Street-network Sprawl in Biskra, Algeria

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.

Biskra: city in Algeria

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 Biskra, Algeria on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Biskra as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.08, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.33, 0.98, 0.81 and 0.9. The disconnectivity of new streets constructed in Biskra fell, then rose. In 1991-2000, new street layouts were the most connected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Biskra spans a total of 508 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 1.33, 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 1.33, 1.25, 1.11 and 1.08. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in Biskra has become more connected.

Biskra and Biskra do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Biskra was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Biskra followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

How do development practices in Biskra fare in comparison to others in Biskra? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Biskra was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Biskra. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Biskra, street construction in Biskra has become more connected. Biskra ranked 1st in 1975, 1st in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

Biskra and Algeria do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Biskra was at its lowest in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Algeria was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Biskra fare in comparison to others in Algeria? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Biskra was the 80th-most disconnected out of the 95 cities in Algeria. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Algeria, street construction in Biskra has become more connected. Biskra ranked 38th in 1975, 56th in 1976-1990, 70th in 1991-2000 and 80th in 2001-2014.

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

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

Biskra and Algeria do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Biskra fell steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Algeria was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Biskra is the 60th-most disconnected out of the 95 cities in Algeria. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Algeria, the street network in Biskra has become more connected. Biskra ranked 38th in 1975, 49th in 1976-1990, 54th in 1991-2000 and 60th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Biskra had a built-up area of 15.49 square kilometers, and a population of 234800 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: