Street-network Sprawl in Enerhodar, 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.

Enerhodar: 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 Enerhodar, Ukraine on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Enerhodar as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.26, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.12, 2.23, nan and 0.42. Data was not available in 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Enerhodar spans a total of 73 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.12, 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 1.12, 1.28, 1.26 and 1.26. Disconnectivity in Enerhodar's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1975, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1976-1990.

Enerhodar and Zaporizhzhya 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 Zaporizhzhya rose steadily.

How do development practices in Enerhodar fare in comparison to others in Zaporizhzhya? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Enerhodar was the 3rd-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 Enerhodar has become more disconnected. Enerhodar ranked 4th in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990 and 3rd in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Enerhodar 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 Enerhodar fare in comparison to others in Ukraine? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Enerhodar was the 53rd-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 Enerhodar has become more disconnected. Enerhodar ranked 62nd in 1975, 32nd in 1976-1990 and 53rd in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

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

To date, Enerhodar is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 5 cities in Zaporizhzhya. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Enerhodar ranked 4th in 1975, 4th in 1976-1990, 4th in 1991-2000 and 4th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Enerhodar is the 63rd-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 Enerhodar has become more connected. Enerhodar ranked 62nd in 1975, 63rd in 1976-1990, 63rd in 1991-2000 and 63rd in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Enerhodar had a built-up area of 19.48 square kilometers, and a population of 62244 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: