Street-network Sprawl in El Menia, 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.

El Menia: city in Ghardaïa, 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 El Menia, Algeria on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in El Menia as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.84, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.49, 0.82, 1.73 and 1.25. Disconnectivity in street construction in El Menia follows a zig-zag trend. In 1976-1990, street construction was most disconnected, while construction was most connected in 1975.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in El Menia spans a total of 195 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.49, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness.

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 2.49, 1.95, 1.92 and 1.84. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has fallen: the street network in El Menia has become more connected.

El Menia and Ghardaïa follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these followed a zig-zag trend with an overall decrease.

How do development practices in El Menia fare in comparison to others in Ghardaïa? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in El Menia was the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Ghardaïa. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. El Menia ranked 2nd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

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

How do development practices in El Menia fare in comparison to others in Algeria? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in El Menia was the 68th-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 El Menia has become more connected. El Menia ranked 17th in 1975, 61st in 1976-1990, 42nd in 1991-2000 and 68th in 2001-2014.

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

To date, El Menia is the 2nd-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Ghardaïa. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has not changed. El Menia ranked 2nd in 1975, 3rd in 1976-1990, 3rd in 1991-2000 and 2nd in 2001-2014.

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

To date, El Menia is the 35th-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 El Menia has become more connected. El Menia ranked 17th in 1975, 31st in 1976-1990, 33rd in 1991-2000 and 35th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, El Menia had a built-up area of 12.69 square kilometers, and a population of 67910 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: