Street-network Sprawl in Côte d'Ivoire

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.

Côte d'Ivoire

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 Côte d'Ivoire on the sprawlmap

Most recent snapshot: Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Côte d'Ivoire as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 3.51, which is highly disconnected.

Trends in street network construction: The SNDis of street construction for the respective time periods are 2.95, 3.04, 4.7 and 5.19. In each period, new street development in Côte d'Ivoire steadily grows more disconnected than in the last.

Quantity of street network construction: The street network in Côte d'Ivoire spans a total of 81269 kilometers. The period with the greatest volume of street construction was 1975. These roads have an SNDi of 2.95, 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 2.95, 3.02, 3.24 and 3.51. Overall, the SNDi of the aggregate street network has risen: the street network in Côte d'Ivoire has become more disconnected.

The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Côte d'Ivoire rose steadily. To get a sense of how street development has changed in Côte d'Ivoire, we can consider three of its most populous regions: Abidjan, Sassandra-Marahoué and Vallée du Bandama. Out of the three regions, Abidjan and Sassandra-Marahoué do not follow the same trend as the country. The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Abidjan followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase. The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Sassandra-Marahoué followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

How do development practices in Côte d'Ivoire fare in comparison to others in the world? Most recently in 2001-2014, street construction in Côte d'Ivoire was the 50th-most disconnected out of the 155 countries in the world. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has risen; relative to other countries in the world, street construction in Côte d'Ivoire has become more disconnected. Côte d'Ivoire ranked 69th in 1975, 91st in 1976-1990, 58th in 1991-2000 and 50th in 2001-2014.

The largest city in Côte d'Ivoire is Abidjan, with a population of 4551900 people. Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Abidjan as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.77, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness. The level of street-network sprawl in new development in Abidjan followed a zig-zag trend with an overall increase.

As of 2014, the city with the most disconnected street network in Côte d'Ivoire is San-Pédro with an SNDi of 4.28, which is highly disconnected. Conversely, the most connected city is Sinfra with an SNDi of -0.18, which is very well-connected. See trends for these cities: Sinfra, San-Pédro

The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Côte d'Ivoire rose steadily. To get a sense of how the aggregate street network has changed in Côte d'Ivoire, we can consider three of its most populous regions: Abidjan, Sassandra-Marahoué and Vallée du Bandama. Out of the three regions, Abidjan does not follow the same trend as the country. The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Abidjan rose steadily.

To date, Côte d'Ivoire is the 72nd-most disconnected out of the 155 countries in the world. Its position in the ranks since 1975 has fallen; relative to other countries in the world, the street network in Côte d'Ivoire has become more connected. Côte d'Ivoire ranked 69th in 1975, 83rd in 1976-1990, 80th in 1991-2000 and 72nd in 2001-2014.

The largest city in Côte d'Ivoire is Abidjan, with a population of 4551900 people. Taking into account the entire (i.e. aggregate) street network in Abidjan as of 2014, the overall level of street-network sprawl is 2.77, which is in the 40th to 60th percentile of disconnectedness. The level of street-network sprawl in the aggregate network in Abidjan rose steadily.