Street-network Sprawl in Luena, Angola

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.

Luena: city in Moxico, Angola

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 Luena, Angola on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Luena as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 1.43, which is relatively well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 1.17, 1.5, 2.14 and 1.37. Street construction in Luena increased in disconnectivity initially but has since improved. The streets constructed in 1991-2000 were the most disconnected.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Luena spans a total of 320 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 2001-2014. These roads have an SNDi of 1.37, 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 1.17, 1.46, 1.48 and 1.43. The aggregate street network in Luena increased in disconnectivity initially,but the trend has turned around after 2000.

Luena and Moxico follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1991-2000.

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

Luena and Angola do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Luena peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Angola peaked in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Luena fare in comparison to others in Angola? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Luena was the 34th-most disconnected out of the 51 cities in Angola. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Angola, street construction in Luena has become more connected. Luena ranked 18th in 1975, 25th in 1976-1990, 16th in 1991-2000 and 34th in 2001-2014.

Luena and Moxico do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi in Luena peaked in 1991-2000, while the SNDi of street constructions in Moxico was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

To date, Luena is the 3rd-most disconnected out of the 3 cities in Moxico. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Moxico, the street network in Luena has become more connected. Luena ranked 1st in 1975, 2nd in 1976-1990, 1st in 1991-2000 and 3rd in 2001-2014.

Luena and Angola follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these peaked in 1991-2000.

To date, Luena is the 34th-most disconnected out of the 51 cities in Angola. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Angola, the street network in Luena has become more connected. Luena ranked 18th in 1975, 25th in 1976-1990, 23rd in 1991-2000 and 34th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Luena had a built-up area of 16.46 square kilometers, and a population of 341566 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: