Street-network Sprawl in Bukhara, Uzbekistan

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.

Bukhara: city in Bukhoro, Uzbekistan

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 Bukhara, Uzbekistan on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Bukhara as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.79, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 0.93, -0.04, 9.62 and nan. Data was not available in 2001-2014.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Bukhara spans a total of 275 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 0.93, 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 0.93, 0.77, 0.79 and 0.79. Disconnectivity in Bukhara's street network follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, the city was most disconnected; while it was most connected in 1975.

Bukhara and Bukhoro 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 Bukhoro followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

How do development practices in Bukhara fare in comparison to others in Bukhoro? out of the 2 cities in Bukhoro. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Bukhoro, street construction in Bukhara has become more disconnected. Bukhara ranked 2nd in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990 and 1st in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Bukhara and Uzbekistan 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 Uzbekistan was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Bukhara fare in comparison to others in Uzbekistan? out of the 56 cities in Uzbekistan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Uzbekistan, street construction in Bukhara has become more disconnected. Bukhara ranked 52nd in 1975, 53rd in 1976-1990 and 1st in 1991-2000. There was no ranking in 2001-2014 due to unavailable data.

Bukhara and Bukhoro do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Bukhara followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Bukhoro followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

To date, Bukhara is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 2 cities in Bukhoro. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. Bukhara ranked 2nd in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 2nd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Bukhara and Uzbekistan do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Bukhara followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease, while the SNDi of street constructions in Uzbekistan was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Bukhara is the 56th-most disconnected out of the 56 cities in Uzbekistan. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Uzbekistan, the street network in Bukhara has become more connected. Bukhara ranked 52nd in 1975, 56th in 1976-1990, 55th in 1991-2000 and 56th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Bukhara had a built-up area of 36.89 square kilometers, and a population of 137440 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population:

For some related information about population, urban extent and density, and roads, visit the Atlas of Urban Expansion.