk: city in Donets'k, 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 Khartsyzk, Ukraine on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Khartsyzk as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.72, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.55, 1.06, 3.4 and nan. Data was not available in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Khartsyzk spans a total of 165 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.55, 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 0.55, 0.66, 0.72 and 0.72. The aggregate street network in Khartsyzk increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Khartsyzk and Donets'k 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 Donets'k rose steadily.

How do development practices in Khartsyzk fare in comparison to others in Donets'k? out of the 11 cities in Donets'k. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Donets'k, street construction in Khartsyzk has become more disconnected. Khartsyzk ranked 10th in 1975, 10th in 1976-1990 and 4th in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Khartsyzk 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 Khartsyzk fare in comparison to others in Ukraine? 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 Khartsyzk has become more disconnected. Khartsyzk ranked 76th in 1975, 65th in 1976-1990 and 27th in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

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

To date, Khartsyzk is the 10th-most disconnected out of the 11 cities in Donets'k. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Khartsyzk ranked 10th in 1975, 10th in 1976-1990, 10th in 1991-2000 and 10th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Khartsyzk is the 74th-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 Khartsyzk has become more disconnected. Khartsyzk ranked 76th in 1975, 74th in 1976-1990, 74th in 1991-2000 and 74th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Khartsyzk had a built-up area of 12.69 square kilometers, and a population of 101471 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: