Street-network Sprawl in Mokolo, Cameroon

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.

Mokolo: city in Extrême-Nord, Cameroon

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 Mokolo, Cameroon on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Mokolo as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 0.18, which is very well-connected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are -0.4, -0.18, -0.17 and 0.82. In each period, new street development in Mokolo steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Mokolo spans a total of 95 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed in 1976-1990. These roads have an SNDi of -0.18, which is very 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 -0.4, -0.19, -0.19 and 0.18. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Mokolo has become more disconnected.

Mokolo and Extrême-Nord do not follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi in Mokolo rose steadily, while the SNDi of street constructions in Extrême-Nord was at its lowest in 1976-1990.

How do development practices in Mokolo fare in comparison to others in Extrême-Nord? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mokolo was the 6th-most disconnected out of the 11 cities in Extrême-Nord. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Extrême-Nord, street construction in Mokolo has become more connected. Mokolo ranked 4th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

Mokolo and Cameroon follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their street network constructions. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

How do development practices in Mokolo fare in comparison to others in Cameroon? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Mokolo was the 31st-most disconnected out of the 51 cities in Cameroon. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other cities in Cameroon, street construction in Mokolo has become more disconnected. Mokolo ranked 36th in 1975, 41st in 1976-1990, 44th in 1991-2000 and 31st in 2001-2014.

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

To date, Mokolo is the 6th-most disconnected out of the 11 cities in Extrême-Nord. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Extrême-Nord, the street network in Mokolo has become more connected. Mokolo ranked 4th in 1975, 6th in 1976-1990, 8th in 1991-2000 and 6th in 2001-2014.

Mokolo and Cameroon follow the same trend in the disconnectivity of their aggregate street networks. The SNDi for both of these rose steadily.

To date, Mokolo is the 45th-most disconnected out of the 51 cities in Cameroon. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other cities in Cameroon, the street network in Mokolo has become more connected. Mokolo ranked 36th in 1975, 45th in 1976-1990, 47th in 1991-2000 and 45th in 2001-2014.

As of 2015, Mokolo had a built-up area of 1.15 square kilometers, and a population of 620687 people.

These are some other cities with approximately the same population: