Street-network Sprawl in Wadi Fira, Chad

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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:

• nodal degree
• dendricity, the tree-likeness of the street network
• circuity, the ratio of the distance by road to the straight-line distance of two locations on the street network
• sinuosity, the curviness of a street

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:

• Global trends toward urban street-network sprawl
• A global assessment of street-network sprawl

To see the state of street-network sprawl across the globe, visit the sprawlmap.

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Wadi Fira: region in Chad

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 Wadi Fira, Chad on the sprawlmap

How have Wadi Fira's street networks changed over time?

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Wadi Fira as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.59, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are nan, nan, nan and 0.79. Data was not available in 1975, 1976-1990 and 1991-2000.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Wadi Fira spans a total of 249 kilometers. It is dominated by roads constructed prior to 1975. These roads have an SNDi of nan, which is highly disconnected.

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 nan, nan, nan and 3.59. Data was not available in 1975, 1976-1990 and 1991-2000.

Wadi Fira in context: Street-network sprawl of new development

The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Wadi Fira followed a zig-zag trend. To get a sense of how street development has changed in Wadi Fira, we can consider one of its most populous cities: Biltine. None of the most populous cities follow the same trend as the region. The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Biltine followed a zig-zag trend.

How do development practices in Wadi Fira fare in comparison to others in Chad? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Wadi Fira was the 15th-most disconnected out of the 17 regions in Chad. Wadi Fira ranked 15th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975, 1976-1990, and 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Wadi Fira in context: Aggregate street-network sprawl

As of 2014, the city with the most disconnected street network in Wadi Fira is Biltine with an SNDi of 0.24, which is very well-connected. Conversely, the most connected city is Biltine with an SNDi of 0.24, which is very well-connected. See trends for these cities: Biltine, Biltine

The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Wadi Fira followed a zig-zag trend. To get a sense of how the aggregate street network has changed in Wadi Fira, we can consider one of its most populous cities: Biltine. None of the most populous cities follow the same trend as the region. The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Biltine followed a zig-zag trend.

To date, Wadi Fira is the 4th-most disconnected out of the 17 regions in Chad. Wadi Fira ranked 4th in 2001-2014. There was no ranking in 1975, 1976-1990, and 1991-2000 due to unavailable data.

Cities in Wadi Fira

• Biltine