Street-network Sprawl in Berdiansk, 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.

Berdiansk: city in Zaporizhzhya, 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 Berdiansk, Ukraine on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Berdiansk as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.54, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.61, 0.28, 0.16 and 0.67. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Berdiansk fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Berdiansk spans a total of 263 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.61, 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 0.61, 0.54, 0.54 and 0.54. The SNDi of the aggregate street network in fell at first, but Berdiansk has worsened in disconnectivity since 2000.

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

How do development practices in Berdiansk fare in comparison to others in Zaporizhzhya? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Berdiansk was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 5 cities in Zaporizhzhya. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Zaporizhzhya, street construction in Berdiansk has become more disconnected. Berdiansk ranked 5th in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in Berdiansk fare in comparison to others in Ukraine? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Berdiansk was the 52nd-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 Berdiansk has become more disconnected. Berdiansk ranked 74th in 1975, 73rd in 1976-1990, 57th in 1991-2000 and 52nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Berdiansk is the 5th-most disconnected out of the 5 cities in Zaporizhzhya. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Berdiansk ranked 5th in 1975, 5th in 1976-1990, 5th in 1991-2000 and 5th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Berdiansk is the 76th-most disconnected out of the 78 cities in Ukraine. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Ukraine, the street network in Berdiansk has become more connected. Berdiansk ranked 74th in 1975, 76th in 1976-1990, 76th in 1991-2000 and 76th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Berdiansk had a built-up area of 22.64 square kilometers, and a population of 89434 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: